本文目录
- 关于感恩节习俗及由来的英语短文
- 急!有关于圣诞节和感恩节的英语小短文有中文翻译的
- 求感恩节英语小短文!
- 初二的感恩节英语小短文
- 求关于感恩节风俗的英语短文
- 关于感恩节的英语短文
- 用英语介绍感恩节至少5句要翻译!
- 有关Thanksgiving(感恩)主题的英语文章
- ··有关感恩节的英语小短文(50—100)
- 英语作文感恩节5句
关于感恩节习俗及由来的英语短文
感恩节的由来Thanksgiving Day
Now I would like to give you some details about Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Thanksgiving Day is the most truly American of the national Holidays in the United States and is most closely connected with the earliest history of the country.
In 1620, the settlers, or Pilgrims, they sailed to America on the May flower, seeking a place where they could have freedom of worship. After a tempestuous two-month voyage they landed at in icy November, what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.
During their first winter, over half of the settlers died of starvation or epidemics. Those who survived began sowing in the first spring.
All summer long they waited for the harvests with great anxiety, knowing that their lives and the future existence of the colony depended on the coming harvest.Finally the fields produced a yield rich beyond expectations. And therefore it was decided that a day of thanksgiving to the Lord be fixed. Years later, President of the United States proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day every year. The celebration of Thanksgiving Day has been observed on that date until today.
The pattern of the Thanksgiving celebration has never changed through the years. The big family dinner is planned months ahead. On the dinner table, people will find apples, oranges, chestnuts, walnuts and grapes.There will be plum pudding, mince pie, other varieties of food and cranberry juice and squash. The best and most attractive among them are roast turkey and pumpkin pie. They have been the most traditional and favorite food on Thanksgiving Day throughout the years.
Everyone agrees the dinner must be built around roast turkey stuffed with a bread dressing blessings.
急!有关于圣诞节和感恩节的英语小短文有中文翻译的
Christmas
The Feast of Christmas
It is not easy to pin-point the origins of the Christmas feast, today the more important feast of the Christmas season in most western Christian churches. One can only say for certain that the birth of Jesus Christ was being celebrated in Rome by the year 336 A.D.; afterwards the feast was celebrated in other Christian churches throughout the world.
Why it was celebrated on December 25th is another question. No date for the birth of Jesus can be found in the New Testament, which is concerned more with the question “Who is Jesus?“ than the date of his birth. Early Christian speculation about his birth date was influenced by the symbolism of the changing seasons, then popular in religious thought, which paid careful attention to the equinoxes and solstices of the sun. Christian scholars speculated that Jesus was conceived at the spring equinox (March 25th) and therefore was born on December 25th, the date of the winter solstice.
In many of the Christian churches, March 25th is still the Feast of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of Jesus.
Possible impluse for the feast of Christmas may have came too from the establishment of the pagan feast of the “Unconquered Sun-God“ by the Emperor Aurelian in 274 A.D. to be celebrated on December 25, the day of the winter solstice in Rome and throughout the empire. In response, Christians could celebrate the feast of the “Sun of righteousness“ (Malachi 4,2), Jesus Christ, who called himself “ the light of the world.“
Father Christmas
It is said that in the year of 300 AD, there was a kind old man and his name was Saint Nicholas. He was always ready to help the poor and often gave presents to them.
Today, Father Christmas is an imaginary figure, but nearly all young children believe in him. They think he is a happy old man with a long white beard and a long red robe.
On the night of the twenty-fourth of December every year, Father Christmas from some cold northern land comes down the chimney of the fireplace to put presents by the beds of children or to fill their stockings. So when children go to bed that night, they hang up their stockings, and on Christmas morning they wake to find them full of presents. Of course, it’s really their parents who fill the stockings.
Another name for Father Christmas is Santa Claus.
