Question

    Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine, an early Christian churchman who helped young lovers. Valentine was killed for his Christian beliefs on February 14 more than 1,700 years ago, but the day that has his name is even earlier than that.

More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Romans celebrated a holiday for lovers. As part of the celebration, girls wrote their names on pieces of paper and put them in a large container. Boys reached into the container and pulled one out. The girl whose name was written on the paper became his lover or sweetheart for a year. Today, lovers still put their names on pieces of paper and they send each other Valentine’s Day cards that tell of their love. Sometimes they also send gifts, like flowers or chocolate candy. Americans usually send these gifts and cards through the mail system. But some used another way to send this message. They have it printed in a newspaper. The cost is usually a few dollars. Some of the messages are simple and short, “Jane, I love you very much.” Others say more. This one, for example, “Roses are red. Violets are blue. I hope you love me as much as I love you. Forever, Mary.”

Most of the newspapers that print such messages are local, but USA Today is sold throughout the United States and 90 other countries as well. This means someone can send a Valentine message to a lover in a far-away city or town almost anywhere in the world. These messages cost 80 dollars and more. An employee of USA Today says readers can have a small heart or rose printed along with their messages this year. Will this kind of Valentine’s Day message reach the one you love? Well, just make sure he or she reads the newspaper.

1.Which time period did Saint Valentine live in?

A. More than 1,700 years ago.

B. More than 2,000 years ago.

C. More than 3,700 years ago.

D. More than 300 years ago.

2.According to Para. 2, which of the following is not part of celebration on Valentine’s Day?

A. Lovers put their names on pieces of paper.

B. Lovers send each other cards that tell of their love.

C. Lovers talk about their love stories on TV programs.

D. Lovers send gifts and cards through the mail system.

3.What is the cost of printing a message in USA Today to show one’s love?

A. For free.

B. A few dollars.

C. Less than 80 dollars.

D. 80 dollars and more.

4.What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To introduce the origin of Valentine’s day and its modern style.

B. To advertise for the newspaper—USA Today.

C. To tell you that Americans are open to express their love.

D. To call on all the lovers to remember Saint Valentine forever.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.D

4.A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。本文介绍了介绍情人节的起源以及情侣们庆祝节日的方式，例如把名字写在纸上，互相送情人节卡片，寄送礼物和卡片等，现在美国还出现了通过登报来表达爱意的方式。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中“Valentine was killed for his Christian beliefs on February 14 more than 1,700 years ago”可知，1700年前瓦伦丁在2月14日因为他的基督信仰而被杀，可知他生活的年代应该是more than 1,700 years ago。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段的lovers still put their names on pieces of paper and they send each other Valentine’s Day cards that tell of their love. Sometimes they also send gifts, like flowers or chocolate candy. Americans usually send these gifts and cards through the mail system.可知，情侣们庆祝情人节，把他们的名字写在纸上，互相送情人节卡表达爱，有时他们也送礼物，美国人通常使用邮递寄送礼物和卡片。所以A、B、D三项正确，但是他们并不在电视节目中讲爱情故事。故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据最后一段“These messages cost 80 dollars and more”可知，这些信息要花费80美元甚至更多，故选D。

4.主旨大意题。本文介绍了情人节，第一段说明了情人节的起源来历，第二段介绍了情人节表达爱意的方式，第三段交代了在报纸上表达爱意的现代方式，综合各段大意，本文写作目的是介绍情人节起源以及现代的表达方式。故选A。