THIS IS AMERICA Dating.doc

THIS IS AMERICA - Dating VOICE ONE: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. Im Steve Ember. VOICE TWO: And Im Faith Lapidus. February fourteenth is Valentines Day. So this is a good time to play some love songs as we explore the subject of dating. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: Valentines Day is a special time for love. Millions of people will receive flowers, chocolate or some other gift. Others might get just a phone call or an electronic message from someone they care about. Still others would be happy just to have someone special in their life on Valentines Day. Tradition tells us that Saint Valentine was a third-century Roman who performed marriages and died for his Christian beliefs on February fourteenth. That was a day celebrated in ancient Rome in connection with love. VOICE TWO: Traditionally, young people in America lived with their parents until marriage. Some still do. But, in general, young people have grown more independent. They wait longer to get married. Even then, they still have to find the right person. There are many ways for people to meet. Some meet at work. Others meet by chance. Still others look for help from services that bring people together. VOICE ONE: Friends and family members might offer to help. They might plan a blind date. This is a meeting between two people who have never seen each other before. And, unless things go well, may never see each other again. Some families follow their cultural traditions and plan the marriage of their child to a member of another family. The young people might not see each other much before they are married. Or they might see each other but never alone. (MUSIC) VOICE TWO: In movies, two people often fall in love after what Hollywood calls a cute meet. They might be lawyers on opposite sides in a court case. Or one person gets a letter meant for the other. Or their dogs get into a fight on the street. Who knows how many people really do meet this way. In real life, finding a person and establishin