[originaltext] The American Thanksgiving Day celebration goes back to 1621.

The American Thanksgiving Day celebration goes back to 1621. In that year a special dinner was prepared in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The people who had settled there had left England because they were forbidden to keep their religious freedom. They came to the new land and faced difficulties in sailing across the ocean. The ship which carried them was called the Mayflower. The North Atlantic was difficult to travel. There were bad storms and huge waves. With the help of the Indians, they learned to live in the new land. These Puritans, as they were called, had much to be thankful for. They could enjoy religious freedom. They learned how to grow their crops in accordance with the climate and soil. Now when they selected the fourth Thursday of November for their Thanksgiving celebration, they invited their neighbours, the Indians, to join them in dinner. They also wanted to pray to God for the new life. They recalled the group of 102 men, women, and children who left England. They remembered those who did not live to see the shores of Massachusetts. They thought of the 65 days’ journey which had tested their strength.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16. Why did people leave England for America?
17. Which ocean did they sail across?
18. What’ s the date did they select as Thanksgiving Day?