圣诞
节日圣诞节
这是一个不太容易针点起源的圣诞大餐,今天更重要的节日圣诞节,在多数西方国家的基督教教堂。人们只能肯定地说,耶稣基督的诞生正在庆祝在罗马由一年336专案,后来这个节日的庆祝活动,在其他基督教会在整个世界。
为什么这是庆祝12月25日是另一个问题。没有日期为耶稣诞生的,可以发现在新约圣经,这是较为关注这一问题: “谁是耶稣“ ?超过了自己的出生日期。早期基督教的揣测,他的出生日期是受象征主义的四季变化,那么受欢迎,在宗教思想,其中支付小心注意这个equinoxes和solstices的太阳。基督教学者推测,耶稣被构思在春分( 3月25日) ,因此出生于12月25日,该日期的冬至。
在许多基督教教堂, 3月25日仍是盛宴的annunciation ,当天使加布里埃尔宣布玛丽说,她是为了母亲的耶稣。
可能impluse为节日圣诞节可能来得由设立该异教盛宴的“ unconquered太阳神“ ,由皇帝aurelian在274个专案,以庆祝12月25日,是日冬至在罗马和整个帝国。对此,基督徒可以庆祝的节日“太阳的正义“ (玛拉基书4,2 ) ,耶稣基督,自称“世界之光“ 。
圣诞老人
据称,在一年的300专案,有一种岁男子,他的名字是圣尼古拉斯。他总是愿意帮助穷人,并常常给予礼物给他们。
今天,圣诞老人是一个虚构的人物,但几乎所有的幼童相信他。他们觉得他是一个快乐岁男子与长长的白胡子和一个长的红色长袍。
对夜的第二十四届每年12月,父亲从圣诞节有些寒冷的北方地归结为烟囱的壁炉把礼物,由张病床的儿童,或填补他们的袜子。因此,当孩子上床当天晚上,他们坑了自己的长筒袜,并于圣诞节早晨醒来发现他们充满了礼物。当然,它的真正父母,填补袜子。
另一名称为父亲圣诞节是圣诞老人。
求感恩节英语小短文!
共三篇短文共参考。
sample 1.Thanksgiving Day(感恩节)
In the United States, the fourth Thursday in November is called Thanksgiving Day. On that day, Americans give thanks for the blessings they have enjoyed during the year.Thanksgiving Day is usually a family day. People always celebrate with big dinners and happy reunions. Pumpkin pie and Indian pudding are traditional Thanksgiving desserts. Relatives from other cities, students who have been away at school, and many other Americans travel a long distance to spend the holiday at home.
Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in much of North America, generally observed as an expression of gratitude, usually to God. The most common view of its origin is that it was to give thanks to God for the bounty of the autumn harvest. In the United States, the holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, where the harvest generally ends earlier in the year, the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which is observed as Columbus Day or protested as Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States.
Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In the United States, it is an important family holiday, and people often travel across the country to be with family members for the holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday is generally a “four-day“ weekend in the United States, in which Americans are given the relevant Thursday and Friday off. Thanksgiving is almost entirely celebrated at home, unlike the Fourth of July or Christmas, which are associated with a variety of shared public experiences (fireworks, caroling, etc.)
汉语:
感恩节的由来要一直追溯到美国历史的发端。1620年,著名的“五月花”号船满载不堪忍受英国国内宗教迫害的清教徒102人到达美洲。1620年和1621年之交的冬天,他们遇到了难以想象的困难,处在饥寒交迫之中,冬天过去时,活下来的移民只有50来人。这时,心地善良的印第安人给移民送来了生活必需品,还特地派人教他们怎样狩猎、捕鱼和种植玉米、南瓜。在印第安人的帮助下,移民们终于获得了丰收,在欢庆丰收的日子,按照宗教传统习俗,移民规定了感谢上帝的日子,并决定为感谢印第安人的真诚帮助,邀请他们一同庆祝节日。
在第一个感恩节的这一天,印第安人和移民欢聚一堂,他们在黎明时鸣放礼炮,列队走进一间用作教堂的屋子,虔诚地向上帝表达谢意,然后点起篝火举行盛大宴会。第二天和第三天又举行了摔交、赛跑、唱歌、跳舞等活动。第一个感恩节非常成功。其中许多庆祝方式流传了300多年,一直保留到今天。
初时感恩节没有固定日期,由各州临时决定,直到美国独立后,感恩节才成为全国性的节日。 1863年,美国总统林肯正式宣布感恩节为国定假日。届时,家家团聚,举国同庆,其盛大、热烈的情形,不亚于中国人过春节。
sample 2.
Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in much of North America, generally observed as an expression of gratitude, usually to God. The most common view of its origin is that it was to give thanks to God for the bounty of the autumn harvest. In the United States, the holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, where the harvest generally ends earlier in the year, the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which is observed as Columbus Day or protested as Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States.
Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In the United States, it is an important family holiday, and people often travel across the country to be with family members for the holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday is generally a “four-day“ weekend in the United States, in which Americans are given the relevant Thursday and Friday off. Thanksgiving is almost entirely celebrated at home, unlike the Fourth of July or Christmas, which are associated with a variety of shared public experiences (fireworks, caroling, etc.)
Sample 3.
we are supposed to express our gratitude to others on thanksgiving day. however, we should feel gratitude every day.
god has two dwellings, one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart. be grateful to others is a way to show your love. in our daily life, we often receive help from our parents, friends, colleagues and strangers. perhaps it is a little thing, pick up the pen you drop, lift a heavy box for you or offer you a seat in the bus. we should be thankful to them for whatever they have done. the more love you give, the more love you receive.
初二的感恩节英语小短文
Thanksgiving Day in the United States is traditionally a holiday to give thanks for the food collected at the end of the harvest season. It originated in 1621 and was a religious festival, but is now popular. It is now a holiday on the fourth Thursday of November.
It is traditional for families and groups of friends to get together for a large meal. This often consists of a turkey; the meal also often includes pumpkin pie. Many of these foods are native to the Americas and were not available in Europe at the time of the first settlers. Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Many football games are played and watching them is a popular activity. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips out of town and to visit friends and family.
感恩节是美国的传统节日,对在收成季节收集到的食物表达感恩之情。它源于1621年,原是个宗教节日但现在很普及了。这个节日是在11月份第四个星期四。
传统习惯是家人和一群朋友聚在一起大餐一顿。这餐饭通常有火鸡,也会有南瓜饼。这些食物是美国的特产,是第一批移民时期的欧洲还没有的。
在感恩节时一些城市和乡镇会举行游街活动。许多足球比赛在此期间举行,观看足球比赛是很受人欢迎的娱乐。有的人有四天的周末假期可以出城旅游或探亲访友。
求关于感恩节风俗的英语短文
感恩节 (这篇可以参考:)~~
Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in much of North America, generally observed as an expression of gratitude, usually to God. The most common view of its origin is that it was to give thanks to God for the bounty of the autumn harvest. In the United States, the holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, where the harvest generally ends earlier in the year, the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which is observed as Columbus Day or protested as Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States.
Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In the United States, it is an important family holiday, and people often travel across the country to be with family members for the holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday is generally a “four-day“ weekend in the United States, in which Americans are given the relevant Thursday and Friday off. Thanksgiving is almost entirely celebrated at home, unlike the Fourth of July or Christmas, which are associated with a variety of shared public experiences (fireworks, caroling, etc.)
关于感恩节的英语短文
感恩节 (这篇可以参考:)~~
Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in much of North America, generally observed as an expression of gratitude, usually to God. The most common view of its origin is that it was to give thanks to God for the bounty of the autumn harvest. In the United States, the holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, where the harvest generally ends earlier in the year, the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which is observed as Columbus Day or protested as Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States.
Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In the United States, it is an important family holiday, and people often travel across the country to be with family members for the holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday is generally a “four-day“ weekend in the United States, in which Americans are given the relevant Thursday and Friday off. Thanksgiving is almost entirely celebrated at home, unlike the Fourth of July or Christmas, which are associated with a variety of shared public experiences (fireworks, caroling, etc.)
用英语介绍感恩节至少5句要翻译!
Thanksgiving Day
Fourth Thursday in November
Almost every culture in the world has held celebrations of thanks for a plentiful harvest. The American Thanksgiving holiday began as a feast of thanksgiving in the early days of the American colonies almost four hundred years ago.
In 1620, a boat filled with more than one hundred people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World(新大陆). This religious group had begun to question the beliefs of the Church of England and they wanted to separate from it. The Pilgrims settled in what is now the state of Massachusetts. Their first winter in the New World was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow many crops, and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring the Iroquois Indians(美国纽约州东北部易洛魁族印第安人)taught them how to grow corn, a new food for the colonists. They showed them other crops to grow in the unfamiliar soil and how to hunt and fish.
