Evidently, our very first president, George Washington, thought being thankful was a big deal. In 1789 he declared the last Thursday in November to be a national Thanksgiving holiday. The intention was to strengthen the unity of the American people by encouraging them to gather together to honor their own families and give thanks for their country. Thanksgiving celebrations were popular even before the Indians and the Pilgrims famous feast. As time marched on, the people of the New England states continued to celebrate the holiday but the people in the lower states went about their own business ignoring it. Sarah Josepha Buell Hale, an active participant in her own community, was shocked. She believed Thanksgiving should be a priority(优先)in America for all Americans. She made a decision to be actively involved.
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1.Thanksgiving was celebrated because ________.
A.it was very popular with all Americans
B.the people in the lower states overlooked the holiday
C.it was thought of great importance to unite the American people
D.it was celebrated before Christmas Day
2.The underlined word “prominent” probably means ________.
A.friendly B.outstanding C.promising D.ordinary
3.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A.the Indians and the Pilgrims famous feast was also unpopular in the lower states
B.Sarah kept calm when she learned Thanksgiving celebrations was no longer popular
C.through Sarah’s hard work, more and more states returned to the celebration of Thanksgiving
D.a large number of men and women went in for the cause of reinstating Thanksgiving
4.Sarah’s character can be described as ________.
A.stubborn B.determined C.brave D.enthusiastic