感恩节特辑之5个关于火鸡的搞笑百科

感恩节对于美国和加拿大人来讲是一个极其重要的节日，在这天，几乎每家每户的餐桌上都会出现一道大餐——感恩节烤火鸡。本期的托福百科栏目，长沙新航道小编就和大家说说关于火鸡的一些故事把。

Well folks, it’s that time of year again. Thanksgiving, traditionally held on the last Thursday of November, is a time where Americans celebrate our immigrant heritage and give thanks for our blessings. The central actor in all of this is…you guessed it! Turkey! Although rare in China (except maybe in Subway), the turkey is native to North America. So just like the early colonial pilgrims, let's spend a few minutes getting to know this delicious bird!

各位好，到了一年一度的这个时候，就是感恩节啦，历来都在11月的最后一个星期四举行，是美国人用来庆祝移民传统文化，以及感谢上天赐予我们的恩泽的节日。这个节日的核心主角是…你猜得没错！火鸡！不过在中国很少见（除非你在赛百味），火鸡是南美的特产。那么就像早期殖民地的朝圣者一样，我们也一起花几分钟时间，来了解一下这种好吃的鸟类吧。

Gobble Gobble

咯咯咯咯~

In English, the onomatopoeia of turkeys is pretty awesome. Whereas Chinese turkeys speak in elegant poetic verse (关关雎鸠，在河之洲，窈窕淑女，君子好逑 (guānguān jū jiū), (zài hé zhīzhōu). (yǎotiǎo shūnǚ), (jūnzǐ hǎoqiú), American turkeys can only squawk out one word: GOBBLE! Gobble gobble gobble! Other onomatopoeias like a cat’s “meow” or a dog’s “woof” are simply not as fun.

在英文中，火鸡的叫声很有意思的。如果火鸡在中国，可能叫起来就会像在念一首很美的诗一样（关关雎鸠，在河之洲，窈窕淑女，君子好逑），而火鸡在美国只会说一个词：咯咯~！咯咯咯咯咯咯！跟其它的一些动物叫声，比如猫叫“喵~”，或者狗叫“汪~” 一样简单，一点都不好玩。

I'm Not Fat, I'm Just Genetically Enlarged!

我不胖，我只是肉比较多！

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Put a turkey next to a rooster or duck (easier said than done) and it becomes obvious that these birds are b-i-g, big! America’s “National Turkey Federation” says the average dinner turkey weighs 7 kilograms, a massive increase since the days of early America. That’s big enough, but the largest ever recorded was a wild turkey weighing a shocking 17 kilograms! That guy demands an industrial-sized oven!

把一只火鸡放在公鸡或者鸭子旁边（说得容易做着难啊），就会明显的发现，这种鸟儿真是太大了！美国的“全国火鸡协会”指出，餐用火鸡平均重量为7公斤，从美国早期到现在可是增加了不少。虽然这就够大了，但是，记载中的火鸡的重量那才让人吃惊 -- 17公斤！那家伙需要一个工业级烤箱才能吃！

Let's Get High!

我要“飞”得更高～！

Being so large, it’s often assumed that turkeys stick to the ground. In fact, wild turkeys actually prefer sleeping up in trees. It takes some effort, but spending the night in trees is the best way for turkeys to avoid natural predators such as foxes and coyotes. Personally, meeting a fox in the forest sounds less scary than finding a wild treetop turkey!

火鸡很大，大家一般都以为它们是生活在地上的，而事实上，野生火鸡其实更喜欢在树上睡觉。虽然有点费劲，但是对火鸡来说，睡在树上，是躲避类似狐狸和郊狼这样的天敌的方式。在我看来，在树梢上看到一只火鸡，比在森林里遇到一只狐狸要来得惊悚好吗！

Fly me to the Moon!

“私奔”到月球！

Though turkeys are generally flight challenged, they have already managed to journey to outer space! However, it’s regrettable to report that the only way turkey has reached space is in edible form. Turkey was the first meal that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin shared after landing on the moon! That's one small step for mankind, and one big meal for American astronauts!

尽管对火鸡来说，基本是飞不起来了，但他们早就完成了一场太空之旅！虽然这么说，还是要带着一种哀悼的心情来报道下这件事，因为火鸡能上太空的方式，是因为启动了“可食用模式”：尼尔·阿姆斯特朗和巴兹·奥尔德林在月球着陆后的餐，就是火鸡！ -- 这是人类的一小步，也是美国宇航员的一大餐！

You Almost Did What?!

你居然差点就那啥了！

It may come as a surprise, but the great Benjamin Franklin actually advocated for the turkey to be the official bird of the United States. Though the Bald Eagle eventually claimed this honor, Franklin still supported the mighty turkey, writing, "The turkey is a much more respectable bird, and a true original native of America." Following Ben's advice, America would definitely win any "most delicious national bird" contest!

这可能听起来挺让人出乎意料的，但是伟大的本杰明·富兰克林其实主张过把火鸡当作美国的国鸟。虽然最后还是白头鹰拿下了这个荣誉，但富兰克林依然支持大火鸡当选，还写道：火鸡是一种相当不错的鸟，它代表了美国真正的根本之源。” 按富兰克林的意见来看，美国肯定能赢下“拥有世上吃的国鸟的国家”比赛。

With all of these lovely attributes and accomplishments, it’s no wonder that turkey has been at the center of more love-filled American meals than any other wild fowl. Turkey is most popular at Thanksgiving but is also a big part of most Christmas and Easter dinners too.

有着这些可爱的品质和成就，这也难怪火鸡比起其他的家禽来说，一直都是美国人饭桌上的重中之重，充满浓浓的爱。火鸡在感恩节中是的，同时也是圣诞节和复活节晚餐中的重头戏。

So, what do you think is the most interesting of these turkey facts? After hearing “Gobble! Gobble!” could you still bear to eat this bird? Or are you already sharpening your knife for Thanksgiving dinner? Share your feelings in the comments!

那么，你觉得这些关于火鸡好玩的事情当中，哪个最有趣呢？在听到“Gobble！Gobble！”的叫声后，你还是忍心吃掉这种鸟吗？还是你早就摩拳擦掌，准备享受感恩节大餐啦？在留言里说说你的感受吧！

 最后，长沙新航道祝各位：

感恩节快乐！！！

Happy Thanksgiving！