In the autumn of 1621, bountiful crops of corn, barley(大麦), beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited the local Indian chief and 90 Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkeys and other wild game offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. To this first Thanksgiving, the Indians had even brought popcorn.
In following years, many of the original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks.
After the United States became an independent country, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving for the whole nation to celebrate. George Washington suggested the date November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. Then in 1863, at the end of a long and bloody civil war, Abraham Lincoln asked all Americans to set aside the last Thursday in November as a day of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, a different date every year. The President must proclaim that date as the official celebration.
Thanksgiving is a time for tradition and sharing. Even if they live far away, family members gather for a reunion at the house of an older relative. All give thanks together for the good things that they have.
In this spirit of sharing, civic groups and charitable organizations offer a traditional meal to those in need, particularly the homeless. On most tables throughout the United States, foods eaten at the first thanksgiving have become traditional.
Symbols of Thanksgiving
Turkey, corn, pumpkins and cranberry sauce(酸果曼沙司)are symbols which represent the first Thanksgiving. Now all of these symbols are drawn on holiday decorations and greeting cards. The use of corn meant the survival of the colonies. “Indian corn“ as a table or door decoration represents the harvest and the fall season.
Sweet-sour cranberry sauce, or cranberry jelly, was on the first Thanksgiving table and is still served today. The cranberry is a small, sour berry. It grows in bogs(沼泽), or muddy areas, in Massachusetts and other New England states. The Indians used the fruit to treat infections. They used the juice to dye their rugs and blankets. They taught the colonists how to cook the berries with sweetener(甜味佐料)and water to make a sauce. The Indians called it “ibimi“ which means “bitter berry.“ When the colonists saw it, they named it “crane-berry“ because the flowers of the berry bent the stalk over, and it resembled the long-necked bird called a crane. The berries are still grown in New England.
In 1988, a Thanksgiving ceremony of a different kind took place at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. More than four thousand people gathered on Thanksgiving night. Among them were Native Americans representing tribes from all over the country and descendants of people whose ancestors had migrated to the New World.
The ceremony was a public acknowledgment of the Indians’ role in the first Thanksgiving 350 years ago. Until recently most schoolchildren believed that the Pilgrims cooked the entire Thanksgiving feast, and offered it to the Indians. In fact, the feast was planned to thank the Indians for teaching them how to cook those foods. Without the Indians, the first settlers would not have survived!
