情人節(jié) Valentine’s Day
世界各國的人們在2月14日這一天慶祝情人節(jié)。情人節(jié)（Valentine's Day）是以早期基督教圣徒中兩個(gè)人的名字命名的，他們叫Valentine。情人節(jié)最具代表性的事情就是情侶之間互相交換情人節(jié)卡片以及包含糖果和巧克力的禮物了。在19世紀(jì)，人們在情人節(jié)互換自己親手寫的卡片，但如今這種手寫卡片早已被賀卡代替。20世紀(jì)初的賀卡制造商試圖通過大規(guī)模的營銷活動(dòng)提高情人節(jié)卡片的銷量，同時(shí)也促成了情人節(jié)這一節(jié)日的流行?，F(xiàn)在，情人節(jié)是繼圣誕節(jié)后第二大賀卡銷售節(jié)日。一般而言，男性在情人節(jié)的花費(fèi)是女性的兩倍。若有人想找其他的方式表達(dá)自己的愛，那他可以用一種叫愛心券（Love Coupon）的東西。愛心券是一張字條，上面寫著戀愛中的一方許諾在未來的某個(gè)時(shí)間里會(huì)為另一方做一件浪漫的事。這些事可以是跳一支舞，劃一次船，做一頓飯或者其他什么的。愛心券可以通過書信或電子郵件的方式送給對方，也可以直接交到對方手里。
Valentne’s Day is holiday celebrated on 14 February by many people throughout the world. It is named after two of the many early Christian saints named Valentine. Valentine’s Day is marked by the exchange of cards as well as gifts including candy and chocolates between lovers. In the 19th century, handwritten cards were exchanged but this has been replaced by greeting cards. Some attribute Valentine’s Day’s popularity to a mass-marketing campaign in the early 20th century by greeting card companies to boost their sales. Today Valentine’s Day is the second largest card-selling holiday after Christmas. Typically, men spend twice as much on Valentine’s Day as women. If one wants to show their love in another way ‘Love Coupons’ are an IOU or a voucher that have a promise for one partner in a relationship to engage in a romantic activity at some time in the future. Activities can include dancing, a boat ride for two, a stroll on the beach, a home-cooked meal, or any other romantic activity a giver chooses. They can be sent by mail, email, or given directly to the person.
