Is America Still Puritan?

SEE:

1. The animal represented in the picture is a turkey.

2. The characters sitting on it are portraying the first Pilgrim Fathers, the first Puritan inhabitants of the USA.

3. They are wearing reproductions of historical farmer clothes.

THINK

1. Traditional clothing, folklore, traditional festivities have a historical significance.

2. It seems to be a celebration for Thanksgiving Day, because of the turkey and the clothes that resembles the ones of traditional farmers.

3. The structure of the “statue” of the turkey seems as modern as the habit of doing historical re-enactments parades.

WONDER

1. Celebrating one’s origins means to value one’s past and history, giving credit for what one has done. In this case, celebrating America’s Puritan origins means that American people understand the value of their ancestors did.

2. It looks similar to a parade for Carnival.

3. the Italian symbol that immediately comes to my mind is the mythical wolf that fed Romolo and Remo. The first one would become the first king of Rome.

Reading and Use of English

1. 1G 2E 3A 4F 5B 6C

2. 1) The first experiment showed that Americans worked harder than Canadian students at solving word puzzles, if they were exposed to salvation-related words.

2) Americans seem to judge promiscuous women more harshly than British students.

3) Because of the phrase “It seems we do.”

4) If Tacqueville were to see America and its inhabitants today, he would probably still see some of the evidence of America’s Puritan destiny.

5) New England, a Puritan colony, displayed the values of the first Puritans to live in America.