感恩节(Thanksgiving Day)
11月的第四个星期四是感恩节。感恩节是美国人民独创的一个古老节日,也是美国人合家欢聚的节日,因此美国人提起感恩节总是倍感亲切。
感恩节的由来要一直追溯到美国历史的发端。1620年,著名的“五月花”号船满载不堪忍受英国国内宗教迫害的清教徒102人到达美洲。1620年和1621年之交的冬天,他们遇到了难以想象的困难,处在饥寒交迫之中,冬天过去时,活下来的移民只有50来人。这时,心地善良的印第安人给移民送来了生活必需品,还特地派人教他们怎样狩猎、捕鱼和种植玉米、南瓜。在印第安人的帮助下,移民们终于获得了丰收,在欢庆丰收的日子,按照宗教传统习俗,移民规定了感谢上帝的日子,并决定为感谢印第安人的真诚帮助,邀请他们一同庆祝节日。
在第一个感恩节的这一天,印第安人和移民欢聚一堂,他们在黎明时鸣放礼炮,列队走进一间用作教堂的屋子,虔诚地向上帝表达谢意,然后点起篝火举行盛大宴会。第二天和第三天又举行了摔交、赛跑、唱歌、跳舞等活动。第一个感恩节非常成功。其中许多庆祝方式流传了300多年,一直保留到今天。
初时感恩节没有固定日期,由各州临时决定,直到美国独立后,感恩节才成为全国性的节日。
每逢感恩节这一天,美国举国上下热闹非常,人们按照习俗前往教堂做感恩祈祷,城乡市镇到处都有化装游行、戏剧表演或体育比赛等。劳燕分飞了一年的亲人们也会从天南海北归来,一家人团团圆圆,品尝美味的感恩节火鸡。
感恩节的食品富有传统特色。火鸡是感恩节的传统主菜,通常是把火鸡肚子里塞上各种调料和拌好的食品,然后整只烤出,由男主人用刀切成薄片分给大家。此外,感恩节的传统食品还有甜山芋、玉蜀黍、南瓜饼、红莓苔子果酱等。
感恩节宴会后,人们有时会做些传统游戏,比如南瓜赛跑是比赛者用一把小勺推着南瓜跑,规则是不能用手碰南瓜,先到终点者获胜。比赛用的勺子越小,游戏就越有意思。
多少年来,庆祝感恩节的习俗代代相传,无论在岩石嶙峋的西海岸还是在风光旖旎的夏威夷,人们几乎在以同样的方式欢度感恩节,感恩节是不论何种信仰、何种民族的美国人都庆祝的传统节日。
感恩节(Thanksgiving Day)中英文介绍
感恩节(Thanksgiving Day)
11月的第四个星期四是感恩节。感恩节是美国人民独创的一个古老节日,也是美国人合家欢聚的节日,因此美国人提起感恩节总是倍感亲切。
感恩节的由来要一直追溯到美国历史的发端。1620年,著名的“五月花”号船满载不堪忍受英国国内宗教迫害的清教徒102人到达美洲。1620年和1621年之交的冬天,他们遇到了难以想象的困难,处在饥寒交迫之中,冬天过去时,活下来的移民只有50来人。这时,心地善良的印第安人给移民送来了生活必需品,还特地派人教他们怎样狩猎、捕鱼和种植玉米、南瓜。在印第安人的帮助下,移民们终于获得了丰收,在欢庆丰收的日子,按照宗教传统习俗,移民规定了感谢上帝的日子,并决定为感谢印第安人的真诚帮助,邀请他们一同庆祝节日。
在第一个感恩节的这一天,印第安人和移民欢聚一堂,他们在黎明时鸣放礼炮,列队走进一间用作教堂的屋子,虔诚地向上帝表达谢意,然后点起篝火举行盛大宴会。第二天和第三天又举行了摔交、赛跑、唱歌、跳舞等活动。第一个感恩节非常成功。其中许多庆祝方式流传了300多年,一直保留到今天。
初时感恩节没有固定日期,由各州临时决定,直到美国独立后,感恩节才成为全国性的节日。
每逢感恩节这一天,美国举国上下热闹非常,人们按照习俗前往教堂做感恩祈祷,城乡市镇到处都有化装游行、戏剧表演或体育比赛等。劳燕分飞了一年的亲人们也会从天南海北归来,一家人团团圆圆,品尝美味的感恩节火鸡。
感恩节的食品富有传统特色。火鸡是感恩节的传统主菜,通常是把火鸡肚子里塞上各种调料和拌好的食品,然后整只烤出,由男主人用刀切成薄片分给大家。此外,感恩节的传统食品还有甜山芋、玉蜀黍、南瓜饼、红莓苔子果酱等。
感恩节宴会后,人们有时会做些传统游戏,比如南瓜赛跑是比赛者用一把小勺推着南瓜跑,规则是不能用手碰南瓜,先到终点者获胜。比赛用的勺子越小,游戏就越有意思。
多少年来,庆祝感恩节的习俗代代相传,无论在岩石嶙峋的西海岸还是在风光旖旎的夏威夷,人们几乎在以同样的方式欢度感恩节,感恩节是不论何种信仰、何种民族的美国人都庆祝的传统节日。
有关Thanksgiving(感恩)主题的英语文章
1.Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in much of North America, generally observed as an expression of gratitude, usually to God. The most common view of its origin is that it was to give thanks to God for the bounty of the autumn harvest. In the United States, the holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, where the harvest generally ends earlier in the year, the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which is observed as Columbus Day or protested as Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States.
Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In the United States, it is an important family holiday, and people often travel across the country to be with family members for the holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday is generally a “four-day“ weekend in the United States, in which Americans are given the relevant Thursday and Friday off. Thanksgiving is almost entirely celebrated at home, unlike the Fourth of July or Christmas, which are associated with a variety of shared public experiences (fireworks, caroling, etc.)
