A groundhog from the small town of Punxsutawney in the state of Pennsylvania again predicted that North America would have six more weeks of winter.
来自宾夕法尼亚州 Punxsutawney 小镇的一只土拨鼠再次预测北美将有六个多星期的冬天。
 
On Thursday, thousands of people gathered around a hill called Gobbler's Knob to watch the yearly event. A group of men in black coats and top hats woke up the groundhog from his long winter sleep. It was as if the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, told them, "I see a shadow…It's six more weeks of winter weather."
星期四，成千上万的人聚集在一座名为 Gobbler's Knob 的小山周围观看这一年度活动。一群身穿黑色大衣、头戴礼帽的男子将土拨鼠从漫长的冬眠中唤醒。就好像这只名叫 Punxsutawney Phil 的土拨鼠告诉他们：“我看到了一个影子……还有六个星期的冬天天气。”
 
Since 1887, tradition says that if Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow on Groundhog Day, February 2, spring will come early.
自 1887 年以来，传统上说，如果 Punxsutawney Phil 在 2 月 2 日土拨鼠日没有看到他的影子，春天就会提前到来。
 
Groundhog Day is believed to have come from the ancient European tradition of Candlemas Day. On that day clergy would bless and give out candles to Christians for the long winter.
土拨鼠日被认为源于欧洲古老的圣烛节传统。在那一天，神职人员会为漫长的冬天祝福并向基督徒分发蜡烛。
 
Some versions of the ancient story say that in parts of Germany, people thought that if a hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a "Second Winter" — or six more weeks of bad weather. As Germans migrated to what is now the state of Pennsylvania, they chose another animal, and Groundhog Day was born.
这个古老故事的一些版本说，在德国的部分地区，人们认为如果刺猬在圣烛节看到自己的影子，就会出现“第二个冬天”——或者再过六个星期的恶劣天气。当德国人迁移到现在的宾夕法尼亚州时，他们选择了另一种动物，土拨鼠日就这样诞生了。
 
Not just groundhogs predict the weather
这个古老故事的一些版本说，在德国的部分地区，人们认为如果刺猬在圣烛节看到自己的影子，就会出现“第二个冬天”——或者再过六个星期的恶劣天气。当德国人迁移到现在的宾夕法尼亚州时，他们选择了另一种动物，土拨鼠日就这样诞生了。
 
The tradition is celebrated in many places around the United States and Canada. Countdown to Groundhog Day keeps a list showing 157 such celebrations in North America.
美国和加拿大的许多地方都庆祝这一传统。土拨鼠日倒计时保留了一份清单，显示北美有 157 次此类庆祝活动。
 
But the animals do not always agree — and not all of them are groundhogs.
美国和加拿大的许多地方都庆祝这一传统。土拨鼠日倒计时保留了一份清单，显示北美有 157 次此类庆祝活动。
 
Staten Island Chuck, a groundhog once known for biting the finger of then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, predicted it would be an early spring. It is hard to argue with that since the National Weather Service said on the social media service Twitter that the lack of snow in the northeast "has been extremely unusual" this year.
史泰登岛查克（Staten Island Chuck）是一只曾因咬当时纽约市市长迈克尔布隆伯格的手指而闻名的土拨鼠，他预测这将是一个早春。很难反驳这一点，因为国家气象局在社交媒体服务推特上表示，今年东北地区少雪“非常不寻常”。
 
In the state of Connecticut, Beardsley Bart, a prairie dog in Bridgeport, also predicted it would be an early spring this year. But Scramble the Duck, Jr. said it would be a long winter in nearby Eastford.
在康涅狄格州，布里奇波特的土拨鼠比尔兹利巴特也预测今年将是早春。但是 Scramble the Duck, Jr. 表示附近的伊斯特福德将迎来漫长的冬天。
 
In the state of Ohio, Benny the Bass, a fish, ate a minnow - or a small fish - soon after its release. The Buckeye Lake Region Chamber of Commerce Winterfest said it means there will be an early spring. Tad and Lil, two frogs from Snohomish in the state of Washington, agreed that spring would come early on their own "Groundfrog Day" celebration.
在俄亥俄州，一条鱼班尼 (Benny the Bass) 在被放生后不久就吃掉了一条鲦鱼或小鱼。Buckeye Lake 地区商会 Winterfest 表示，这意味着将迎来早春。Tad 和 Lil 是华盛顿州斯诺霍米什的两只青蛙，他们一致认为春天会在他们自己的“地蛙日”庆祝活动中提前到来。
 
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration compared Punxsutawney Phil's forecast in the past 10 years to the actual weather. The agency found that "on average, Phil has gotten it right 40 percent of the time."
美国国家海洋和大气管理局将过去 10 年 Punxsutawney Phil 的预测与实际天气进行了比较。该机构发现，“平均而言，菲尔有 40% 的时间是正确的。”
 
Still, Phil remains the most famous weather predictor thanks to the movie Groundhog Day. In 1993, actor Bill Murray played a weather reporter in the film. The reporter finds himself stuck in time and wakes up on the same day, over and over again, while visiting Punxsutawney.
尽管如此，由于电影《土拨鼠日》，菲尔仍然是最著名的天气预报员。 1993年，演员比尔·默里在片中饰演一名天气预报员。记者发现自己被困在时间里，在同一天醒来，一遍又一遍地访问 Punxsutawney。
 
The movie popularized the usage of "Groundhog Day" to mean something is happening again and again.
这部电影普及了“土拨鼠日”的用法，表示某事一次又一次地发生。