February 14th is a complicatedcomplicated adj.复杂的，难解的but interesting holiday. First of all，Valentine，s Day is not a holiday from work. No one gets a day off. On Valentine，s Day people usually send romantic cards to someone they love or want to be loved by. The cards are called “valentines”valentine n.情人，情人节礼物. They are very colourful，often decorated with hearts，flowers or birds，and have humorous or sentimentalsentimental adj.感伤性的，感情脆弱的 verses printed inside. The basic message of the verse is always “Be My Valentine”，“Be My Sweet Heart” or “Lover”. A valentine is anonymous，or sometimes signed “Guess who”. The person receiving it has to guess who sent it. This can lead to interesting speculationspeculation n.思索，做投机买卖. And that，s half the fun of valentines.
The affectionateaffectionate adj.亲爱的，挚爱的 message might be carried by a heart shaped box of chocolate candies，or by a bouquetbouquet n.花束 of flowers tied with red ribbonribbon n.缎带，丝带，带，带状物，带子. But in whatever form，the message is the same - “Will you be my valentine？”
One of the symbols of St. Valentine，s Day is the Roman god of Love，called Cupid. Cupid is often printed on the card，who is wingedwinged adj.有翼的，迅速的，飞行的，翼受伤的 infant without wearing anything，poised to shoot his arrow into a heart. He would shoot an arrow of love into a person，s heart to make the person fall in love immediately，maybe with the first person to come along. Sometimes one arrow would go through two hearts，holding them together. So on February 14th not only do we have picture of the ChristianChristian n.基督徒，信徒 adj.基督教的，信基督教的 St. Valentine but we also have pictures of the nonChristian Cupid，the Roman god of Love.
But it is from the Christians that we get the stories about Valentine，s Day that most people have come to believe. One story is about a Christian man whose name sounded something like “Valentine.” He lived around 250 A.D. At that time the Roman Emperor Claudius refused to allow any Roman soldiers to get married for any reason whatsoeverwhatsoever pron.无论什么. Christian couples came to Valentine to be married. So Valentine would marry them in a Christian way. He was discovered and put in prison by the Emperor.One tradition says that he wrote notes to his friends by marking on leaves and then throwing them out the window of his prison. And the leaves were shaped like a heart.
There are many favourite songs of Valentine，s Day. Here is one of them： Let me call you sweetheart，I，m in love with you. Let me hear you whisperwinged adj.有翼的，迅速的，飞行的，翼受伤的，that you love me，too. Keep the lovelight shiningshining adj.光亮的，华丽的，in your eyes so true. Let me call you sweetheart，I，m in love with you.
情人节
二月十四日是一个复杂而又有趣的节日。首先，情人节不是一个休假日。没人放假。在情人节这一天，人们爱谁或想得到谁的爱，就可给那个人寄去充满浪漫情趣的卡片。这种卡片叫“情人卡”。情人卡色彩鲜艳，常装饰有心、花或鸟，里面还印有幽默或感伤性的诗句。这些诗句传递的基本信息总是“做我的情人吧”、“做我甜蜜的心上人吧”、“情人”。情人卡是不署名的，有时也可签上“猜是谁”。收到卡片的人要猜是谁寄的。这样可产生有趣的推测，这也正是情人卡的一些乐趣。
你可以用一个心形的盒子，里面放上巧克力糖，来传递爱的信息，也可用彩带扎上一束鲜花来传递。不管用什么方式，都是一样的——“你愿做我的情人吗？”
情人节的标志之一是罗马爱神——丘比特。丘比特经常被印在卡片上，他是一个赤身裸体、长有翅膀的婴儿，手里拿着箭，摆出一副要射心的姿势。他把爱之箭射中一个人的心，这个人会很快坠入爱河，可能是和他（她）第一个见到的人。有时候，一只箭会射中两颗心，把它们穿在一起。所以在二月十四日，我们不仅有基督的“圣·瓦伦登”的画像，还有非基督的罗马爱神丘比特的画像。
大多数人相信的情人节的故事来源于基督教。其中有个故事提到，有一个基督徒的名字听起来像“瓦伦登”。他大约生活在公元前250年。那时罗马皇帝克劳迪乌斯禁止罗马士兵以任何借口结婚。信奉基督教的夫妇就去找瓦伦登主持结婚。瓦伦登以基督教方式为他们秘密举行婚礼后来被罗马皇帝发现送进监狱。传说他在叶子上做标记给他朋友传递信息，然后把叶子扔出监狱的窗外。这些叶子的形状是心形的。
人们喜欢唱的情人节歌曲有很多。下面就是一首： 让我叫你一声甜蜜爱人吧，我已坠入了你的爱河，请你悄悄给我说一声，你也爱上了我。让爱之光照着我，那是你眼中喷出的真挚情火，让我叫你一声甜蜜爱人吧，我已坠入了你的爱河。
Halloween
One story about Jack，an Irishman，who was not allowed into Heaven because he was stingystingy adj.吝啬的，小气的，缺乏的，有刺的with his money. So he was sent to hellhell n.地狱，苦境，阴间，地狱中的人，训斥. But down there he played tricks on the Devil (Satan)，so he was kicked out of Hell and made to walk the earth forever carrying a lanternlantern n.灯笼，提灯，幻灯，信号，天窗.
Well，Irish children made Jack，s lanterns on October 31st from a large potato or turnipturnip n.［植］芜箐，芜箐甘蓝，hollowed out with the sides having holes and lit by little candles inside. And Irish children would carry them as they went from house to house begging for food for the village Halloween festival that honored the Druid god Muck Olla. The Irish name for these lanterns was “Jack with the lantern” or “Jack of the lantern，” abbreviated as “ Jacko，lantern” and now spelled “jackolantern.”
The traditional Halloween you can read about in most books was just children，s fun night. Halloween celebrations would start in October in every elementary elementary adj.初步的，基本的，［化］元素的，自然力的school.
Children would make Halloween decorations，all kinds of orangepaper jackolanterns. And from black paper you，d cut “scary” designs -an evil witch with a pointed hat riding through the sky on a broomstickbroomstick n.帚柄，maybe with black bats flying across the moon，and that meant bad luck. And of course black cats for more bad luck. Sometimes a black cat would ride away into the sky on the back of the witch，s broom.
And on Halloween night we，d dress up in Mom or Dad，s old shoes and clothes，put on a mask，and be ready to go outside. The little kids (children younger than we were) had to go with their mothers，but we older ones went together to neighbors，houses，ringing their doorbell and yellingyell vi.大叫，忍不住笑，呼喊 vt.叫着说，“Trick or treat！” meaning，“Give us a treat (something to eat) or we，ll play a trick on you！” The people inside were supposed to come to the door and comment on our costumes.
Oh！ here，s a ghost. Oh，there，s a witchwitch n.巫婆，女巫，迷人的女子 vt.施巫术，迷惑. Oh，here，s an old lady.
