[originaltext] Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will

Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will be read to you four times. During the first reading, which will be done at normal speed, listen and try to understand the meaning. For the second and third readings, the passage will be read sentence by sentence, or phrase by phrase, with intervals of 15 seconds. The last reading will be done at normal speed again and during this time you should check your work. You will then be given ONE minute to check through your work once more. Please write the whole passage on ANSWER SHEET ONE.
    Now, listen to the passage.
                            Thanksgiving Day
    In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is an annual occasion / to show thanks to God for his goodness. / It began with the English in Plymouth Colony. / As far back as 1621, after a long bitter winter and the gathering of the first harvest, / the early settlers shared a feast with the local Indians / and offered prayers of thanksgiving. / It was not until 1941 that the US Congress adopted a resolution, / setting the fourth Thursday of November as an annual Thanksgiving Day. /
    Now many people, including students studying in another state, / often travel long distances to spend the holiday at home. /