Love Is in the Air
It's that time of the year when couples show their love for each other by sending cards， flowers and chocolates. But Valentine's Day is not only about public displays of affection， in recent years it has also become big business.
In the UK alone， more than 20 million is spent on flowers， whilst in the United States over $1 billion is forked out on chocolates.
Although Valentine's Day has become a global industry with more than 80 million roses sold worldwide， the origins of the day are unclear and hidden in the mists of time. Nobody knows exactly who St Valentine was， although some historians suggest he was a Roman martyred in the third century AD by a Roman Emperor.
It is said that the first recorded Valentine's card was sent by the imprisoned Duke of Orleans in 1415. It is believed that he sought solace from his confinement by writing love poems to his wife.
Valentine's Day， or its equivalent， is now celebrated in many countries around the world. However， the traditions often differ from place to place. In Japan， for example， it is customary for the woman to send chocolates to the man， whilst in Korea April 14th is known as 'Black Day' and is when the unfortunate men who received nothing on Valentine's Day gather to eat noodles and commiserate with each other.
Technological developments have also played their part in keeping Valentine's Day relevant in the 21st century. Valentine's e-cards have been all the rage in recent years. However， internet security experts urge web users to be wary as malicious hackers could use e-cards to spread viruses and spyware.
Valentine's cards can also be used for less than romantic purposes. This year police in the UK city of Liverpool sent Valentine's cards to criminals who failed to appear in court or have not paid fines.
The cards contained the verse， “Roses are red， violets are blue， you've got a warrant， and we'd love to see you.”
Who says romance is dead？
每年的這一天，情侶們都會相互贈送卡片、鮮花、巧克力，向對方表達自己的愛意。但是，情人節不僅僅被人們用于公開地吐露心聲，表達愛意，如今的圣誕節已經成為一個巨大的產業。
僅在英國，就有兩千多萬英鎊被用于購買鮮花。而在美國，在巧克力上的花銷也達到了十多億美元。
全球范圍內，在情人節售出的玫瑰達到了八千多萬朵，情人節已經成為一個全球性行業。但是對于情人節的起源在歷史上卻沒有明確的記載。雖然有歷史學家說圣??瓦倫丁是公元三世紀羅馬帝國的一位傳教士，但是沒有人知道他到底是什么人。
據說，有歷史記錄的第一張情人節卡片是在1415年，由身陷囹圄的奧爾良大公寄出的。據說奧爾良大公在獄中就是通過跟愛妻寫情書來傾訴自己的苦悶，獲得安慰。
很多國家都有類似情人節這樣的節日。但是，各地的傳統卻各有不同。比如日本的傳統是女性送給男性巧克力，而在韓國，2月14日被稱為“黑色情人節”，因為在這一天沒有收到任何禮物的倒霉男性會聚在一起吃面條，相互安慰。
技術的不斷發展，也使得二十一世紀的情人節更加多彩。圣誕節電子賀卡在近幾年尤為盛行。然而，網絡安全專家卻警告網絡用戶，警惕別有用心的網絡黑客利用電子賀卡傳播病毒和間諜軟件。
情人節賀卡除了表達愛意之外，還有別的用途。今年，英國利物浦的警方就向無法出庭或未交罰款的違法者發送了一張賀卡，上面寫道：“玫瑰是紅色的，紫羅蘭是藍色的，這是您的收據，迫切希望見到您！”
浪漫怎么會消失呢？
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