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A Colorful Glimpse of Wedding Dresses 幸福婚纱．话说从头

课文朗读

课文讲解 

繁體中文譯本

Almost any bride-to-be will freely admit that she has been dreaming about her wedding day since she was a little girl. She has pictured herself walking down the aisle, all eyes on her, in a beautiful white gown that rustles as she moves. She has imagined feeling like a million dollars and looking like a princess. She has hoped her perfect wedding will mark the start of a long, happy marriage.

几乎任何一位准新娘都会大方地承认，自从她还是个小女孩时，就已经梦想着结婚的这天。她想象着自己走向红毯的那一端所有人的目光都放在她身上，她穿着漂亮的白色婚纱，移动时裙襬还会沙沙作响。她想象自己看起来十分动人像个公主。她希望完美的婚礼是一段长久幸福的婚姻之起始标记。

In the West, white weddings are prevalent, but that was not always the case. Historically, weddings were more a class union than a romantic one, and the wedding attires reflected this. Wealthy brides wore luxurious dresses fashioned from reams of expensive material in rich colors. Some extravagant dresses were even studded with jewels. In the 14th century, the Countess of Flanders wore a dress decorated with so many gems that she had to be carried to the church!

在西方，白色的婚礼是最普遍常见的，但这并不是一直都如此。历史上，婚礼比较是社会阶级的结盟，而不是浪漫的结合，而婚礼服装便反映了这点。富有的新娘穿着奢侈华丽的服饰，以色彩丰富的昂贵布料所制成。一些过于铺张浪费的服饰甚至还嵌上珠宝。在14世纪时，佛兰德伯爵夫人穿的礼服上装饰的珠宝太多，她甚至必须被扛进教堂里！

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the poorest bride’ dresses would become their “Sunday best” and were therefore practical and often a respectable shade of gray. Other popular colors were a flattering pink, a rustic beige, or the Virgin Mary’s shade of blue, which symbolized purity – a tradition still followed when the bride wears “something blue.” Yet some colors, like red and green, were thought to bring bad luck and were thus avoided.

而在另一个极端是最穷困的新娘们，她们的礼服会成为最好的「礼拜服」，所以会选实穿的样式，且通常是体面的灰色。其他受欢迎的颜色有让人气色佳的粉红色和朴素的米白色，以及象征纯洁的圣母玛丽亚的蓝色（至今新娘还是遵循传统，穿戴着蓝色的物品）。但是一些像红和绿的颜色被认为会带来厄运，因此人们有所避讳。

It was not until 1840 that the white dress was popularized. The public had long looked to royal weddings for inspiration, but it was Queen Victoria’s dress that was to have the longest lasting and most widespread influence on wedding fashion. She wed Prince Albert in a gown of white silk and lace, and the wedding immediately became the talk of Europe and America.

一直到1840年后，白色礼服才变得普及流行。社会大众长久以来都以皇家婚礼作为灵感来源，不过维多利亚女王的结婚礼服对婚礼时尚界才是最长久、最深远的影响。她与艾伯特王子结婚时穿着白色丝绸与蕾丝的礼服，而这场婚礼立刻成为欧美地区人人都在谈论的话题。

Vocabulary

单词发音

walk down the aisle 结婚 to get married

gown [gaʊn] n. 女礼服

rustle [ˋrʌs!] v.（绸衣，树叶，纸等）沙沙作响

attire [əˋtaɪr] n.【书】服装，衣着

luxurious [lʌgˋʒʊrɪəs] adj. 奢侈的; 豪华的

fashion [ˋfæʃən] v. 制作；使成形 to give shape or form to; make

respectable [rɪˋspɛktəb!] adj.〔行为﹑外观等〕体面的; 正派的

flattering [ˋflætərɪŋ] adj. 讨人喜欢的，悦人的

purity [ˋpjʊrətɪ] n. 纯洁；贞洁

widespread [ˋwaɪd͵sprɛd] adj. 普遍的；广泛的

More Information

单词发音

picture [ˋpɪktʃɚ] v. 想象

feel like a million dollars 十分漂亮; 感到身体状况极佳 be in excellent health and spirits

prevalent [ˋprɛvələnt] adj. 盛行的；普遍的

class [klæs] n.（社会的）阶级

ream [rim] n.（常复数）大量; 令；二十刀（纸张计数单位，以前为480张，现为500或516张）

extravagant [ɪkˋstrævəgənt] adj. 奢侈的；浪费的

stud [stʌd] v. 覆盖﹐散布于; 镶

gem [dʒɛm] n. 宝石﹐珠宝

spectrum [ˋspɛktrəm] n.〔观点﹑思想﹑情况等的〕范围﹐幅度

shade [ʃed] n.（色彩的）浓淡，色度  tone, color

rustic [ˋrʌstɪk] adj. 质朴的；简单的 charmingly simple or unsophisticated

beige [beʒ] n. 米黄色

课文朗读

课文讲解

In the East, wedding dresses have a different history. Across Asia, the color red has long been dominant because it is thought to be very lucky. Chinese brides traditionally wear a one-piece frock called a “qipao,” intricately adorned with dragon and phoenix designs. The dragon and phoenix, embroidered in gold or silver, stand for the balanced union of male and female.

