U.S. President Barack Obama pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey 'Cheese' at the White House in Washington November 26, 2014.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday pardoned a turkey named Cheese to mark the country's Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, when roasted turkey is the traditional main course.

烤火鸡是感恩节的一道传统主食。周三，美国总统奥巴马赦免了火鸡“奶酪”（Cheese），以此纪念周四的感恩节。

Obama, in a light-hearted ceremony before a small group of White House visitors, said that pardoning Cheese would surely be the "most talked-about executive action" he has taken this month.

在一场人数不多、气氛轻松的白宫典礼上，奥巴马说赦免“奶酪”一事无疑会成为他本月“最热门的措施”。

"Today I am taking an action fully¹ within my legal authority, an executive action taken by Democrat² and Republican presidents before me, to spare the lives of two turkeys, Mac and Cheese," Obama said.

奥巴马说：“今天我要做一件我法律权限内的事，一件以往的民主党、共和党总统都做过的事——挽救‘通心粉’（Mac）和‘奶酪’这两只火鸡的生命。”奥巴马说。

Obama's remarks, which referenced his announcement last week that he would take action to defer³ deportation⁴ for millions of undocumented immigrants, drew laughter from the crowd.

上周奥巴马宣布暂缓遣返美国几百万非法移民的行政令。他此番言论暗指此事，引起现场来宾一阵欢笑。

Though Cheese alone is the National Thanksgiving Turkey, he will be joined by Mac at Morven Park's Turkey Hill, the former home of a Virginia governor. There, the two birds will enjoy a form of amnesty, Obama said.

奥巴马说，尽管只有“奶酪”是国家感恩节火鸡，但它将和同被赦免的“通心粉”一起被送往莫文公园的火鸡山。

U.S. presidents have been pardoning turkeys since the 1800s. Starting in 2012, the top turkey has been chosen by a public vote.

自19世纪以来，美国总统们就开始在感恩节举行赦免火鸡的活动。自2012年开始，被赦免的火鸡均由大众投票产生。

The White House said that Mac and Cheese were "beak-to-beak" on Twitter in the days leading up to the pardon as users weighed in on which bird should receive the official pardon.

白宫发言人说，几天来“通心粉”和“奶酪”在推特上“尖峰对决”。网友们纷纷发表看法：哪只火鸡能获得赦免。

Mac and Cheese are males born in July that hail from Cooper Farms in Oakwood, Ohio.

“通心粉”和“奶酪”都是“男孩”，7月份出生，来自俄亥俄州奥克伍德（Oakwood）的库珀农场（Cooper Farms）。

Mac is a "feather shaker" who weighs in a 47 pounds and boasts a melodious⁵ gobble that has a hint of bluegrass, #TeamMac supporters within the White House said.

在白宫，“通心粉”队的粉丝说，它是个“羽毛扑腾家”，有47磅（21.21千克）重，那美妙的“咯咯”声略带“蓝草”音乐的意味。

Cheese is a "grand champion" who weights in at 49 pounds and has a gobble that manages to be both romantic and has a country ring, #TeamCheese White House aides said.

而“奶酪”队粉丝说，超级赢家“奶酪”重49磅（22.22千克），它的“咯咯”声既浪漫有富有乡村气息。

The chairman of the National Turkey Federation⁶, Gary Cooper of Ft. Recovery, Ohio, was at the pardoning ceremony, along with seven family members. Cooper's son raised Mac and Cheese without antibiotics⁷.

俄亥俄州里卡弗里堡（Ft. Recovery）的美国火鸡联合会主席加里·库珀（Gary Cooper）和七位家人出席了此次典礼。据说库珀的儿子喂养这两只鸡时未添加任何抗生素。

Mac and Cheese will now leave their room at the posh Willard InterContinental Hotel near the White House, where they awaited their fate, and travel to the farm in Leesburg, Virginia, where they will receive visitors.

目前，“通心粉”和“奶酪”将离开等待赦免时所在的白宫附近的豪华酒店，前往弗吉尼亚的利斯堡（Leesburg）供游客参观。