February 14 is a day for people who have fallen in love. On this day, these men and women give gifts and cards to each other for Valentine’s Day.

   This day has been popular with people in love for a long time. At first, this holiday was called Lupercalia. Then the name of the day was changed to Saint Valentine’s Day. The man named Saint Valentine was killed on February 14,270 A.D. because he was a Christian (基督教徒).

   Before Saint Valentine was killed, February 14 was the old Roman holiday, Lupercalia. The church wanted people to think of a Christian holiday on this day, so the church changed the name of the holiday.

  This change did not stop people in love from giving gifts to each other. People usually gave gloves, handkerchiefs, or even underwear(内衣) as gifts. Sometimes people also put hearts and flowers on the present before giving it to the other persons.

   Valentine cards did not become popular until the 1750s. The first Valentine cards were made by hand. People wrote their own words on the cards. These words were usually kind or funny.

   Cards made by machines became more popular around 1850s. All of a sudden, Valentine’s Day became a big holiday for people who made and sold cards.

   Now, every year around February14, cards and chocolates fill stores for people in love.

51. How did people celebrate Lupercalia?

  A. They went to church.              B. They sent cards to each other.

  C. They sang and danced             D. They gave gifts to each other.

52. When did Valentine cards first become popular?

  A. About 270 A. D.                  B. About 1850 A. D.   

C. About 1750 A. D.                 D. They have always been popular.

53. What helped to make Valentine cards more popular?

  A. Machines which made cards.        B. People who liked Valentine’s cards.

  C. People’s interests in Valentine’s Day.  D. Churches

54. What is special about Valentines cards?

  A. They are made by machine.         B. They are hand-made.

  C. The words people write on the cards are kind and funny.

  D. They help express people’s love.

55. What does the phrase “All of a sudden” mean?

  A. 突然        B.总而言之          C. 换句话说        D.自然地

   Long,long ago, there were a lot of donkeys. The donkeys worked hard every day. They had no time to play or to relax, but they never felt appreciated for the work they did.

   One day two donkeys got bored. They wanted to live a comfortable life. So the donkeys went to see a wise old man. They told him their problem. The wise man agreed that they worked too hard, and he wanted to help the donkeys. “I have an idea,” he said.

   “What is your idea?” asked the donkeys.

   “I will paint you and no one will know you are donkeys,” said the man.

   The man went off to find some paint and he returned in just a few minutes. He had two pots of paint. One pot was filled with white paint, and the other black paint.

   The old man first painted them white, and then painted black stripes over the white paint. When he finished, the donkeys did not look like donkeys. “You no longer look like donkeys.” The old man said. “Everyone will be fooled. I will call you something else, zebras.”

   The zebras went to a field to eat grass. Now they did not have to work.

   Soon, other donkeys saw zebras. They asked the zebras where they came from. When the zebras told the donkeys their secrets, the donkeys all rushed to see the old man.

   “Make us into zebras, too,” they pleaded. So the wise old man painted more donkeys. As he did, more and more donkeys came.

   The old man could not paint fast enough. Soon the donkeys became impatient. They began to kick about, and they knocked over the paint pots.

   There was no more paint. The painted donkeys ran off to become zebras. The unpainted donkeys, because of their impatience, had to return to work.

   This is why it is important to be patient.

46 The two donkeys went to see a wise old man in order to _______.

   A. tell him their problem           B. ask for help

   C. change in to zebras             D. get some grass

47. When the two donkeys returned, why didn’t they have to work?

   A. because they didn’t eat enough grass.

   B. because they didn’t want to work.

   C. because no one knew they were donkeys.

   D. because they were no longer donkeys.

48. What does the underlined word “pleaded” mean?

   A. Advised      B. Ordered      C. Agreed         D. Begged

49. Many donkeys were not painted by the old man because _____

   A. no more paint was left              B. all the paint was used up

   C. they couldn’t wait any longer        D. he was too tired to paint

50. This story tells us ____________.

   A. It is better to be gentle than harsh.

   B. It is better to be patient than hurry.

   C. It is better to be hard working than lazy.

   D. It is better to be quite than noisy.

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