新西兰英语 401 Valentine’s Day

　　Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, a day for lovers². The celebration of Valentine’s Day is mostly an American and British custom but some New Zealanders also like to give cards, chocolates or flowers. Flower growers are happy to encourage this custom because it means they sell more flowers, especially red roses. Some other businesses like to encourage this custom because they sell more cards, chocolates or red ribbons. The most popular symbol of Valentine’s Day is a red heart.
Nobody knows exactly when or why Valentine’s Day began but it was possibly in the 3rd century. Perhaps it began as a Christian³ celebration but it is not Christian now. Sending Valentine’s letters to a lover¹ was fairly common in the 17th century in Britain. By the 19th century, printed cards were available and at the same time, postage⁴ became cheaper. The result was that sending Valentine’s cards became very popular.
Now in the US, children give Valentine’s cards to school friends and to their teachers. Most adults who send cards are women. Many cards are signed, “From your Valentine” so you don’t know who it comes from. That makes it more fun, trying to work out who admires you.
Other countries, like New Zealand, are starting to celebrate Valentine’s Day on Feb 14th. In South Korea and Japan, women give men chocolates and men give women a gift in return on March 14th.
Questions
1. Do we need a day to celebrate love?
2. Why is a red heart a symbol for love?
3. What other symbols are used for love?
4. February is summer time in New Zealand and a good time for roses. What gifts are popular in Northern Hemisphere⁵ countries?

1 lover   

n.情人，恋人；爱好者

参考例句：

• Every lover sees a thousand graces in the beloved object.情人眼里出西施。
• Mr.Smith was a lover of poetry.史密斯先生是一名诗歌爱好者。

2 lovers   

爱好者( lover的名词复数 )； 情人； 情夫； 情侣

参考例句：

• They were off-screen lovers. 他们是真实生活中的情侣。
• Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet 罗密欧和朱丽叶这一对莎士比亚笔下命运多舛的恋人

3 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。

4 postage   

n.邮费，邮资

参考例句：

• This dictionary is 100 yuan,postage included.这本词典连邮费共100元。
• All letters must be stamped with the correct postage.任何信件都应该按所需邮资贴邮票。

5 hemisphere   

n.半球，半球地图

参考例句：

• This animal is to be found only in the Southern Hemisphere.这种动物只有在南半球才能找到。
• In most people,the left hemisphere is bigger than the right.多数人的左脑比右脑大。