感恩节的由来要一直追溯到美国历史的发端。1620年,著名的“五月花”号船满载不堪忍受英国国内宗教迫害的清教徒102人到达美洲。1620年和1621年之交的冬天,他们遇到了难以想象的困难,处在饥寒交迫之中,冬天过去时,活下来的移民只有50来人。这时,心地善良的印第安人给移民送来了生活必需品,还特地派人教他们怎样狩猎、捕鱼和种植玉米、南瓜。在印第安人的帮助下,移民们终于获得了丰收,在欢庆丰收的日子,按照宗教传统习俗,移民规定了感谢上帝的日子,并决定为感谢印第安人的真诚帮助,邀请他们一同庆祝节日。
在第一个感恩节的这一天,印第安人和移民欢聚一堂,他们在黎明时鸣放礼炮,列队走进一间用作教堂的屋子,虔诚地向上帝表达谢意,然后点起篝火举行盛大宴会。第二天和第三天又举行了摔交、赛跑、唱歌、跳舞等活动。第一个感恩节非常成功。其中许多庆祝方式流传了300多年,一直保留到今天。
初时感恩节没有固定日期,由各州临时决定,直到美国独立后,感恩节才成为全国性的节日。 1863年,美国总统林肯正式宣布感恩节为国定假日。届时,家家团聚,举国同庆,其盛大、热烈的情形,不亚于中国人过春节。
2.你说的是感恩,最好用 gratitude这个词
Gratitude is an Open Door: Three Stories About Wealth and Poverty
By Kate Judd
Let me tell you a story. I had two good friends who had never met each other. They were close in age. They were each divorced; they came from the same ethnic background. One had one teenager, the other had three. They shared many interests. I thought they would love each other.
At a party at my home, I introduced my friends to each other. “Annette, this is Barbara; Barbara, Annette. You have so much in common.”
Annette was a talkative type. Right away, she began to tell Barbara about her life. “It’s so tough being divorced, isn’t it?” Annette said. “I mean, money is so tight. My new house cost two hundred and seventy thousand dollars. I had to get financial help from my father. It’s not that Daddy doesn’t have it— he just endowed a chair at a major university. But I hate to ask. Of course, I do have the alimony from Bill, my ex; but I don’t feel that I should rely on that. I’m putting it away for my retirement—that’s what my accountant says I should do. And the house that Bill and I built just won’t sell. I don’t know why. We spent nine hundred thousand dollars on that house, it’s absolutely perfect.
“It doesn’t matter so much to Bill if the house doesn’t sell. He’s the vice president of a big bank in the city. But I’m really struggling. I mean, I don’t make much. I’m just a music teacher. So, anyway, what I’ve decided to do is build an addition onto my new house: a little apartment. I don’t know where I’m gong to come up with the money. It’s going to cost sixty thousand. But, you know, it’s a tremendous investment in the long run. It adds to the value of the house. And I’m going to rent it out, so then I’ll have the rent every month to add to my income. It’s worth it to scrape a little while I’m having it built.”
My friend Barbara sat silent. She had a smile fixed firmly on her face. I had never heard Barbara say anything unkind about anyone—ever. She never said a word against Annette, either; but after the party, she told me she would prefer not to see Annette again.
You see, I had forgotten one thing: while Annette, who was worth several hundred thousand dollars, worried about whether she had enough to survive, Barbara was supporting herself and her teenage child on ten thousand dollars a year, which she earned by mopping floors and scrubbing toilets. And she never complained.
Before this, what had I thought about wealth? About poverty? I had grown up in comfort, never lacking for any material thing—indeed, indulged in anything money could buy. I had known that there was a difference between me and most of the other children at the tiny rural school where I had gone as a child. But I had not realized that the difference had to do with money. Like many a young member of the upper classes, I did not know what I was.
Sitting with Annette and Barbara, I knew. I thought, “Let me never take what I have for granted. Let me never complain about being poor, when I am really rich.”
If you had asked Barbara if she was poor, she would probably have denied it. She would have said, “I have a child who loves me. We have a house to live in. I have my health, so that I can work for my living. Sure, we have to get food from the Community Pantry sometimes, but we always have enough to eat. I’m even able to scrape together enough to go to school, so that some day I’ll be qualified for a better job which still allows me to take care of my emotionally troubled child. I have a family who cares about me. I’m thankful to have so much.”
