新课标（模块 3） Unit 1 Valentine's DAY
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day( 情 人 节 ) is named for Saint Valentine an early Christian
churchman(牧师) who reportedly helped young lovers. Valentine was killed for his
Christian beliefs on February 14 more than 1,700 years ago, but the day that has his
name is even earlier than that.
More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient(远古的) Romans celebrated a holiday
for lovers. As part of the celebration, girls wrote their names on pieces of paper and
put them in a large container. Boys reached into the container and pulled one out.
The girl whose name was written on the paper became his lover or sweet heart for a
year.
Lovers still put their names on pieces of paper and they send each other
Valentine\'s Day cards that tell of their love. Sometimes they also send gifts, like
flowers or chocolate candy. Americans usually send these gifts and cards through the
mail system. But some used another way to send this message. They have it printed
in a newspaper. The cost is usually a few dollars. Some of the messages are simple
and short, "Jane, I love you very much ."Others say more. This one, for example,
"Don, roses are red. Violets(紫罗兰) are blue. I hope you love me as much as I love
you. Forever, Mary."
Most of the newspapers that print such messages are local, but USA Today is
sold throughout the United States and 90 other countries as well. This means
someone can send a Valentine message to a lover in a far-away city or town almost
anywhere in the world. These messages cost 80 dollars and more. An employee(职员)
of USA Today says readers can have a small heart or rose printed along with their
messages this year. Will this kind of Valentine\'s Day message reach the one you love?
Well, just make sure he or she reads the newspaper.
New Year's Day
Like many people all over the world, Americans enjoy celebrating the arrival
of each new year. Almost everyone makes an occasion of New Year\'s Eve in order to
see the old year out and welcome the new one. In New York, a favorite gathering
place on December 31 is New York City\'s Times Square. Thousands of Americans and
international tourists crowd this famous spot (at the intersection of Broadway and
Seventh Avenue) and crane their necks to watch for "Happy New Year" to flash across
the electronically controlled sign that moves around. When the moment arrives
bedlam breaks forth. Bells ring, whistles blow, people cheer with their happy
excitement.
The cheerful scene goes one after another in public squares throughout the
country, but not at the same moment. Because of the four time zones in the United
States the New Year comes to the Central States one hour later, to the Mountain
States two hours later, and finally to the Western States three hours after the Eastern
States have said goodbye to another year. So by following the radio and television
broadcasts everyone can enjoy the festivities in other parts of the country as well as
their own.
Some people prefer to see the old year out at a church service. Although the
holiday does not have religious origin, many churches hold "Watch Night" services on
New Year\' s Eve. Those who go to churches can solemnly renew their dedication to
God for the coming year.
The custom of visiting friends, relatives and neighbors is one of the popular
activities on New Year\' s Day. This activity is called Open House. The custom of Open
House was inaugurated by George Washington during his first term as President. On
January 1, 1789, President Washington first opened the doors of his official residence
to all who wished to come. An Open House is just what the name implies: the front
door is left open. Inside the door there is a spirit of relaxed cordiality, and guests are
free to arrive and leave when they like. Invitations may say simply, "Drop in after the
game" or "Come drink a New Year\' s toast with us". On January 1, now, families hold
"Open House" so that their friends can visit them throughout the day to express
good wishes for the new year.
Many championship football games are scheduled for New Year’s Day, and
there is usually an elaborate parade before each football game. Often, much of the
day is spent watching these games on television
April Fool's Day
(April 1)
In sixteenth-century France, the start of the new year was observed on April
first. It was celebrated in much the same way as it is today with parties and dancing
into the late hours of the night. Then in 1562, Pope Gregory introduced a new
calendar for the Christian world, and the new year fell on January first. There were
some people, however, who hadn't heard or didn't believe the change in the date, so
they continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April first. Others played tricks on
them and called them "April fools." They sent them on a "fool's errand" or tried to
make them believe that something false was true. In France today, April first is called
"Poisson d'Avril." French children fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their
friends' backs. When the "young fool" discovers this trick, the prankster yells
"Poisson d’Avril!" (April Fish!)
Today Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers alike on the first of
April. One common trick on April Fool's Day, or All Fool's Day, is pointing down to a
friend's shoe and saying, "Your shoelace is untied." Teachers in the nineteenth
century used to say to pupils, "Look! A flock of geese!" and point up. School children
might tell a classmate that school has been canceled. Whatever the trick, if the
innocent victim falls for the joke the prankster yells, "April Fool! "
The "fools' errands" we play on people are practical jokes. Putting salt in the
sugar bowl for the next person is not a nice trick to play on a stranger. College
students set their clocks an hour behind, so their roommates show up to the wrong
class - or not at all. Some practical jokes are kept up the whole day before the victim
realizes what day it is. Most April Fool jokes are in good fun and not meant to harm
anyone. The most clever April Fool joke is the one where everyone laughs, especially
the person upon whom the joke is played.
"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of
the year. " - American humorist Mark Twain
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