大学英语一Unit 5 Romance.pptVIP

Unit s Romance I. Pre-reading Tasks: 1. Valentine : Listen to the tape and answer the questions: 1) Judging from the song, what is a valentine? 2)??What does Shakespeare say about love and music? Background Information Valentine’s Day: It started in the time of the Roman Empire. Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II - Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular military campaigns. Claudius the Cruel, as he was known at the time, was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. This was when a Christian priest named Valentine came to defend love in the empire. Valentine began to secretly marry couples despite the emperor’s orders. When Emperor Claudius was informed of these ceremonies Valentine was sent to prison where he remained until his death on February 14 in the year 270. It wasnt until a few hundred years later when Valentines Day began to develop as we know it. At the time Christianity was beginning to take control of Europe. As part of this effort the Church sought to do away with pagan holidays. Valentines Day came to replace a mid-February fertility festival called Lupercalia (牧神节). In honor of his sacrifice for love Valentine was made a saint and Lupercalia renamed in his honor. Until today the tradition of honoring Valentine continues. The themes of love and fertility taken from the ancient meanings of the holiday have endured and evolved with our contemporary adaptations of its meanings. Public libraries in the U.S.: Public libraries in the U.S. are free to the public. One can get a library card at the local library by filling in a form and showing the librarian a valid ID and something to prove that one lives in the neighborhood (e.g., a used and stamped envelope with ones name as the addressee, ones phone bill, gas bill, etc.). Besides borrowing books, pe