中秋节特辑丨美国家庭如何共度时光？
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老桑说
无论是中国还是美国，
有一点我们是相同的，
中秋佳节夜，
我们彼此共赏一轮明月。
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「 朋友，你好，我是老桑。 」
老桑在费城费尔蒙特公园园艺中心
老桑带你走近美国家庭生活
中秋节是中国家庭汇聚一堂，共享美食和月饼，重温嫦娥奔月美好传说的日子。虽然美国人并不庆祝这个节日，但有许多中国朋友问我，美国家庭是否在每年此时在一起共度时光？
为了回答这个问题，我参观了位于费城的费尔蒙特公园（Fairmount Park）。作为世界上最大的城市公园之一，费尔蒙特公园有许多小径、游乐场和历史建筑，还有博物馆和表演艺术场所……这些都掩映在万千草木之中。简言之，这是美国人家庭生活众多选择的一个缩影。
费城贝尔蒙特高原
鸟巢（国家体育场）是北京主办2008年奥运会的一个印记。上海世博园让我们回忆起2010年世博会。美国举办的第一届官方世界博览会——1876年费城世博会，就是在费尔蒙特公园举行的。世博会在美国100周年国庆日那天举行，它提醒着游客，费城是美国的诞生地。
为了了解更多关于美国家庭生活的历史，我参观了雪松林宅邸，那是公园内一个极具历史色彩的住宅建筑。这幢房子建于1748年，现在是一个博物馆，它珍藏着同一家族五代人的故事。我让我的导游黛安老师在参观期间着重帮忙介绍这里家庭生活的过往。有趣的是，有一个物件是贯穿家族各代子女共同的线索：茶。
雪松林宅邸
当我参观雪松林宅邸时，我注意到房子到处都有中国出口的瓷器茶具。黛安老师解释说，茶是家庭生活的核心，无论大小聚会、正式聚会还是非正式聚会，喝茶都是最常见的聚会理由。茶是团结家庭，促进谈话，丰富社交活动是一种社会润滑剂。
雪松林宅邸茶具
在我参观过的另外两个历史古宅，草莓大厦和伍德福德宅邸，茶具也是展出的对象。我翻阅了其中一位店主的杂志，里面回忆了他为家人购买“极品熙春茶”的经历。当时的茶叶很贵，所以都被存放在上锁的茶叶caddy（罐）里，这样就不会被偷了。
草莓大厦
草莓大厦茶具
伍德福德宅邸
伍德福德宅邸茶具
许多家庭早上一起喝茶，下午边娱乐时边饮茶，晚上唱歌、跳舞、打牌或下棋时也会去喝上几杯。随着时间的推移，茶文化被酒吧和咖啡馆所取代，电视现在成为许多家庭聚会的中心。可悲的是，茶不再是美国的社交饮料。
让我们回到当代美国，家庭是如何共度时光的？我周末都在费尔蒙特公园散步，观察他们的动向，然后我注意到了家庭娱乐的五个主题：
1这个公园有2平方公里的游乐场，在周末总是人满为患。人们在一起打球，家长们看着他们的孩子踢足球，或者在有组织的联赛中跑长跑，而有些人则只是棒球和其他比赛的spectator（观众）。
家长看孩子踢足球
全家都聚集在10个运动场的其中之一里面，有的骑自行车，扔飞盘，有的则在玩飞盘高尔夫和网球。一些人会参加一些不太常见的活动，比如骑马和划皮划艇。夏天他们在游泳池里游泳，冬天在山上用雪橇上滑雪。
2费尔蒙特公园有许多美丽的风景，美国家庭通常只是来这里饱览胜景。在贝尔蒙特高原，他们可以远眺中央商务区的天际线，也可以将毯子摊开在草坪上，享受烧烤和野餐。他们也可以选择于山头之上或是在水岸之滨欣赏斯库基尔河的美景。
园艺中心温室
蝴蝶花园
我看到人们在森林地带努力辨识各种鸟类，还有些人会去园艺中心的蝴蝶花园观赏蝴蝶。很多人会在野花丛中或是以风景如画的背景拍照。整个公园里，大多数长椅似乎都坐满了，许多人还带着自己的折叠椅。
3由于公园拥有超过80公里的徒步路线，有些就在公园的16条creek（溪流）岸边，许多家庭会选择走那些人迹罕至的小路。他们手里拿着越野装备，勘察公园的园艺与当地的植物，寻找在自家院子里种植何种植物的灵感。
小道
费城动物园就坐落在公园内，是美国最古老的动物园。费城的一个传统是让父母和孩子乘坐热气球升空，鸟瞰整个动物园多达1300只的动物们。在120米的高空，他们可以观赏到来自世界各地的长颈鹿、斑马及其他动物，同时还可以饱览到公园独一无二的景色。
4费尔蒙特公园的一部分延伸到了城市的西北区，与北京的颐和园一样，那里曾经是城市精英们消夏避暑地方。许多当时的避暑建筑依旧存在，其中有6座已经成为了博物馆，比如雪松林宅邸。许多游客前来参观这些古建筑，了解费城人民过去的生活。
雪松林宅邸
日晷
劳雷尔山公墓有许多大树和有趣的雕像,人们会缅怀那些埋葬在这里的伟人们——包括6名曾经登上泰坦尼克号的乘客。还有些游客会拜访里特豪斯镇，那里有着美国第一家造纸厂。当然也有的人会去观赏仅存的几幢1876年世博会遗留下来的建筑。
