有声英文阅读-听听妈妈的故事（在线收听）

Let's Hear It for Mom!
听听妈妈的故事

Where would we be without mothers, those tireless caregivers who wipe our noses, pack our lunches, cry at our weddings, and always consider us, though we may already be adults, their babies? Although we may often take our mothers for granted, Mother's Day serves to remind us to take the time to remember just how special they are.

The ancient Greeks and Romans were hip to how precious moms were; the predecessor to Mother's Day may very well have been a Greek spring festival dedicated to Rhea, mother of the gods and goddesses. In Rome, honoring mothers came in the form of a three-day celebration called Hilaria, where people worshipped the mother goddess Cybele. Some say these Roman ceremonies evolved into England's "Mothering Sunday", a celebration much like our modern Mother's Day, to honor Mary, mother of Christ.

It wasn't until 1910 that the first Mother's Day was proclaimed in the U.S. By the following year, however, each state had created its own observances, as had various nations around the world. American President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother's Day an official national holiday in 1914. Nowadays, on the second Sunday of every May, people everywhere buy flowers, give chocolates, and send cards to the women who have raised them with love, courage, and devotion.

??如果没有妈妈不辞辛劳的照顾，我们会身在何处？妈妈帮我们擦鼻涕，为我们做午餐，在我们的婚礼上啜泣，始终把已经长大的我们当作宝贝细心呵护。我们也许常把母亲的付出视为理所当然的事情，但至少母亲节这一天能提醒我们一下，应该记住母亲有多么的特別。

??早在古希腊和古罗马时代，母亲的伟大就已倍受肯定。母亲节的前身很可能是希腊某个春季的节庆，用以献给众神之母－－ 瑞意。在罗马，荣膺表彰的母亲们一齐聚集到希拉利雅，参加为期三天的庆典，人们在此祭祀众神之母－－赛贝儿。有人认为，罗马的庆典后来演化成英国人纪念圣母玛利亚的“母亲日”，那已经与现代母亲节非常相似。

??直到1910年，第一个母亲节才由美国政府宣告确立。然而第二年，美国各州仍就纪念仪式各行其是，世界各国也各自为母亲节举办各式各样的活动。1914年，美国总统伍德罗·威尔 逊正式宣布母亲节为国家假日。时至今日，在每年五月的第二个星期日，人们会用鲜花、巧克力、卡片等的礼物，送给用爱和勇气、无私的奉献抚育他们成长的伟大的母亲。