The earth rotates on a tilted axis. When this axis leans towards the sun, it’s summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the south. This is reversed as the earth continues on its orbit until the axis becomes tilted away from the sun. During the solstice, the earth’s axis is tilted at its furthest point from the sun. This means that, for us in the northern hemisphere, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky. It’s also the shortest day of the year - and the longest night.
solstice /ˈsɒlstɪs/ either of the two times of the year at which the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky in the middle of the day, marked by the longest and shortest days.
E.g.
the summer/winter solstice.
Solstice and Stonehenge
Marking the passage of time was important to many ancient cultures. For the people of Stonehenge who were farmers, growing crops and tending herds of animals, knowing when the seasons were changing was important. Winter might have been a time of fear as the days grew shorter and colder. People must have longed for the return of light and warmth. Marking this yearly cycle may have been one of the reasons that Neolithic people constructed Stonehenge – a monument aligned to the movements of the sun. The stones were shaped and set up to frame at least two important events in the annual solar cycle – the midwinter sunset at the winter solstice and the midsummer sunrise at the summer solstice. At the summer solstice, around 21 June, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone and its first rays shine into the heart of Stonehenge. Although the tallest trilithon at the monument is no longer standing, the sun would have set between the narrow gap of these uprights during the winter solstice.
8. The
Pilgrims began to explore the _________ area for a _________ place to build their
colony.
9. While ferrying
back and ________ to land, the Pilgrims
10. Construction
was ________ by exceptionally ________ snow and ________ cold
11. Their
success was _________ by great ________.
12. __________
half of their ________ group
13. Besides __________,
the Pilgrims were concerned _________ the Native American Indians would attack
them.
14. To their
__________, an Indian named Samoset walked ___________ into the colony and
welcomed them in _________ English.
15. Samosethad picked ________ a few English
words
16. The Pilgrims
used the _________ to negotiate a peace __________ and to establish trading ___________.
17. Squanto’s
importance ________ the Pilgrims was enormous
18. they
would not have survived __________ his help
19. how to _______
the maple trees for ________
20. As a _________,
they had a _________ harvest that provided ________ for the _________ winter.
21. They had
raised enough ________ to keep them alive during the long coming _______ and
they were _______ peace with their Indian neighbours.
22. The
Pilgrim Governor __________ a day of thanksgiving to God for helping them
survive the __________ winter.
23. They
invited Squanto and other Indians to join them ____ their celebration.
24. the
colony suffered a _________
25. Only after
Lincoln ________ thanksgiving become an annual ______.
26. the
beginning of the Christmas __________ season
27. Many
people today _________ the holiday by watching professional football games.
28. Regardless
________ one’s religious _________
29. Afterwards
family ____________ may share what they are thankful _________ from that year.
KEY
1. As a result of their efforts
2. seeking
religious freedom
3. they
struggled to make a living
4. the
Pilgrims decided to seek refuge
5. 102
passengers set sail from Plymouth
6. The
journey was filled with much
difficulty.
7. Bad
storms caused many leaks
8. the
Pilgrims began to explore the surrounding
area for a
suitable place to build their
colony.
9. While ferrying
back and forth to land, the Pilgrims
10. Construction
was hindered by exceptionally
heavy snow and
intense cold
11. Their
success was dampened by great
dampen: to make something such as a feeling
or activity less strong.
E.g.
The
light rain dampened the crowd’s enthusiasm.
Raising
interest rates might dampen the economy.
sorrow.
sorrow: a feeling of great sadness, usually
because someone has died or because something terrible has happened to you. Sp.
pena, pesar.
sorrow at/over/for
He
expressed his sorrow at my father’s death.
his
sorrow at the death of his colleague. Sp. su pena por la muerte de su colega
Claudia
felt a deep pang of sorrow for the woman.
12. nearly half of their
original group
13. Besides survival, the Pilgrims were concerned
that the Native American Indians would
attack them.
14. To their
surprise, an Indian named Samoset
walked
right into the colony and
welcomed them in
broken English.
broken:
broken English/French etc
if
you speak in broken English, French etc, you speak slowly and make a lot of
mistakes because you know only a little of the language.
15. Samoset had
picked up a few English words
16. The Pilgrims
used the opportunity to negotiate a
peace
treaty and to establish
trading
relations.
17. Squanto’s
importance to the Pilgrims was
enormous
18. they
would not have survived without his
help
19. how to tap the maple trees for
tap: to get liquid from the trunk of a
tree by making a hole in it
sap
20. As a result, they had a
bountiful harvest that provided
food for the
coming
winter.
21. They had
raised enough crops to keep them
alive during the long coming
winter
and they were
at peace with their
Indian neighbours.
22. The
Pilgrim Governor proclaimed a day of
thanksgiving to God for helping them survive the
brutal winter.
23. They
invited Squanto and other Indians to join them in
their celebration.
join in (something/doing something) |
join in (with somebody/something)to take
part in an activity with other people
E.g.
She
listens but she never joins in.
I
wish he would join in with the other children
24. the
colony suffered a drought
25. Only after
Lincoln did thanksgiving become an
annual
observance.
observance: when someone obeys a law
or does something because it is part of a religion, custom, or ceremony.
