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  3. Love Around the World It was an unsetting night at the African bar and Richard Blaine, 37, was especially nervous. Clients

Love Around the World It was an unsetting night at the African bar and Richard Blaine, 37, was especially nervous. Clients

admin2010-03-26  54
问题                       Love Around the World
    It was an unsetting night at the African bar and Richard Blaine, 37, was especially nervous. Clients had been looking for him to beg favors, but the hard man, scarred by his experiences in the wars in Ethiopia and Spain, gave everyone the same answer, "I won’t get my hands burned for anyone."
    Between the noise and the smoke, the notes of a song reached Richard’s ears. They infuriated (激怒) him. The musician looked at him terrified, but he had no other choice but to carry on singing:
    "You must remember this
    A kiss is still a kiss
    A sigh is still a sigh"
    Richard was unfamiliar with the song, and his eyes grew vulnerable and confused. He looked at the pianist as if he wanted to hit him and began to utter a curse that he never finished. Something stopped him cold. His bravado (威风)was tamed by the sight of a beautiful woman, dressed in white, seated at a table next to the piano. They knew each other, and more to the point, they loved each other. From that moment on, their lives were to spiral (旋转) out of control.
    Of course, this is a scene from Casablanca, one of the most romantic films of all times. Despite the fictitious characters, the film perfectly illustrates what only die-hard romantics will admit in public: love is a feeling so strong it can affect our lives irrevocably (不能撤销地). As in the case of the legendary Rick, when it hits, love can change our appearance, our behavior, our way of thinking; it makes us different from what we were and, in the case of those most fortunate, it makes us better human beings.
    In other words, love transforms our lives and joins it with others.
    There are many ways people around the globe express their love for each other. John Lennon sang "all you need is love". Mexican poet Jaime Sabines wrote that "love is the most exquisite, awesome and unbearable silence". The German write Hohann Wolfgang Von Goethe noted that "for whoever seeks to work well and always with pleasure, true love must exist in the same way in the heart and in the mind."
    With a touch of humor, physicist Albert Einstein declared that "gravity is not responsible for the attraction between man and woman." But it was Mahatma Gandhi who expressed it best of all. "Where there is love," he said, "there is life."
    And as unique as each person’s experience, each culture has its own traditional ways of expressing these feelings. With the help of our international network of reporters and researchers, we travel on the wings of Cupid to circle the map of love.
    China
    The world’s most populous nation has one of the richest traditions regarding love. Before the discovery of Valentine’s Day, which is seen as a western import, the Chinese already had two days set aside for expressing love.
    The first is Qi Qiao jie, or the Chinese Day of Love, which is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month, according to the Chinese calendar. As you can imagine in this ancient land, the celebration has its roots in legend. It’s the story of two lovers-he a foreman chief, and she a spinner-who could meet only once a year on a bridge formed by birds. This day became Qi Qiao Jie.
    Others in China consider Shang Yuan jie, also called Deng Jie, to be the true Chinese day of love. An ancient festival celebrated on the 15th day of the first month, it is one of those rare occasions when maidens leave their homes. For those who are "of the age of consent," it is an opportunity not to be missed.
    Today few people celebrate Deng Jie. Young Chinese have chosen February 14 as their day of love, and they celebrate it in the Western fashion. They give flowers, chocolates or cards, and go out for walks or dinner.
    Love in China is expressed through gift-giving, although not to the same extent as in other places.
    United States
    In America Valentine’s Day is marked with cards, sweets, roses and romantic dinners. Three out of every .four Americans celebrate the day in one form or other. And they celebrate in style! Each February 14, Americans exchange 160 million cards, and buy ＄1 billion worth of chocolates and 130 million roses. Many prefer a quiet dinner at home, but one out of every three Americans dines out on the night of February 14.
    This outpouring of affection is not limited to lovers. Hallmark, the greeting-card company, reports that in recent years, there has been a marked increase in the number of cards sent to friends and relatives. For marriage counselor Willard Harle, the author of a number of books on love, this is a positive development. "Valentine’s Day is not only about romance," he says. "Actually, it is a day to celebrate affection for those close to us, to show those we love how important they are to us."
    Thailand
    Traditionally, in the north of Thailand, young girls accompanied by family members gather on the brightly lit front porches of their homes. This is the signal for the suitors to introduce themselves without offending the family of the girl. The suitor approaches, accompanied by one or more male friends. If the girl’s family is suitably impressed, they may allow the suitor to sing a song in her honor.
    The suitor must never touch the young woman he woos (追求). If he did this, the young man must beg the forgiveness of his prospective in-laws by sending gifts of flowers or candles before seven days have passed. To fail to do so is considered a grave offence against members of the household, their ancestors and their spirits. As a result, it is believed, all family members will suffer a streak (一连串) of bad luck.
    Portugal
    Ancient courting traditions from the north of Portugal portray the female lover as a spinner. According to legend, while embroidering linen handkerchiefs, the woman transfers her feelings for her beloved to the cloth before sending it to him.
    The day of love differed for each girl, occurring when she finished embroidering her handkerchief.
    If the young man wore the handkerchief around his neck on his Sunday walk, it was considered a public acknowledgement of his commitment to the sender. If he did not want to pledge himself to her, he would return the handkerchief.
A greeting card company reports that in recent years cards ______ are increasing.
选项
答案friends and relatives
解析 根据The United States部分：Hallmark，the greeting-card company，reports that in recent years，there has been a marked increase in the number of cards sent to friends and relatives．注意题目与原文句式稍有不同，因此考生应注意解题的关键在于从原文中提取信息。
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