unit 6 a valentine story

Unit 6 Text A

Romance

A valentine storyDOUG BEFF

Saint Valentine’s Day

St. Valentine’s StoryValentine Traditions Birds and Love

Questions and Answers

1. When did Valentine live? He was living during the third century.

2. What was Valentine? He was a priest. 3. What did he do to help young lovers? He kept performing marriage ceremonies secretly for the young lovers in spite of Claudius’s ban.

4. When was he killed? He was killed on February 14, 269 A.D..

5. Is there any day like Saint Valentine’s Day in China? The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the Chinese Lovers’ Day. The most popular story mentioned in connection with this festival is that of “the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl”.

St. Valentine’s Story

New Words in the Story priest Claudius ceremony jailer 牧师 克劳迪亚斯 典礼，仪式 看守监狱的人，狱卒 Rome volunteer behead 罗马 自愿 斩首，砍…的头

St. Valentine’s Story

Valentine was a priest living in Rome during the third century. At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. He wanted to have a big army and expected men to volunteer to join. However many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. This made Claudius very angry. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius banned marriage even engagement from his empire. But Valentine would keep on performing marriage ceremonies secretly. He was caught by the soldiers at a wedding, and was thrown into prison and beheaded.

Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer when he was in prison. Before he was taken to his death on February 14, 269 A.D., he signed a farewell message to her, “Love from your Valentine.” That note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine’s Day.

Questions and Answers

1. When did Valentine live? He was living during the third century.

2. What was Valentine? He was a priest. 3. What did he do to help young lovers? He kept performing marriage ceremonies secretly for the young lovers in spite of Claudius’s ban.

4. When was he killed? He was killed on February 14, 269 A.D..

5. Is there any day like Saint Valentine’s Day in China? The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the Chinese Lovers’ Day. The most popular story mentioned in connection with this festival is that of “the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl”.

Valentine Traditions

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week.

“Wear your heart on your sleeve” now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

在中世纪，青年男女从碗里抽出写有名字的纸条， 看看他们的情人将会是谁。他们把名字写在衣袖 上，并穿一个星期。现在，穿着袖子上带有心形 图案的衣服意味着其他人容易懂得你的

感情。

If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.

In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant “You unlock my heart!”

Birds and Love

Europeans also believe that Feb. 14th is the day when birds begin to choose their mates. Chaucer, Shakespeare, and numerous other poets mention the tradition in their works. In accordance with the tradition, it is believed that a young girl will be able to tell what type of man she will marry based upon the first bird that she sees on Valentine’s Day.

Click the Pictures!

If a young girl sees a blackbird(画眉), she will marry a clergyman or priest.

If a young girl sees a robin redbreast(红襟和更鸟) , she will marry a sailor or nautical man.

If a young girl sees a goldfinch (金翅雀)(or any yellow bird), she will marry a rich man.

If a young girl sees a sparrow(麻雀), she will marry a farmer or country gentleman.

If a young girl sees a bluebird ( 蓝知更鸟), she will marry a happy man.

If a young girl sees a crossbill (交喙鸟), she will marry an argumentative man.

If a young girl sees a dove, she will marry a good man.

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