老桑在“奇迹树丛”
很多家庭因共同的宗教传统而相聚在一起。例如，公园中有一个“奇迹树丛”，据传是圣母玛利亚显灵的地方。一些天主教徒会特地来拜访这里，祈求圣母保佑他们。
5坐拥四大艺术博物馆和各种主题博物馆，如自来水厂和儿童博物馆，这里从不缺少缺少文化活动。在这两个表演艺术中心，家庭可以观看交响乐队的演出或是聆听乐队的音乐会，也可以参加其他艺术和文化节。
费城美术馆
日式的松风庄里有一个传统的池塘和ornamental（观赏性的）花园。每当周日下午，茶馆就会举办日本茶道表演。不远处能看到印度人在打板球。我甚至还遇到了一个中国家庭，当时他们正在拍摩托车比赛的照片，他们说自己从未在城市公园里这样的场面！
松风庄日本花园
尽管这些类别可能intersect（交叉）和重叠，但主题都是一样的：家庭可以一起享受各种各样的快乐时光。
老桑与草莓大厦导游Tyson老师
我的朋友，当你想起中秋节与家人团聚的时光时，现在你也知道了地球另一侧的美国朋友们是如何度过一年中的这个日子了。有一点我们是相同的：中秋佳节夜，我们彼此共赏一轮明月。
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英文版
English
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Mid-Autumn Festival:
How do American families spend time together?
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「 Hello, my friend！
I'm John Smagula. 」
Happy Mid-Autumn festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time when Chinese families gather together, enjoy meals and mooncakes, and retell the story of Chang’e flying to the moon. Although we don't celebrate this holiday in the United States, many Chinese friends have asked me how, in fact, do American families enjoy time together this time of year?
Belmont Plateau, Philadelphia
To get an answer to this question, I visited Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. One of the world's largest municipal parks, Fairmount Park has many hiking trails, recreation fields, and historic houses, as well as museums and performing arts venues…all amid several million trees. In short, it is a microcosm of options for American family life.
The Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) is a reminder of Beijing’s hosting the 2008 Olympics. The Shanghai Expo Park reminds us of Expo 2010. Fairmount Park hosted the first official World’s Fair in the United States, the Centennial Exhibition of 1876. This event, held on America’s 100th birthday, reminds visitors that Philadelphia is the birthplace of the nation.
