You may know your mother, but how well do you really know Mother’s Day? Cards, flowers, sales, TV specials, and a day off for someone who really deserves it ---- those are what probably come to mind for many people when they think of Mother’s Day. But there’s more to the story.

The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations were held during spring in ancient Greece. The celebrations honored Rhea, the Mother of the gods. During the 1600’s, England celebrated a day called Mothering Sunday. On this day even servants were given the day off to spend with their families. A mothering cake was even served with the family meal.

In the US, Mother’s Day began in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words to the famous song The Battle Hymn of the Republic, suggested it as a day devoted to peace. But it didn’t really become popular until 1907 when Anna Jarvis stared a campaign to honor mothers. She believed that mothers could help people get over the pain they experienced during the Civil

War. The US isn’t alone in devoting a day to mothers. Many other countries including Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Japan, and Belgium also honor their mothers in May. Other countries honor their mothers at different times of the year.

Learning more about Mother’s Day and celebrating Mother’s Day are important, but probably not as important as understanding what your own mother, or grandmother, or aunt has really done for you. And that will certainly be appreciated more than one day in a year.

小题1:What is the passage mainly about?

A．The reason why people celebrate Mother’s Day.

B．The ways people honor mothers.

C．The history of Mother’s Day.

D．The great contribution of mothers.小题2:Where was the earliest Mother’s Day celebrated?

A．In ancient Greece.

B．In the US.

C．In England.

D．In Italy.小题3:We can learn from the passage that _____.

A．Rhea is the mother of a king in ancient Greece

B．not all the countries celebrate Mother’s Day in May

C．only mothers were given a day off on Mothering Sunday

D．it was in 1872 that Mother’s Day really came into being小题4:The last paragraph tells us that _____.

A．all the people should celebrate Mother’s Day

B．only mothers are honored on Mother’s Day

C．understanding mothers’ work is more important than just celebrating Mother’s Day

D．people should celebrate Mother’s Day every day