My first Valentine’s Day

 　　I thought adults were the only ones to celebrate Valentine’s Day, so I was in for a surprise as even elementary students in the United States celebrate it.

　　A few weeks before Valentine’s Day, the students were told to make the boxes in which we would put our Valentine’s gifts. The day finally arrived. Each student put the box they had made on Mrs. Toalson’s desk. One box had the word “I love you, basketball” written on it. Another box looked like a mailbox, whilst¹ another box was in the shape of a dolphin. Mine was a pink piggy box with “Happy Valentine’s Day” written on it. There was even a heart-shaped cake on Mrs. Toalson’s desk.

　　Mrs. Toalson handed out pieces of paper. I wondered why. She then told us to vote for the “most beautiful box,” the “coolest box” and “the most colorful boxes." The winners would be awarded certificates³. After we voted, Mrs. Toalson asked us to collect our boxes and take out the gifts we had for our friends. She also took out a bag of gifts for us.

　　“Come here, Mary, this is for you, I hope you will like it,” she said as she called me to her desk and handed me three candies and a Valentine’s Day card.

　　“Thank you so much Mrs. Toalson,” I replied with a smile.

　　All the students exchanged their gifts. I gave out shells from my hometown in China. Everyone loved them as they were so different. I was thrilled with all the gifts I had received: cards, bookmarks, pencils and chocolates. My friend Aniqa had written me a letter saying how glad she was that I was a part of the class.

　　Lastly, Mrs. Toalson handed out the certificates for the winners of the best boxes. Everyone waited in anticipation⁴. “The cutest box is Mary’s pink piggy,” Mrs. Toalson announced. Wow, I was one of the winners! As I received my certificate² from Mrs. Toalson, she gave me a great big hug for my first Valentine’s Day.

1 whilst   

conj.一边...一边，当...的时候，同时，时时

参考例句：

• She sang whilst she worked.她边干活边唱歌。
• There was dead silence in the court,whilst the white rabbit read out these verses.当白兔子念诗的时候，法庭上鸦雀无声。

2 certificate   

n.证书，证明书；vt.发给证明书，认可，鉴定

参考例句：

• She proudly displayed her degree certificate to her parents.她自豪地向父母展示了学位证书。
• No one had seen her marriage certificate.没人看到过她的结婚证书。

3 certificates   

n.证明书，执照( certificate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They accepted their certificates with words of thanks. 他们一边道谢，一边接过证书。 来自辞典例句
• The bank manager is said to have issued fake certificates. 据说那个银行经理曾出具伪造的凭证。 来自辞典例句

4 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。