零距离美语会话[家庭]Lesson2:Herecomesthebride

Additional Information：
 Most American weddings are held in churches.  The reception may take place in a rented hall such as a hotel banquet room.  Guests always give gifts at the reception.  Often the wedding reception is catered by the hotel or an outside catering service.  Alcoholic beverages are usually served including Champaign. 
大部分美国婚礼在教堂举行。举行宴会的地方有可能是在一个租用大厅，例如酒店的宴会厅。客人一般在宴会上赠送礼物。通常结婚宴席由酒店或者由外面一个承办宴席行业承办。各种酒饮料像香槟通常会供应。
【译文】
——谢谢你邀请我来参加你朋友的婚礼。听到新娘和新郎在婚礼上这样互相说，我真惊讶。那样很常见吗？
——一些人使用一套标准的词句，但是今天很多夫妻自己写他们的结婚誓言。
——当他们上车时，你们传统上的扔大米很有趣，但是在我看来不像是真正的大米。
——不是。是鸟食。我们不再丢大米是因为有人发现鸟儿一起来吃大米，很难消化。
——噢，我还没想到了。这宴会让我想起中国的婚礼。很多吃的喝的，音乐、跳舞，还有有趣的传统仪式。
——你等着看下面的！新娘要准备丢花束了。我们过去看看。
——她周围可围了不少人。噢，看！那个小女孩捧到了！
——她是我朋友十岁的侄女。我猜这个家族很久不会再有人结婚了。

2.    Living together before getting married.
Zoe:  Hey Kevin, what are you doing here?  Don't you usually spend Tuesday nights at home studying?
Kevin:  I needed to get out of the house.  My parents just went ballistic6 over something my older sister told them.
Zoe:  What did she tell them?  Is she dropping out of college?
Kevin:  Nothing that serious.  She finally told them that she moved out of the dormitory a few months ago and has been living with her boyfriend.
Zoe:  And your parents took it badly? 
Kevin:  That's putting it mildly7.  My father started shouting at my sister and my mother just glared at her. 
Zoe:  Ouch, that sounds bad.  What did your sister do?
Kevin:  She started arguing back to my dad that how much she loves her boyfriend, how they're in love and it's not hurting anybody, and so on.  My dad said she's too young to do this, and that she should move out right away.
Zoe:  How long has your sister been with her boyfriend?
Kevin:  Three years.  They've been dating since freshman year.  They're even talking about marriage.
Zoe:  Really?  Then I guess living together would be a good idea.
Kevin: What do you mean?
Zoe:  Well, these days too many people are getting divorced.  If they live together, then at least they're finding out if they're really compatible8 or not.
Kevin:  I guess so.  Better to find out now than after you're married, when it's harder to get out.
Helpful Information： 
Since the 1960’s, America has been much more tolerant of couples living together—like husbands and wives—without being married. The issue of sex before marriage is generally not as upsetting to parents as it was before.
自1960年以来，美国对未婚同居的伴侣就越来越能够接受。父母对婚前性行为通常也不会像以前那样伤心。
【译文】
——嗨，凯文，你在这儿干什么？星期二晚上你通常不是在家学习吗？
——我当时是迫不得已要离开这个家。我父母对我姐姐告诉他们的事一下子大发雷霆。
——她对他们讲了什么？她要从大学退学吗？
——没那么严重。她最后告诉他们几个月前她搬出了宿舍，一直和她男朋友住在一起。
——那你父母觉得很不好吗？
——那样把事情说小了。我父亲开始对我姐姐大喊大叫，我母亲对她怒目而视。
——哎哟，听起来很糟糕。你姐姐怎么做？
——她开始对我父亲回嘴说她有多么爱她的男朋友，他们怎么相爱，而且没有伤害任何人等等。我父亲说她太小了不该这样，而且她应该马上搬出来。
——你姐姐和她男朋友在一起多久了？
——三年。他们从大学一年级开始就一直约会。他们甚至在谈论结婚。
——真的吗？那么我想在一起生活还是个好主意。
——你什么意思？
——唔，现在太多的人离婚。如果他们在一起生活，那么至少他们会发现他们是否能真正和睦相处。
——我想也是。现在发现比结婚后发现要好，到那时就很难摆脱了。

3.   Talking about mother in laws.
Ned:  Hi, Becky, what's up?
Becky:  Not much, except that my mother-in-law is driving me up the wall9.
Ned:  What's the problem?
Becky:  She loves to nit-pick10 and criticizes everything that I do.  I can never do anything right when she's around.
Ned:  For example?
Becky:  Well, last week I invited her over to dinner.  My husband and I had no problem with the food, but if you listened to her, then it would seem like I fed her old meat and rotten11 vegetables.  There's just nothing can please her. 
Ned:  No, I can't see that happening.  I know you're a good cook and nothing like that would ever happen.
Becky:  It's not just that.  She also criticizes how we raise the kids.
Ned:  My mother-in-law used to do the same thing to us.  If it wasn't disciplining12 them enough, then we were disciplining them too much.  She also complained about the food we fed them, the schools we sent them too, and everything else under the sun13.
Becky:  You said she used to?  How did you stop her?
Ned:  We basically sat her down and told her how we felt about her constant14 criticizing, and how we welcomed her advice but hoped she'd let us do our things.  She understood, and now everything is a lot more peaceful.
Becky:  That sounds like a good idea.  I'll have to try that.

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