To learn more about the history of American family life, I visited Cedar Grove, a historic home within the park. Built in 1748, this home is now a museum that preserves the stories of five generations of the same family. I asked my guide, Diane, to focus on their family life during the house tour. Interestingly, one thing stood out as the common thread for all generations: tea.
Cedar Grove
As I toured Cedar Grove, I noticed that there were Chinese export porcelain tea sets throughout the house. Diane explained that tea was the core of family life, and that tea drinking was the most common reason for gathering, small or large, formal or informal. Tea was a social lubricant that united families, stimulated conversations, and enriched social events.
Cedar Grove tea set
In two other historic homes I visited, Strawberry Mansion and Woodford, teaware was also on display. I reviewed the journal of one of the owners, where he reflects on his purchase of “the very finest high flavored Hysan Tea” for his family’s use. Tea was expensive at the time, stored away in locked tea caddies so it would not be stolen.
Strawberry Mansion
Strawberry Mansion tea set
Woodford
Many families drank tea together in the morning, entertained with tea in the afternoon, and then drank tea while singing, dancing, or playing cards or chess at night. Over time, tea culture became replaced by bars and cafés, with the television now the center of many home gatherings. Sadly, tea is no longer the social beverage of the United States.
Turning to modern America, how do families enjoy time together? I spent the weekend walking around Fairmount Park, observing them in action. I noticed five themes of family recreation:
Sports and Play
The park has 2 sq km/461 acres of recreation fields, and many were in use over the weekend. People were playing ball together, parents were watching their children play soccer or run long distance in organized leagues, and some were just spectators to the baseball and other matches.
Baseball game
Families were congregating at one of the 10 playgrounds, riding bikes, throwing frisbees, and playing disc golf and tennis. Some were taking part in less common activities, such as horseback riding and kayaking. They swim in the pools in the summer and sled on the hills in the winter.
Sightseeing and Relaxation
Fairmount Park has many beautiful landscapes, and families were just going for walks to take it all in. From Belmont Plateau, they were observing the central business district’s skyline, placing blankets on the lawn and enjoying barbecues and picnics. Others were viewing the Schuylkill River, either from the hills above or on the riverside trail below.
Horticulture Center Greehouse
I saw people trying to identify birds in the forested areas, and others were watching the butterflies in the Horticulture Center’s butterfly garden. Many were taking photos among the wildflowers or against other picturesque backgrounds. Throughout the park, most benches seemed occupied, with many people bringing their own folding chairs as well.
Exploration
As the park has over 80 km/50 mi of hiking trails, with some bordering the park’s 16 creeks, many families were getting off the beaten path. With trail gear in hand, they were checking out the park’s orchards and native plants, looking for ideas of things to plant in their own yards.
Hiking Trails
The Philadelphia Zoo, located within the park, is the nation’s oldest. A Philadelphia tradition is for parents and children to ride in the Zoo Balloon to get a birds-eye view of zoo’s 1,300 animals. From one location 120 m/400 ft in the air, they could observe giraffes, zebras, and other animal life from around the world while enjoying one-of-a-kind views of the park.
History
Part of Fairmount Park extends into the city’s northwest section, and like the Summer Palace in Beijing, was once the location where the city’s elite spent their summers. Many of their summer mansions remain, and six have become museums, such as Cedar Grove. Many people were touring these homes, learning about the lives of past Philadelphians.
Reflecting Pool
The Laurel Hill Cemetery has large trees and interesting statuary, and people were paying their respects to notable figures who are buried there—including six passengers aboard the Titanic. Others were touring Rittenhouse Town, America’s first paper mill. And still others were admiring the remains of the few 1876 Centennial Exposition buildings still in existence.
The Journeyer
Many families are united by common religious traditions. For example, there is a “miracle bush” in the park, the purported location of a Virgin Mary sighting. Some Catholics visit this bush and pray for the intercession of the Blessed Mother.
Arts and Culture
With four major art museums and various theme museums, such as a water works and children’s museum, there is no shortage of cultural activity. In the two performing arts centers, families can see the symphony, hear band concerts, and take part in other art and culture festivals.