Maybe I should take Barbara for an example? Maybe I should be grateful for what I have—however much or little it is.
Let me tell you another story: I have a middle aged relative who lives alone in a large house. Mentally somewhat disabled, she does not work, but is supported by a large trust fund set up by her late parents. Though her life style is not opulent by North American standards, she is always beautifully dressed, well fed, and can afford to hire people to do any job she cannot, or does not wish to do herself.
One day my relative went to the supermarket (how much we take for granted)! Another friend of mine once hosted a professor from Russia. The professor was overwhelmed and enchanted by the small local supermarket. She exclaimed, “In America, your markets are like museums!” My relative, her eyes glazed and her feet sore after a long trip through the abundantly stocked aisles, decided to go to the flower case and pick out a refreshing bouquet for herself. In front of the buckets overflowing with big, richly colored roses stood an old Asian woman, who was silent as my relative selected her flowers. “So cheap” my relative thought. “Only a dollar a stem!” She chose a large bunch.
The other woman still stood there. “It’s hard to pick, isn’t it?” my relative said. “Oh, I cannot buy any,” said the old woman. “Too expensive. I only like to come and look. They are so beautiful.”
So this woman was grateful for the free beauty of flowers in a supermarket/museum. Was that all? Did she feel her poverty, in not being able to afford a one dollar rose? There are those who would argue that this woman was wealthier than my friend Annette, who has a great deal of money but feels always impoverished. In this case, my relative should not have felt any guilt or worry, but should have taken her flowers home and enjoyed them, secure in the notion that we must each simply be thankful for what we have, no matter how we came to have it. Or should my relative have offered to buy some flowers for the old woman? That is another popular solution: those who have more should make private donations to those who have less. Perhaps my relative should have put her own flowers back in the case, and donated her money to some worthy organization—one which fights poverty?
What am I to learn from all this? Surely it is good to be grateful for what we have. Like my friend Barbara, I am grateful in this minute for so much: the beautiful Vermont landscape outside my window, the fruits of my abundant garden, the house in which I live, my beloved husband, my job, my health, my friends. And yet — it seems to me that as long as others do not have what I have, my gratitude is not enough. If others lack for beauty to see, good and wholesome food to eat, a home (or even a roof over their heads), love and friendship, work that rewards them, health and the care to maintain it, then my gratitude is just a beginning. A door to the next step. I can open that door of gratitude, and walk forward, doing what I can to help others achieve what I have. Or I can close the door. Then gratitude becomes complacency, and I am trapped.
Let me stop philosophizing for a moment, and tell you one more story: Once, I saved up my money all year long so that I could go to a workshop. The workshop took place at an institution that specialized in “self actualization,” “spiritual exploration,” “natural healing” and so forth. At this institution there were perhaps a few hundred people who had come to take workshops in pursuit of these vague but laudable goals. Among them I saw perhaps ten who were not white. Although it was more difficult to tell, I would guess that there were equally few who were not economically quite well-off. Although I come from “the whitest state in the union” I felt uncomfortable with this lack of ethnic and class diversity. Still, I quite enjoyed the workshop I was attending.
One night I was standing in the dinner line next to the person who was presenting the workshop, a woman of extraordinary power and charisma. She stretched her arms akimbo and proclaimed in a loud voice, “Ah! It’s good to be alive!”
Something must have registered on my face. Perhaps I drew slightly away from her. I know that for the rest of the workshop, she looked faintly displeased with me. But you see, I was thinking, For you it is good to be alive. For me it is good to be alive. But what about the homeless person who is sleeping tonight in a public park? What about the person who has just discovered they have cancer, and have no health insurance to cover treatment? What about the residents of other, less wealthy countries—the man who lives in a tin shed in Mexico, the woman who begs in the streets of Bombay? What about the children who are starving, and the mothers who cannot feed them? Just what do you mean, “it’s good to be alive?!”
I do not intend to be sanctimonious. I am a privileged, middle class person, who has had a very fortunate life. What I wish for is that everyone could have what I do. This is naive, I suppose. Idealistic, certainly. And what, after all, do I propose to do about it? Where is my plan, my solution to the poverty and hunger that plague the majority of the world’s population?
