Introduction
Read the quotes in the image below expressing ideas people have about Valentine's Day, using a dictionary to look up any new words.
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Both positive and negative attitudes to Valentine's Day are expressed.
Decide whether you agree or disagree with each quote, and think of a possible counter-argument supporting the ones you disagree with. Debate the quotes with your partner.
E.g. “It's all a bit of harmless fun, that's all.”I disagree with this statement, but will support it by saying:
“Romance is something we feel awkward about expressing in public, so it's great that once a year, we can be romantic in public and also see other couples showing their affection for each other openly.”
Reading: Cambridge CAE – Reading and Use of English Part 7
1. Look at the title of the article below and discuss the meaning of ‘Business as Usual’ in this context. Next, quickly ready the text to check your ideas.
Valentine's Day: Business as Usual
We'll never really know whether Saint Valentine became a martyr because he helped lovers by marrying them when it was forbidden by the emperor Claudius the Cruel to do so, or if in fact, this was a medieval fairytale invented over a thousand years after the Catholic priest was put to death.
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2. In part 7 of Reading and Use of English, you have a text with six paragraphs removed and an extra paragraph which is not in the article. You should read the article quickly first, then match the paragraphs to each space indicated in the article. In this exercise, I have removed 5 sentences or paragraphs and included one which is not part of the article.
A) Many singles seem to think so, with a growing number of people in relationships also taking their frustration online as campaigns on Twitter and Facebook lash out at the commercialism surrounding the occasion or at the very idea of the day itself.
B) there’s so much commercial hype and pressure to celebrate the day that not doing so has almost become like abstaining from the family Xmas lunch or staying at home on your own on your birthday.
C) It’s all a bit of a mystery exactly how the celebration began, but In 469, emperor Gelasius declared February 14th a holy day in honor of Valentinus, instead of the pagan god Lupercus.
D) Those who criticize this, we would be lead to believe, are simply the grumpy, lonely, poor folk.
E) What’s certainly true is that the romantic associations with February 14th haven’t been forgotten and in part, this could be down to something as simple and unromantic as cash.
F) Oh, and that you love your friend too, not like that of course, just, um… you know, as mates.
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