休斯敦庆祝感恩节

 休斯敦庆祝感恩节

　　HOUSTON, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands in the U.S. city of Houston lined up the downtown streets Thursday to watch the annual holiday parade filled with floats and live entertainment.

　　Though the temperature was freezing, around 200,000 Houstonians took to the streets Thursday morning to see the annual tradition. Wrapped in hoodies, scarves, fists curled into jacket sleeves, families brought their kids and pets to the site to enjoy the event.

　　Bands, dances, and stilts¹ filled the crowds with hearty² laugh and cheers. Floats, motorcades and horse parade dotted the streets with festivity and gaiety.

　　Belinda Birkins, a 45-year-old housewife, brought her two cute poodles to the scene. "They attracted a lot of attention definitely, and also many gifts," Birkins laughed, "We will have a wonderful family party tonight and then everybody will go shopping. "

　　The parade also paid tribute to Houston by showcasing the city' s finest from fashion, food and heroes to culture, sports and talent, adding a much needed makeover to this 64-year tradition.

　　Houston Mayor Annise Parker turned up in the parade, waving to the excited throng³. Tommy Tune⁴, the nine-time Tony Award winner and Houston native, is the Grand Marshal for the parade.

　　Different from previous years, this year's parade was produced by the Mayor's Office. The parade nearly didn't happen because the organization that traditionally ran the parade was in financial difficulty, according to media reports.

　　The city will hold a variety of activities to celebrate the holiday including a free feast and free medical screening for the needy⁵.

1 stilts   

n.（支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的）桩子，支柱( stilt的名词复数 )；高跷

参考例句：

• a circus performer on stilts 马戏团里踩高跷的演员
• The bamboo huts here are all built on stilts. 这里的竹楼都是架空的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

3 throng   

n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集

参考例句：

• A patient throng was waiting in silence.一大群耐心的人在静静地等着。
• The crowds thronged into the mall.人群涌进大厅。

4 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

5 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。