VOA慢速英语--Valentine's Day Is for Love
时间：2019-01-03 作者：英语课 分类：2018年VOA慢速英语(二)月
Valentine’s Day celebrates love. It is a day to exchange flowers, candy, and greeting cards with your husband or wife, or someone else you desire. It is a popular day to become engaged and to get married.
Historians argue about the earliest roots of Valentine’s Day. Many say it is linked to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was observed on the 15th of February. That day celebrated 1 the coming of spring and female fertility.
Then, around 1,500 years ago, Christians 3 supposedly began to celebrate the feast day of St. Valentine on February 14.
However, there are several Saint Valentines and several stories about them. One involves Valentine of Terni, a Christian 2 clergyman. He was said to have violated the orders of Roman Emperor Claudius the 2nd.
Claudius was having trouble getting married men to serve as soldiers. So, he banned marriage. Valentine considered the ban immoral 4 and secretly married young Christian lovers, anyway. When the Emperor learned of the actions, he ordered Valentine’s death. The execution is said to have happened on February 14, around the year 300.
Some people say this is the reason the holiday is linked to love.
The exchange of valentines, or written expressions of love, began in the 1500s. The tradition remains 5 popular today. Valentine cards usually include images of hearts, flowers, or Cupid, the Roman god of love and desire. The cards also often include poems. One valentine from the year 1910 reads: “When we meet: The flowers look brighter, And all on earth seems sweet, My heart is always lighter 6, My darling, when we meet.”
But Valentine’s Day is not only for romance. It can also be a day to celebrate love of family and friends.
I’m Dorothy Gundy.
Words in This Story
greeting card – n. a thick piece of paper that is usually folded in half and decorated on one side and contains a message
romantic – adj. of, relating to, or involving love between two people
engaged – adj. promise to be married
festival – n. a special time or event when people gather to celebrate something
- He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
- The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。
- They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
- His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
- Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
- His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。
- She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her.她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
- It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral.我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。
- He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
- The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。