I am not arrogant enough to propose a solution. Others smarter, wiser, more politically shrewd, more religiously dogmatic, have proposed solutions since the beginning of time, it seems. I only know I cannot wish idly for others to have a better life. I must try to work for it in whatever ways I can. Otherwise, my gratitude becomes meaningless. I will have closed the door, and left the better part of humanity beyond it, sitting alone, gloating over my wealth like a miser, cut off from the love, learning and pain that are as essential to living as the material comforts I rejoice in, trapped in complacency. Then, I am very poor indeed.
Motivational Story
Motivational Story #9
LIVE WITH AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE by Glen Hopkins
Imagine for a moment one of those nights when you just can’t fall asleep and you have to get up early the next morning for a very important meeting of which you are the keynote speaker. Your alarm clock goes off early in the morning waking you from what little sleep you had. You stumble out of bed, have a quick shower, grab a coffee and some toast, and off you go to fight the traffic on the way to work.
Does that sound like the start of a terrible day? Most would answer ’yes’. Few people however, would answer, ’no’. These are the people, who are in my opinion blessed with a gift. A gift that determines how they view their life. These people live with ’an attitude of gratitude’. For them, the situation described could be worse. Much worse. For example, think of the man who doesn’t have a bed, let alone a roof to over his head. When he is awoken from what little sleep he is able to get, it is by the rain falling on his cold body. He too stumbles to his feet and begins his journey to work in his bare feet. His work is in the field of survival. He searches though garbage cans for scraps of half-rotten food to eat and odd bits of clothes to keep him warm.
The purpose of this example is to illustrate that we all have so much to be grateful for. Even in times when it seems that nothing could be worse, there is always a reason to be grateful. And when you feel a sense of gratitude, you feel a sense of happiness and content. My challenge to you today is to learn to look for the good in every situation and live with ’an attitude of gratitude’.
I assure you, if you were the fellow searching for food in garbage cans you too could find things to be grateful for. You just have to look hard enough and ’open your eyes’ to what is around you. You have to focus on what’s good in your life, not what’s bad.
“I once was distraught because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.“ - Unknown
Life works in mysterious ways. Time and time again there have been stories of people who are in a dire strait yet they are found helping others who are experiencing greater turmoil. This is because once you have helped someone in greater need than yourself, you always feel better. You feel better because you have helped another human being, and this forces you to change your mindset from focusing on your problems to focusing on their solutions.
Always focus on the solution, not the problem and live with an attitude of gratitude! Mother Teresa was a primary example of this phenomenon. Her entire life revolved around helping others in need. As a result she experienced a great deal of love and self-satisfaction in her life.
I challenge you now to take a moment to think of five things in your life that you are grateful for today. For example, your friends, your family, your job, your sense of smell, touch, sight, and sound. The list can go on and on. Imagine what your life would be like without these things. Write them down on a piece of paper and really think about the things you are grateful for. You will be amazed at how great you will feel!
··有关感恩节的英语小短文(50—100)
感恩节 (这篇可以参考:)~~
Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in much of North America, generally observed as an expression of gratitude, usually to God. The most common view of its origin is that it was to give thanks to God for the bounty of the autumn harvest. In the United States, the holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, where the harvest generally ends earlier in the year, the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which is observed as Columbus Day or protested as Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States.
Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In the United States, it is an important family holiday, and people often travel across the country to be with family members for the holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday is generally a “four-day“ weekend in the United States, in which Americans are given the relevant Thursday and Friday off. Thanksgiving is almost entirely celebrated at home, unlike the Fourth of July or Christmas, which are associated with a variety of shared public experiences (fireworks, caroling, etc.)
英语作文感恩节5句
yesteday was Thanksgiving Day; I and my father, mother, grandparents, brother went to Henghan by bus. In the morning we came down the mountain. I saw wooded mountains, wild flowers bloom. We climb up the hill along the mountain path. Come halfway up the mountain, I feel a little tired,it began to rain,My West Lake silk umbrella missed,. Dad said to me,“Liwen, don’t do anything halfway.”at last,So I insisted reached the top, the top of the scenery so beautiful.We were flying kites, I was thirsty, my mother bought me a bottle of water, .finally we went home.finally,Since then, I’ve kept the umbrella。i was very happy