Several different stories are told about the origin of Saint Valentine’s Day.One legend dates as far back as the days of the Roman Empire.According to the story,Claudius,the Emperor of Rome,wanted to increase the size of his army.He knew that it would be easier to get young men who were not married to join.Therefore he made a rule that no young man could marry until he had served a certain number of years in the army.

A priest(牧师) named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great many young people.Finally,Claudius found out about Valentine and put the priest in prison,where he remained until his death on February 14.

After his death,Valentine was made a saint(圣人),and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine’s Day.It became the custom for lovers to send each other message on this day.Now Saint Valentine’s Day is a time for people to send one another greeting of many kinds.

February 14,Valentine’s Day,is sweethearts’ day,on which people in love with each other express their tender(温柔的) emotions.

People sometimes put their love message in a heartshaped box of chocolates,or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons(带子).Words of letters may be written on the flower covered card,or something else.Whatever the form may be,the message is almost the same:”Will you be my Valentine?”

1.Valentine was put in prison because    .

A.he secretly got married         B.he didn’t serve in the army

C.he married many young people secretly   D.he broke the laws

2.According to the rule,   .

A.no young men could get married unless they were old enough

B.young men could marry if they served in the army for several years

C.no one could get married without the emperor’s permission

D.young men could marry only in the army

3.This passage mainly tells us about    .

A.how Valentine died         B.the Emperor of Rome

C.how Valentine’s Day is celebrated     D.the origin Valentine’s Day

4.February 14 is chosen as Valentine’s Day because    .

A.lovers express their tender emotions on this day

B.people want to remember Valentine

C.people send one another greetings of many kinds on this day

D.people want to fix a date for lovers to express their emotionse

 

Once there was a man who liked to eat mangoes(芒果). One day he decided to get the sweetest mango from the very top of the tree. Mangoes which are exposed to the sun the most are the sweetest.

So he climbed up to the top, where the branches were thin. He managed to pick up a few sweet reddish fruits, but, in an attempt to climb down, he slipped and started falling towards the ground. Fortunately, he caught the branch as he was falling and remained helplessly hanging on the tree. Then he started to call nearby villagers for help. They immediately came with a ladder and sticks, but could do little to help him.

Then after some time one calm and thoughtful person arrived - a well-known sage who lived in a simple hut nearby. People were very curious to see what he would do, as he was famous in solving many people’s problems in the area and sometimes very complicated ones.

He was silent for a minute and then picked up a stone and threw it at the hanging man. Everybody was surprised. The hanging mango lover started to shout: What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Do you want me to break my neck?”  The sage was silent. Then he took another stone and threw it at the man. The man was very angry: “If I could just come down, I would show you!”

That’s what everybody wanted - that he came down. But how? Now everybody was tense(紧张), as to what would happen next! Some wanted to punish the sage, but they didn’t. The sage picked another stone and threw it again at the man, even more forcefully. Now the man on the tree was enraged and developed a great determination to come down and take revenge(报仇).

He then used all his skill and strength and somehow reached the branches which were safe to start going down. And he made it! Everybody was amazed.

However, the rescued man found the sage gone. He stood there, realizing that the man really helped him because he induced him to try his best and save himself.

 “I should be thankful and not angry.”

1.What happened after he had picked a few sweet reddish mangoes?

A.He remained hanging helplessly on the tree.

B.He slipped and fell to the ground suddenly.

C.He was climbing down quickly but carefully.

D.He shouted loudly for help but no one helped.

2.How did the man feel when the sage hit him with a stone?

A.He was nervous. B.He kept silent. C.He was angry.  D.He felt surprised.

3.What do you think motivated the man to climb down?

A.Courage.    B. Assistance.       C.Carefulness.   D.Revenge.

4.From the story we know that the sweetest mango must be the one         .

A.on the tree for the longest time    B.hidden in the middle of a tree

C.on the very top of the a tree      D.exposed to sunlight less often

5.The best title of this passage will be _____.

A.Anger saves one’s life.             B.Wisdom does count.

C.Skill and strength count.      D.Anger is the biggest enemy.

 

Several different stories are told about the origin(由来) of Saint Valentine's Day(情人节). One legend(传奇) dates as far back as the clays of the Roman Empire, according to the story, Claudius, the Emperor of Rome, wanted to increase the size of the army. He knew that it would be easier to get young man who were not married to join. Therefore he made a rule that no young man could marry until he had served a certain number of years in the army.

A priest(牧师) named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great many young people. Finally, Claudius found out about Valentine and put the priest in prison, where he remained until his death on February 14.

After his death, Valentine was made a saint, and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine's Day. It became the custom for lovers to send each other message on this day. Now Saint Valentine's Day is a time for people to send one another greeting of many kinds.

February 14, Valentine's Day, is a sweethearts' day, on which people in love with each other express their tender emotions. People sometimes put their love message in a heart-shaped box of chocolates, or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons. Words of letters may be written on the flower covered card, or something else. Whatever the form may be, the message is almost the same "will you be my Valentine?"

1.Valentine was put in prison because ________.

A. he secretly got married                                       

B. he didn't serve in the army

C. he married many young people secretly              

D. he broke the laws

2.According to the rule ________.

A. no young men could get married unless they were old enough

B. young men could marry if they served in the army for several years

C. no one could get married without the emperor's permission

D. young could marry only in the army

3.This passage mainly tells us about _________.

A. how Valentine died                                             

B. the Emperor of Rome

C. how Valentine's Day is celebrated                    

D. the origin of Valentine's Day

4.February 14 is chosen Valentine's Day because __________.

A. lovers express their tender emotions on this day   

   B. people want to remember Valentine

C. people send one another greetings of many kinds on this day

D. people want to fix a date for lovers to express their emotions

 

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