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听力文本：
Passage One
短文一
The year 2012 has one extra day in it—February 29th.
2012年有个特殊的日子——2月29号。
This is because it's what we call a leap year.
因为这一年是闰年。
It is called a leap year because hundreds of years ago in England,
几百年前，英国人把2月29日这一天叫做闰日，
the extra day wasn't legally recognized.
这一天在法律上不被认可。
Contracts that were made were apparently not seen as binding on that day.
在这一天签订的合同是没有任何约束力的。
The British just leapt over that day.
因为英国人直接把这一天跳过。
Therefore a year with 29 days in February is consequently called a leap year
因此人们将有2月29日的一年称为闰年，
and that 29th day is sometimes called Leap Day.
将2月29号这一天称为闰日。
There is a well-known tradition in the UK associated with 29th February, introduced many centuries ago.
几百年前的英国在2月29号这一天有个特殊的传统。
Women are allowed to break with tradition and propose to their boyfriends on this day.
在这个特殊的日子里女士可以打破常规，主动向男士求婚。
This all started back in the 5th Century,
这一风俗可追溯到公元前5世纪，
when a famous Irish saint, Bridget, complained to Saint Patrick, another famous Irish saint,
当时爱尔兰著名的传教士布丽奇特向另一位传教士圣帕特里克抱怨，
that women had to wait too long for men to propose.
女性等男性告白等的太久了。
According to the legend, Saint Patrick said any females yearning for a proposal
因此，传教士圣帕特里克宣布：任何渴求爱情的女性
could ask their boyfriends to marry them on this additional day in February.
可以选择在2月最后的这一天主动向男士求婚。
This so-called tradition was even written in law in the 13th Century.
公元前13世纪，这一传统甚至被写入法典。
Scotland passed a law allowing women to propose to men in a leap year.
苏格兰通过了这一项女性可在闰年向男性求婚的法律。
It was said that if the men refused, they had to pay a fine!
据说，若男士拒绝会被罚款。
Now in 2012, there are calls for 29th February to become a public holiday.
而在2102年的今天，人们呼吁将这一天设为公共假日。
Some people believe that it should be an official day off,
有的人提议应该在这一天放假，
because no one gets paid extra for working an extra day in a leap year.
因为在闰年的这一天上班是没有额外报酬的。
For the moment though, the British still have to go to work on this day.
但是，目前英国人还得在这一天去上班。
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
问题16至问题18是基于你刚刚听到的这篇文章
Question 16. How did British people treat Feb. 29th hundreds of years ago?
问题16. 几百年前，英国人是如何过2月29号这一天的？
Question 17. What special thing could women do on Feb. 29th?
问题17. 2月29号这一天，女性可以做什么？
Question 18. What do people call for on the special Feb. 29th in Britain?
问题18. 英国人呼吁政府将2月29号设为什么日子？
译文属可可原创，仅供学习和交流使用，未经允许不得转载
