英語趣味課堂：參加婚禮：Attending Wedding

Todd: So Travis, you said your brother is getting married.

Travis: Well, actually not my brother, my cousin is getting married. On my family's side of the family, on my father's side of the family, I have quite a few cousins and quite a few uncles and aunts. My dad is one of eight children, so we've always been very close and basically we've been a nuclear family around my grandparents of my dad's side, so my cousin, Brian, is going to be getting married in Puerto Viarta, Mexico, and I think that wedding is taking place about August 9th.

Todd: Oh, wow.

Travis: So we are all going to be going out there as a family. Hopefully we'll have as many as maybe forty of us, and whoever the bride invites , and we'll be on the beach for about 3 or 4 days, and have a wedding of Saturday, so it should be pretty exciting.

Todd: Mexico, that's an interesting choice. I mean, that's pretty far away.

Travis: It is pretty far away so it should be kind of expensive for all the guests to get there, which might be planned on my cousin's side because he might be trying to limit the amount of people who come to his wedding, so it won't get to overly large, and Mexico is actually cheaper to have a wedding than the United States because the power of the dollar versus the power of the peso, is you know, quite strong,

so you can go down to Mexico and for maybe a third the price have the same lavish wedding you might have in the United States, though Puerto Viarta might be a little more expensive than a normal Mexican wedding because Puerto Viarta is sort of a tourist and resort community.

Todd: Have you been to Puerto Viarta before?

Travis: I've never been there before. In fact, even though I am from Southern California and from Los Angeles basically, which is only two hours from Mexico, I've never been to Mexico.

Todd: I'm from San Francisco and even I've been to Mexico.

Travis: Well, Tijuana is a place everybody goes to, and it's never had any big appeal for me. Typically, southern Californians will go there, as soon they turn 18 , cause at 18 you can drink in Tijuana, and you can't drink in California when you're 18. You have to wait until you are 21, so that's a big reason to go I suppose, but I never made it down there.

Todd: Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy Mexico.

Travis: I'm sure I will.

學(xué)習(xí)內(nèi)容：

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

father's side of the family

I have quite a few cousins on my father's side of the family.

Your 'father's side of the family' includes your father's parents, his aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, their husbands or wives and their children. This is frequently shortened5 to 'my father's side' in conversation. Notice the following:

My father's side of the family is much larger than my mother's.

I am going to a family reunion for my father's side.

very close

My dad is one of eight children, so we've always been very close.

If you are 'very close' with someone you have a good relationship with him and he knows about what is happening in your life. Notice the following:

I have always been very close to my parents.

My brother and sister are very close and talk almost every day.

nuclear family

Basically, we've been a nuclear family around my grandparents on Dad's side.

Usually 'nuclear family' refers to just the parents and the children that live in the same house. Travis is saying that his extended6 family is so close that they acted like a linear family. Notice the following:

My nuclear family and my grandparents live together.

I am in close contact with my nuclear family, but not as much with my extended family.

power of the dollar (or peso)

The power of the dollar is stronger, versus the power of the peso.

The 'power of the dollar' refers to value of a US dollar in Mexico, not just in terms of pesos, but what it can buy as far as things or services. Notice the following:

His wealth changes depending on the power of the dollar.

The power of the dollar decreased a lot in the last few years.

lavish

You can have the same lavish wedding in Mexico for a third of the price in the US.

A 'lavish' wedding is very fancy8 and elaborate9, sometimes a little extravagant or excessive. Notice the following:

He spends his money on lavish things, such as expensive sports cars.

She has always given us very lavish birthday and Christmas gifts.

1 basically

adv.基本上，從根本上說

參考例句：

His heart is basically sound.他的心臟基本上健康。

Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的計劃。

2 versus

prep.以…為對手，對;與…相比之下

參考例句：

The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大賽是英格蘭對西班牙。

The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富緊張刺激的球賽是哈佛隊對耶魯隊。

3 lavish

adj.無節(jié)制的;浪費的;vt.慷慨地給予，揮霍

參考例句：

He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿諛奉承的人。

The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服裝極盡奢華。

4 resort

n.憑借，手段，常去之地，勝地;vi.求助，訴諸，采取(某種手段等)，常去

參考例句：

He couldn't have passed the exam without resort to cheating.他要不是靠作弊是通不過這次考試的。

Beidaihe is noted for its summer resort.北戴河以避暑勝地而著稱。

5 shortened

v.弄短，縮短( shorten的過去式和過去分詞 )

參考例句：

She shortened the skirt by an inch. 她把裙子縮短了一英寸。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》

Vacations have lengthened and the work week has shortened. 假期延長，工作周就縮短了。 來自辭典例句

6 extended

adj.延伸的;伸展的;延長的;擴大的v.延伸(extend的過去式和過去分詞);伸展;延長

參考例句：

an extended lunch hour 延長了的午餐時間

France has greatly extended its influence in world affairs. 在世界事務(wù)中，法國的影響已大大地擴大了。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》

7 linear

adj.線的，直線的，線狀的，長度的，線性的

參考例句：

He's making linear measurements.他正在進行長度測量。

Here are linear measures in millimeters.這是毫米方式的線性量度。

8 fancy

n.想像力，幻想;喜好，愛;adj.想像的，時髦的，華麗裝飾的，奢侈的;技巧的;vt.想象，自認為，喜好

參考例句：

He seemed to have taken quite a fancy to her.他似乎相當喜歡她。

I have a fancy that it's going to rain.我想大概要下雨。

9 elaborate

adj.詳盡的;復(fù)雜的;vi./vt.詳述;詳細制訂

參考例句：

You understand the situation;I needn't elaborate any further.你對情況是了解的，我不必再進一步詳談了。

He made an elaborate hairstyle.他做了一個復(fù)雜的發(fā)型。

10 extravagant

adj.奢侈的;過分的;(言行等)放肆的

參考例句：

They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他們想用溢美之詞和奢華的禮品來取悅他。

He is extravagant in behaviour.他行為放肆。

11 excessive

adj.過多的，過分的，過度的

參考例句：

The prices at this hotel are excessive.這家旅館的價錢貴得過分。

She takes an excessive interest in clothes.她過分注重衣著。