There are a number of special days of the year that are celebrated in different countries. The origins of most of the days are unknown. They were certainly not created by individual people. Other days, however, especially those celebrated in western countries often owe their origins to a particular person. One of the most popular of these, even though it is fairly recent, is Mother’s Day. Mothers have always been highly regarded in all cultures. The ancient Romans had a festival known as Hilaria, during which children took presents to the temple of the “Mother of the Gods”. The Christian Church adopted this idea and called it Mothering Sunday. However, over the years this custom was gradually forgotten, and almost disappeared by the end of the 19th century.
Born in 1864 in Virginia, US, Anna Jarvis was a school teacher and believed children should show gratitude to their mothers for all their love and care. Encouraged by a friend, she wrote to thousands of important people — politicians, churchmen, doctors, city officials and asked them to support her idea: a special day of the year for thanking mothers.
In 1910 the Governor of Western Virginia introduced Mother’s Day in the state. The date chosen was May 10 — the second Sunday in May, which is still observed in America today. This date was chosen because May 10 was the date on which in 1908 Anna Jarvis’s mother died. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson made May 10 the official date for Mother’s Day throughout the United States.
Soon there was a Mother’s Day International Association and the custom began to be adopted in many countries of the world.
Anna Jarvis, a sad and disillusioned woman died in 1948. The custom she had worked so hard to establish and which had become almost universal had lost its original purpose. It had been taken over by business. As with Christmas, the giving of presents and the sending of cards had become a multimillion dollar industry.
【小题1】The passage mainly tells us________.| A．how Mother’s Day came into being | B．how people celebrate Mother’s Day |
| C．a woman named Anna Jarvis | D．President Wilson and Anna Jarvis |
| A．Asia | B．America | C．Ancient Rome | D．the Christian Church |
| A．her students had nothing to do |
| B．she wanted to know important people in this way |
| C．she wanted to do something for mothers |
| D．she wanted people to thank their mothers |
| A．May 10 was the date on which Anna Jarvis’s mother died | B．it was the second Sunday in May in 1910 |
| C．May 10 is a lucky day | D．President Wilson like the date |
| A．watched | B．followed | C．ruled | D．set |
