What do Russia's Belgorod province and some schools in Florida and Connecticut have in common? They are unlikely recruits to the war on Valentine's Day. In 2011 the governor of Belgorod banned celebration of the holiday in educational and cultural institutions on the【C1】______that it was harmful to Russian spirituality and【C2】______. Last year two schools in Orange County, Florida,【C3】______Valentine's gift-giving, citing such reasons【C4】______the need to "maintain instructional focus" and "【C5】______distraction". And this year a school in Connecticut wrote to parents to say it would be【C6】______sweets and parties on February 14th with healthy snacks and【C7】______activities. This puts them all on the【C8】______side as many Muslim countries that have banned the celebration of Valentine's Day. Saudi Arabia has gone so【C9】______as to ban all things red from flowers and gift shops on the day—with little effect【C10】______to create a black market for red roses. A Kyrgyzstan's leader recently urged his fellow legislators to【C11】______a ban, too, dubbing Valentine's Day a "holiday from the devil". Originally a Christian【C12】______associated with several victims called Valentine, February 14th was also the day when birds chose their mates in folk stories. In 1400 Charles VI of France picked the date to propose a "High Court of Love",【C13】______matters of the heart. The passing of love notes became fashionable in England in the 1700s, and in 1797 "The Young Man's Valentine Writer" was published, formalizing a long【C14】______of telling men how to propose. In 1913 Hallmark produced their first【C15】______Valentine's card. In the 1980s the diamond industry followed flower's and chocolate's businessmen, who had already【C16】______Valentine's Day as a moment to give (or expect) a【C17】______gift. What bothers some of Valentine's Day's enemies is its Christian, or Western, origins. For others the problem is the stimulation to commerciality, evil or even unhealthy eating.【C18】______their battle is doomed to failure. Valentine's Day has a conveniently unspecific origin myth. It【C19】______cheer to the post-Christmas depression. It provides an opportunity to give and get, and, for businesses, to【C20】______.
单选题
【C1】
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：上文提到几所学校成为了对情人节宣战的新成员，下文分别阐述这几所学校如何反对过情人节。从语义上判断，“有损俄罗斯人民的情操”与“别尔哥罗德州长下令禁止在教育机构和文化机构庆祝情人节”，存在因果关系。on the ground that是固定搭配，意为“以……为理由”，故选择D项ground。
【答案解析】解析：上文所举的两个例子分别提到educational and cultural institutions(教育机构和文化机构)及maintain instructional focus(保证教育为重)，都与学业相关。本题需填入一个形容词修饰activities(活动)，B项academic“学术的”符合语义逻辑。
【答案解析】解析：上句讲述反对情人节的缘由，如介意其基督教起源或西方起源，或是认为情人节推动了商业化、堕落和不健康饮食。本句却说反对情人节的战斗注定会失败(doomed to failure)。从语义上判断本题应填入表转折关系的连词，故选择D项But。
单选题
【C19】
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析：本句提到人们在过完圣诞节后情绪压抑(post-Christmas depression)，下句谈到情人节提供了一个送礼、收礼的机会(provides an opportunity to give and get)，如此一来人们的压抑的情绪可以得以缓解，指出其积极意义。处所填入谓语可与主语It(指代情人节)及宾语cheer构成主谓宾搭配，A项adds“增加”可以与to搭配，指情人节有利于改善圣诞过后人们的情绪低潮，语义通顺。