VOA慢速英语--Valentine's Day Is for Love

 

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 celebrated¹ the coming of spring and female fertility.

Then, around 1,500 years ago, Christians³ 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 Christian² 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 immoral⁴ 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 remains⁵ 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 lighter⁶, 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

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• 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。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• 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。

3 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 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。

4 immoral   

adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的

参考例句：

• 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。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• 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。

6 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。