E.g.
the
observance of a peace agreement
the
strict observance of Islam
the
Memorial Day observance
Sp.
cumplimiento, práctica
26. the
beginning of the Christmas buying
season
27. Many
people today observe the holiday by
watching professional football games.
observe: to do things and obey laws that are
part of a religion or custom. Follow. Sp. celebrar, guardar
28. Regardless
of one’s religious
beliefs
29. Afterwards
family members may share what they are thankful for from that year.
Transcript
The American
Thanksgiving Story
Early in the
17th century, a group of people called the pilgrims wanted to reform and purify
England’s churches. As a result of their
efforts, they were persecuted, so they sailed to the Netherlands; also
known as Holland, seeking religious
freedom. After 12 years in Holland where they struggled to make a living and felt threatened by the
permissive Dutch society, the Pilgrims decided
to seek refuge in a place where they could create a society that matched
their religious ideals. In exchange for seven years of work the puritans
persuaded a London stock company to finance their journey to the New World. In
September 1620, 102 passengers set sail
from Plymouth, England on a ship called the Mayflower. The journey took 65 days andwas
filled with much difficulty.Bad
storms weakened the ship and caused
many leaks. Many passengers were cold and damp for much of the journey and
others were concerned that they wouldn’t even survive.
Though many
were sick and one person died, they did make it. On December 11, 1620 the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock
and began to explore the surrounding
area for a suitable place to build their colony. They chose Plymouth
because it had an excellent harbour a large brook in which to catch fish to
eat. While living on the Mayflower
and ferrying back and forth to land,
the Pilgrims built their houses and barns. Construction
was hindered by exceptionally heavy snow and intense cold but the
settlement was completed in late March 1621. Their success was dampened by great sorrow,nearly half of their original group died that first winter. Besides survival, the Pilgrims were concerned
that the Native American Indians would attack them.To their surprise, an Indian named Samoset walked right into the colony
and welcomed them in broken English.
Samoset was from an Indian tribe in Maine
and had picked up a few English words
from the fishermen who came into the harbours there. He told them also of
another Indian named Squanto, a native of that place who had been in England,
and could speak better English than him. The
Pilgrims used the opportunity to negotiate a peace treaty and to establish
trading relations.
Squanto’s importance to the Pilgrims
was enormous and it can be said that they would
not have survived without his help. It was Squanto who taught the Pilgrims how to tap the maple trees for sap, how
to plant Indian corn and other crops and how to tell which plants were
poisonous and which could be used as medicine. As a result, they had a bountiful harvest that provided food for the
coming winter. The Pilgrims had much to celebrate although nearly half of
their people died.
They had successfully built homes in the
wilderness, raised enough crops to keep
them alive during the long coming winter and they were at peace with their
Indian neighbours. It was time to give thanks.
The Pilgrim Governor, William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to God for
helping them survive the brutal winter.They invited Squanto and other Indians to join in their celebration.
Their chief, Massasoit, and 90 braves came to the celebration which lasted for
3 days.
Two years
later the colony suffered a drought
and Governor Bradford ordered a day of fasting and prayer. It is reported that
soon afterwards it began to rain. To celebrate God’s answer to prayer November
29th was proclaimed a day of thanksgiving. This date is believed to be the
beginning of the present day Thanksgiving Day which is held on the 4th Thursday
of November. The custom of an annual thanksgiving celebration held after the
harvest continued but it became a national observance under Presidents George
Washington (in 1789) and Abraham Lincoln (in 1863). Only after Lincoln did thanksgiving become an annual observance.
Thanksgiving weekend has become one of the busiest travel periods of the year
because it is a 4 to 5 day vacation for many schools and some businesses. It
has also become the beginning of the
Christmas buying season. Many people
today observe the holiday by watching professional football games.
Thanksgiving TV programmes and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade held in New
York City. Thanksgiving is a time when families gather and enjoy their time
together. Many families give thanks to God for His goodness and faithfulness to
them. Regardless of one’s religious
beliefs most families will share a large meal together of turkey, stuffing,
mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn and
pumpkin pie. Afterwards family members
may share what they are thankful for from that year. What are some things
you are thankful for?
Good health?
Family? Good education? Food? Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what
we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order,
confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a
stranger into a friend.
Gratitude
makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for
tomorrow.
Vocabulary
dampen: to make something such as a feeling
or activity less strong.
E.g.
The
light rain dampened the crowd’s enthusiasm.
Raising
interest rates might dampen the economy.
sorrow: a feeling of great sadness, usually
because someone has died or because something terrible has happened to you. Sp.
pena, pesar.
sorrow at/over/for
He
expressed his sorrow at my father’s death.
his
sorrow at the death of his colleague. Sp. su pena por la muerte de su colega
Claudia
felt a deep pang of sorrow for the woman.
broken:
broken English/French etc
if
you speak in broken English, French etc, you speak slowly and make a lot of
mistakes because you know only a little of the language.
join in (something/doing something) |
join in (with somebody/something)to take
part in an activity with other people
E.g.
She
listens but she never joins in.
I
wish he would join in with the other children
tap: to get liquid from the trunk of a
tree by making a hole in it
observance: when someone obeys a law
or does something because it is part of a religion, custom, or ceremony.
E.g.
the
observance of a peace agreement
the
strict observance of Islam
the
Memorial Day observance
Sp.
cumplimiento, práctica
observe: to do things and obey laws that are
part of a religion or custom. Follow. Sp. celebrar, guardar
