Question

 Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday that Amer?icans celebrate on the fourth Thursday in November. This autumn festival is traditionally celebrated with family and friends over a big meal that takes hours to prepare.

  The meal usually includes turkey served along with dishes like sweet potatoes,green beans and pumpkin pie. The turkey is usually seasoned (调味) and roasted in an oven,but some people fry the bird in oil or cook it on a grill (烤架) or in a smoker.

  The National Turkey Federation estimates that Americans ate 46 million birds for last year's holiday. The government expects turkey production to increase two per cent this year. About two-thirds of the tur?keys raised in the United States came from six states ： Minnesota,North Carolina,Arkansas,Missouri,Vir?ginia and Indiana.

  Turkey is eaten all year,and Americans have been eating more of it over the years,though chicken,beef and pork are still more popular. Federation president Joel Brandenberger says 2012 will not be as profitable for turkey farmers as the last two years were. Feed costs are up while turkey prices are about the same.

  In 1939,as the Great Depression was ending,President Franklin Roosevelt established the holiday on the fourth Thursday. He did not want to shorten the Christmas holiday shopping season in years when No?vember has a fifth Thursday.

  The season traditionally begins with a busy shop?ping day on the Friday after Thanksgiving,although some stores are now opening on the holiday itself.

  One of the America's founders,Ben Franklin,thought the turkey would better represent the country as its official bird than the bald eagle. But Joel Bran?denberger disagrees.

  "I think we're better off having the bald eagle on our coins and the Thanksgiving turkey on our dinner table.”

1. The big meal on Thanksgiving Day includes the fol- lowing dishes EXCEPT        .

   A. sweet potatoes   B. green beans

   C. pumpkin pie   D. baked sausages

2. The underlined word "profitable" in the fourth par- agraph probably means "        ”.

   A. beneficial   B. convenient

   C. boring   D. comfortable

3. From the passage,we can know        .

   A. Americans don't like eating pork

   B. Americans prefer to eat the turkey fried in oil

   C. the turkey is only eaten on Thanksgiving Day

   D. most of the turkeys raised in America came from six states

4. Why did Franklin establish Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday?

   A. There is a fifth Thursday sometimes in Novem?ber.

   B. He didn't want to shorten the Christmas holi?day shopping time.

   C. He thought the fourth Thursday in November was a good day.

   D. The Great Depression was over on the fourth Thursday in November.

5. According to the passage,which of the following is NOT true?

   A. We can see the bald eagle on the American coins.

   B. The bald eagle is the American official bird now.

   C. Ben Franklin established the American official bird was the turkey.

   D. Joel Brandenberger wanted the turkey to be still on the dinner table.

Answer 1

[文章大意]本文是一篇说明文，介绍了美国的感恩节以及感恩节餐桌上的火鸡。

1. D细节理解题。根据第二段中的"The meal usually in?cludes turkey served along with dishes like sweet pota?toes,green beans and pumpkin pie."可知，只有D项未被提及，故选D项。

2. A词义猜测题。根据第四段的最后一句话"Feed costs are up while turkey prices are about the same.”可知，词料的价格上涨而火鸡的价格几乎一样，所以农民们不可能像前两年那样获得利润。故选A项。

3. D细节理解题。根据第三段的"About two-thirds of the turkeys raised in the United States came from six states …"可知选D项。

4. B细节理解题。根据第五段中的"He did not want to shorten the Christmas holiday shopping season in years when November has a fifth Thursday.”可知答案为B项。

5. C细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中的"…BenFranklm,thought the turkey would better represent the country as its official bird than the bald eagle. But Joel Branden-berger disagrees."可知，Ben Franklin想要把火鸡确立成美B的国鸟，但是Joel Brandenberger不同意，而现在美国的国鸟仍然是白头鹫。故选C项。