Masked children roaming (漫步) door-to-door,begging for treats.Adults dressing up for costume parties.Sounds like a normal Halloween—except it wasn’t.Less than a century ago,this was Thanksgiving.It seems strange,but it’s true: For decades before World War Ⅱ,Turkey Day was the day for putting on false faces.
How did Thanksgiving take such a detour(迂回路线)?In the early 19th century,poorer Massachusetts people started knocking on doors on the holiday’s eve,begging,“Something for Thanksgiving?” As a joke,well-to-do children began dressing in torn clothes and doing the same.
The costume idea caught on.When Abraham Lincoln proclaimed (宣告) Thanksgiving a holiday in 1863,towns from Juneau,Alaska,to Tampa,Florida,began marking the date with masquerade balls (化装舞会).
Not to be outdone,New York City brought the trend to the next level.Officials organized a grand annual parade to celebrate both Thanksgiving and the British evacuation (撤离) of New York.Working-class men marched through streets blowing horns and beating drums.They called themselves Fantasticals.Kids also joined in the fun.They roamed the streets on Thanksgiving morning,ringing doorbells to ask strangers,“Anything for Thanksgiving?”So many kids were sporting torn clothes and darkened faces on Thanksgiving that by the 1900s,it was known as Ragamuffin Day.
Fantasticals died out by the turn of the 20th century,but “Thanksgiving maskers” spread quickly—not to everyone’s amusement.“The practice of ringing all the doorbells and demanding pennies is long past a joke,” The New York Times complained in 1903.Some New Yorkers threw stove-heated coins known as “red pennies” onto the street and howled in laughter as kids burned their fingers.
Red pennies failed to stop the ragamuffins,but the Great Depression did.Everybody had empty pockets by the 1930s,and the question “Anything for Thanksgiving?” was answered with “No.” At the urging of New York’s schools’ superintendent,civic organizations organized costume contests and parades to discourage kids from “going ragamuffin” door-to-door.
It worked.Thanksgiving changed to a family-oriented holiday,and by 1950,trick-or-treating had shifted to a less sacred day—Halloween.
1.How does the author introduce the topic of the text?
A.By quoting from a book. B.By comparing two festivals.
C.By telling an interesting story. D.By describing a familiar scene.
2.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 4?
A.How the costume idea reached its height.
B.Why kids enjoyed the fun on Thanksgiving.
C.Why Thanksgiving was popular in the 1900s.
D.How Fantasticals took root in New York City.
3.What did The New York Times think about the idea of “Thanksgiving maskers”?
A.Supportive. B.Opposed. C.Tolerant. D.Indifferent.
4.Which of the following played an important role in bringing the tricky activities to a stop?
A.Schools. B.The media. C.Red pennies. D.The weak economy.
语篇解读:本文是说明文。文章介绍了感恩节的庆祝活动是如何一步步发展直至最后转移至万圣节上的。
答案及剖析:
1.D 写作手法题。根据第一段中的Masked children roaming door-to-door,begging for treats.Adults dressing up for costume parties.Sounds like a normal Halloween可知,作者从描述读者熟悉的万圣节活动场景入手,进而点出本文话题:戴面具等庆祝方式在以前是感恩节的做法。
2.A 段落大意题。根据第四段中的主题句Not to be outdone,New York City brought the trend to the next level.和第四段的具体描述,以及段末的by the 1900s,it was known as Ragamuffin Day可知,第四段描述的是戴面具、穿节日装束的做法是如何达到鼎盛的。
3.B 观点态度题。根据倒数第三段中的not to everyone’s amusement和 “The practice of ringing all the doorbells and demanding pennies is long past a joke,” The New York Times complained可知,《纽约时报》对此持反对态度。
4.D 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中的Red pennies failed to stop the ragamuffins,but the Great Depression did可知,经济大萧条时期,人们生活困顿,间接地阻止了孩子们在感恩节穿着节日的装束去挨家挨户讨糖果的行为。