在东方，结婚礼服有段很不同的历史。红色一直是全亚洲的主流色彩，因为红色被认为是非常吉祥的。中国新娘传统上穿着称为旗袍的一件式连身裙，上面有龙和凤凰的复杂刺绣图样。龙和凤凰以金色和银色绣上，代表着男性和女性的平衡结合。

Complicated headdresses or veils were also common. Long ago, a red veil would cover the bride’s face throughout the wedding ceremony; only later, in the betrothal bed, would the newlyweds see each other’s faces for the first time.

复杂的头饰或是面纱也很常见。很久以前，红色的面纱会在整个婚礼过程中盖住新娘的脸，只有接下来在婚床上时，新婚夫妇才第一次看到彼此的长相。

Unlike much of the rest of East Asia, a Japanese bride will traditionally wear white at a Shinto wedding ceremony. Her dress, called a “shiromuku,” is a kimono of pure white; the color, representing virginity, is sacred to the Japanese. Her hair, tied in a topknot, is decorated with gold combs, and she may also wear a white headdress.

不同于东亚其他的地方，传统上日本新娘在神道教婚礼中会穿着白色。她的服装称做「白无垢」，是一件纯白色的和服，这个颜色代表贞洁，对日本人而言非常神圣。她的头发会绑成顶髻，并以金色发钗装饰，而且也会戴着白色头饰。

In China, white was always a no-no because of its association with death. However, in a reflection of Chinese society’s growing interest in western culture, western dresses are often incorporated into the Chinese wedding simply by the bride wearing a number of outfits. She will often wear a western gown and then change into a traditional qipao before changing again into a cocktail dress. The same practice is also very common in Japan, showing more brides than ever before are getting all they ever dreamed of on their wedding day. And, why not? For a bride, it’s the most important – and romantic – day of her life.

在中国白色是禁忌，因为它与死亡相关。然而，中国社会对西方文化的兴趣日益增加，这也反映在礼服上，中国婚礼中会融合西式礼服，作法就是让新娘穿好几套服装。她通常会穿西式礼服，然后改穿传统旗袍，最后再换成晚宴礼服。这种作法在日本也很常见，显示越来越多新娘在婚礼上获得所有她们梦想得到的一切。为什么不呢？对于一个新娘来说，这是她们一生中最重要也最浪漫的一天。

−by Alice Davis

Vocabulary

单词发音

intricately [ˋɪntrəkɪtlɪ] adv. 复杂地

adorn [əˋdɔrn] v. 装饰

stand for 代表, 象征

complicated [ˋkɑmplə͵ketɪd] adj. 复杂的；难懂的

veil [vel] n. 面纱，面罩

newlywed [ˋnjulɪ͵wɛd] n.（常复数）新婚夫妇

sacred [ˋsekrɪd] adj. 神圣的

association [ə͵sosɪˋeʃən] n. 联想

reflection [rɪˋflɛkʃən] n. 反映；表达

practice [ˋpræktɪs] n. 习惯，常规，惯例

More Information

单词发音

frock [frɑk] n.（女式）服装；连衣裙

embroider [ɪmˋbrɔɪdɚ] v. 绣（花纹）

headdress [ˋhɛd͵drɛs] n. 头饰；头巾

betrothal [bɪˋtrɔθəl] n.【旧】定亲﹐订婚

virginity [vɚˋdʒɪnətɪ] n. 处女；童贞；纯洁

topknot [ˋtɑp͵nɑt] n. 顶髻; 头髻

no-no [ˋno͵no] n.【俚】禁忌

cocktail dress〔正式场合穿的〕（晚）礼服

Reading Questions

1. According to the first paragraph of the first day’s reading, which of the following is NOT true of a bride-to-be?

A. A beautiful wedding dress is important to her.

B. She insists on spending a fortune on her wedding.

C. A perfect wedding has been a lifelong fantasy for her.

D. She has imagined being the center of attention on her wedding day.

2. What was true of western weddings in the past?

A. They were more about love than money.

B. Only the wealthy could afford to have them.

C. They inspired most celebrity weddings today.

D. They created couples of similar social status.

3. What similarity might you find between a traditional Chinese bride and a traditional Japanese bride?

A. Both would change many times during the day.

B. Both would wear beautifully embroidered with gowns.

C. Both would be influenced by royal fashions from abroad.

D. Both would commonly finish their outfit with a head accessory.

4. What is the main idea of the article?

A. To offer marriage advice to modern brides around the world.

B. To examine the histories of western and eastern weddings.

C. To determine which country produces the most beautiful brides.

D. To persuade brides-to-be to choose a white gown for their wedding day.

Royal wedding dresses: a history

Answer