Philadelphia Art Museum
The Japanese House and Garden, Shofuso, has a classic pond and ornamental garden. On Sunday afternoons, their tea house hosts the Japanese tea ceremony. In a neighboring field, Indians were playing cricket. I even came across a Chinese family who was taking photos of a motorcycle race, something they said they have never seen before in an urban park!
Shofuso Japanese House and Garden
Although some of these categories may intersect and overlap, the main idea remains the same: families can enjoy a wide range of experiences together.
Gazebo
My friend, as you think about your family get-togethers during the mid-Autumn Festival, you now know what your American counterparts are doing this time year on the other side of the globe. And there’s one thing we will have in common: we will all see the very same full moon that will shine brightly on this year’s Mid-Autumn evening.
{ 今日英文速记卡 }
1.Caddy \ ˈka-dē \
a)含义：n. 茶叶盒；茶罐；球童
b)例句：
i.Tea was expensive at the time, stored away in locked tea caddies so it would not be stolen.
当时的茶叶很贵，所以都被存放在上锁的茶叶罐里，这样就不会被偷了。
A friend brought me a beautifully decorated tea caddy from China.
一位朋友从中国给我我带了一只装饰精美的茶叶罐。
c)近义词： box, case, chest
2.Spectator
\ ˈspek-ˌtā-tər \
a)含义： n. 观众
b)例句：
i.People were playing ball together, parents were watching their children play soccer or run long distance in organized leagues, and some were just spectators to the baseball and other matches.
人们在一起打球，家长们看着他们的孩子踢足球，或者在有组织的联赛中跑长跑，有些人只是棒球和其他比赛的观众。
ii.When it became abundantly clear that I hadn't inherited a shred of his athletic talents, he settled for trying to turn me into a passionate spectator.
等到他没有将任何运动天分遗传给我的事实昭然若揭之后，他又开始试着把我变成一个热情的观众。
c)近义词： observer, onlooker, viewer
3.Creek \ ˈkrēk \
a)含义：n. 小溪；小湾
b)例句：
i.As the park has over 80 km/50 mi of hiking trails, with some bordering the park’s 16 creeks, many families were getting off the beaten path.
由于公园拥有超过80公里/50英里的徒步路线，有些就在公园的16条creek（溪流）岸边，许多家庭会选择走那些人迹罕至的小路。
ii.They loved it because you could only get to it by the bridge across the creek; the surrounding trees and the steep bushy cliff behind shut it in like a house in a forest clearing.
他们爱它，因为要到达那里你只能走过小溪上的桥；而周围的树木和背后森森的陡峭悬崖让它看起来就像森林空地上的屋子一样隔绝世事。
c)近义词： brook, rivulet, stream
4.Ornamental
\ ˌȯr-nə-ˈmen-tᵊl \
a)含义：adj. 装饰的；装饰性的
b)例句：
i.The Japanese House and Garden, Shofuso , has a classic pond and ornamental garden.
日式的松风庄里有一个传统的池塘和观赏性的花园。
ii.Multistory villas fronted by ornamental porticos and columns are rising on its hilltops along with glass and marble office buildings. There are newly paved roads.
有观景走廊和圆柱装饰的多层别墅同绿地和大理石办公楼伴随新修建的公路一路延伸到山顶
c)近义词：beautifying, decorative, embellishing
5.Intersect
\ ˌin-tər-ˈsekt \
a)含义：v. 相交；交叉
b)例句：
i.Although some of these categories may intersect and overlap, the main idea remains the same: families can enjoy a wide range of experiences together.
尽管这些类别可能交叉和重叠，但主题都是一样的：家庭可以一起享受各种各样的快乐时光
ii.They are the same age, they were educated to the same level, their friends intersect, their body language is in tune.
他们同龄，同等的教育水平，他们的朋友圈相交，他们的体态语言一致。
c)近义词：bisect, crisscross, cross
Thank you for watching me to inspire, encourage, and accompany you.
See you next time.
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