By Betsy Klein and Liz Stark, The New York Times

Updated 1907 GMT (0307 HKT) November 25, 2018

Approximately 44 million turkeys were Thanksgiving dinner in the

United States last year, but on Tuesday at the White House, there was one
lucky bird.
Every year, on the eve of Thanksgiving, in a ceremony at the White
House, the President of the United States pardons a turkey, which means
nobody kills or eats the bird.
President Donald Trump enthusiastically participated in the tradition of
the turkey pardon in the White House Rose Garden.
Coming from South Dakota, this year's pardon contestants were named
Peas and Carrots. The animal was chosen from a different farm. It takes
place every year in April. In August, six of the most beautiful birds were selected. The week before the ceremony they
were brought to Washington DC, and they were prepared for their big day. During the ceremony, Trump announced that
Peas was the winner of the vote to receive a presidential pardon.
"That turkey is so lucky. I've never seen such a beautiful turkey," Trump said of Peas, who ruffled its feathers in front of a
crowd of people in the Rose Garden.

Picking who to pardon

When they arrived in Washington DC, the duo rested up for their big day
away from the White House at the luxury Willard Hotel and enjoyed a spa
day.

Peas and Carrots were the guest stars at a conference Monday morning.
We discovered fun facts about the duo. Peas, for instance, enjoys popcorn
and the musical of Brad Paisley. Carrots is more of an Elvis fan,
preferring to snack on M&Ms.
50,000 people voted for their favorite turkey and Peas won the elections.
"That's too bad for Carrots," Trump said.
During the ceremony, photos were taken by journalists and the turkey was
pardoned by the POTUS. The big bird was a real celebrity. After the
ceremony, the turkeys were sent to a farm in Virginia for the rest of their
life. There, students and veterinarians in the university's Animal and
Poultry Sciences Department will take care of them.
In a special holiday message, Trump wished everyone "a very, very
happy Thanksgiving."

Origin story
A long time ago, Lincoln's young son asked his father to spare a pet turkey that was supposed to be part of their
Thanksgiving dinner. This is how the tradition began…
Then, President John F. Kennedy was the first president who pardoned a turkey officially in 1963.
Finally, in 1989, President George H.W. Bush declared it was a “White House holiday season tradition”.
 QUESTION 1 : RIGHT or WRONG ? Justify your answers quoting from the text.

1) More than 44 thousands turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving Day in the USA. R
W
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2) President Donald Trump presided over the ceremony in the Winter Daffodils garden. R
W
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3) The two contestants came from South Carolina. R W
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4) 5,000 people voted for Carrots. R W
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5) After the pardoning ceremony, the two birds were killed. R W
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6) President Obama was the first President who pardoned a turkey. R W
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

QUESTION 2 : Pick out the different steps of the “Turkey Pardon Ceremony” from the beginning to the end.

Step 1 In April, ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 2 In August, ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 3 The week before the ceremony, __________________________________________________________________________

Step 4 There, _______________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 5 During the ceremony, __________________________________________________________________________________

Step 6 The turkey ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 7 After the ceremony, ____________________________________________________________________________________

QUESTION 3 : Fill in this little text with the missing words to have a summary of the “Turkey Pardon Ceremony”…

serious - Internet - crowd - traditions - Kennedy - peaceful - photos - vote - contestants

garden - bird - celebrity - ceremony - Turkey Pardon - craziest - speech

The day before Thanksgiving, there is a ________________________ in the ______________________ of the White House. It is
called the “_____________________________”. The POTUS, in front of a ____________________ of journalists, his family and
special guests, honours a ________________ elected by the American people. For the Americans, this is a very _________________
event and many people enjoy taking part in the _______________.

Then, after the ceremony, the bird lives a _______________________ life in a farm with his other bird-friends. This year, the two
__________________________ were Peas and Carrots.

President ___________________ created that tradition in ___________________.

There are many _________________________ on Thanksgiving day but this one is certainly the _________________________ one !
During the ceremony, a ________________ was made by the President, _________________ were taken by the journalists and…
Peas became a real _______________________ ! For example, you could see her everywhere on the ______________________ !