ST VALENTINE'S DAY

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Listen again to the article. Write in the missing words.

(a. _______________) Holidays: Although many people view these
celebrations negatively, an equal number of people have positive
opinions. On the negative side, hallmark holidays don't really
celebrate an important event, and only exist for companies to make
a lot of money. On the positive side, the term describes the perfect
holiday in which family, friends, and fun come first. Everyday
problems, worries, and stress can be put aside. Valentine's Day
usually gets labeled a hallmark holiday, but both positive and
negative arguments have equal (b. _______________).
More than one billion cards get sent each Valentine's Day. Then there are chocolates, flowers,
(c. _______________) rings, romantic dinners, and so on. Much of the commercialization can be
traced back to the 19th century when printing technology improved to cheaply mass-produce
greeting cards. Yet even before that, the holiday with cards and gifts had begun to grow quite
popular in the 1700s. People of all social classes regularly exchanged handwritten notes and tokens
of (d. _______________) on the day. Yet even in the 1700s, Valentine's Day was considered an old
holiday. Two hundred years earlier, Shakespeare mentioned it in Hamlet, and the first Valentine's
Day card still in existence was written around in 1415. But we can follow the holiday much further
back to the Roman Empire!
Valentine's Day originated from a Roman festival called "Lupercalia," which was held in mid-
February every year. The celebration purified new life in the spring. Around the third century A.D.,
the holiday became associated with Saint Valentine, (e. _______________) it isn't exactly clear how.
There are three possible stories about the priest Valentine who later became a saint, but no one knows
which story gave rise to the holiday.
One theory states that Emperor Claudius II executed Valentine. The Emperor had proclaimed
marriage (g. _______________) for young men, because he realized that (f. _______________) soldiers
fought better. Married men worried about their wives and children, of course! With the decree, the
Emperor hoped to increase the size and effectiveness of his army. The law was unjust, though, and
Valentine continued to marry couples in secret -- until Claudius found out, and put the priest to
death.
In another theory, the Emperor executed Valentine, too. But the priest had helped prisoners escape
the horrible (h. _______________) of Roman prisons, where torture and beatings were common.
An imprisoned Valentine fell in love with the jailor's daughter in the final theory He wrote a letter to
her, the very first Valentine's Day message, which he signed as we do today: "From your Valentine."
Whichever theory is correct, each story has (i. _______________) and romantic connotations. As a
result, the holiday has grown increasingly popular through the centuries. It's also more meaningful
than the (j. _______________) believe. And although Valentine's Day has become quite commercial,
it still contains an important aspect shared by all of the best holidays: time spent thinking of andbeing with the one you love.

a. Hallmark b. merit c. engagement d. affection e. although
f. illegal g. unmarried h. conditions i. heroic j. naysayers