紅色：主句主干部分 藍(lán)色：從句主干部分 黃色：從句連詞、關(guān)系代詞 （）：修飾成分，包括定語、狀語等 灰色：插入語 下劃線：詞匯詞組? 綠色：詞根詞綴 ?連詞

思考題

1. 哪些因素和婚姻持久相關(guān)？

2. 積累到哪些婚姻相關(guān)詞匯？

Do fairytale weddings really mean an unhappy ending?

童話般的的婚禮是否真的意味著一個(gè)不幸福的結(jié)局？

• fairytale adj. 童話般的、幸福美滿的

New research has shown that couples (who have really expensive weddings) are less likely to stay together (than those) who do it on the cheap. But that’s not the whole story

新的研究表明，與那些以便宜的方式舉行婚禮的夫婦相比，舉行昂貴婚禮的夫婦更不太可能持久。 但這不是故事的全部

• on the cheap 低廉地

a guide to decorating your house on the cheap

房屋低價(jià)裝潢指南

There are some general rules (around surprising surveys), such as: when a result isn’t what you’d expect, it’s often because the question was posed (in a peculiar way), or the conclusion has taken an unreasonable leap.

關(guān)于那些令人驚訝的調(diào)查有一些通用的規(guī)則，例如：當(dāng)結(jié)果與你的預(yù)期不同時(shí)，通常是因?yàn)閱栴}提問的方式很奇怪，或者結(jié)論出現(xiàn)了不合理的飛躍。

• pose a question 提問、質(zhì)詢

=ask a question

• peculiar adj. 奇怪的
• leap n. 跳躍、激增、劇變

take a leap 邁了一大步，文中指“得出的結(jié)論過于跳躍，不合邏輯”

Then there are some specific rules, such as: if you want to know the truth (about what makes a marriage last), don’t necessarily go first to a thinktank that is avowedly pro-marriage – maybe try a more neutral source.

然后是一些具體的規(guī)則，例如：如果你想知道關(guān)于婚姻持久的真相，不一定要先去找一個(gè)公開支持婚姻的智囊團(tuán)——也許可以嘗試一個(gè)更中立的來源。

• thinktank n. 智庫、智囊團(tuán)
• avowedly adj. 公開承認(rèn)地

avowed adj.公開承認(rèn)的

avow v. 聲明、公開宣稱

• pro- （用于構(gòu)成形容詞）擁護(hù)、支持

pro - independence adj. 支持獨(dú)立的

pro - democracy adj .擁護(hù)民主的

• anti- 反對(duì)

anti-tank weapons 反坦克武器

• neutral n. 中立的

These rules collided, or should have done, at the weekend, when the Marriage Foundation announced that couples who had really expensive weddings were less likely to stay together than those who did it on the cheap.

這些規(guī)則發(fā)生了交匯，或者本就應(yīng)該發(fā)生交匯。當(dāng)周末婚姻基金會(huì)宣布，與那些以便宜的方式舉行婚禮的夫婦相比，舉行昂貴婚禮的夫婦不太可能會(huì)長(zhǎng)久。

• collide vt. 相碰撞、相沖突

A car and a van collided on the motorway.

一輛汽車和一輛小型貨車在高速公路上相撞了。

Istanbul, where East and West collide.

伊斯坦布爾，東西方文化交會(huì)之地。

One (in 10 marriages) that cost over ￡20,000 had ended (within three years). So, some people, at least, have escaped the sunk cost fallacy.

花費(fèi)超過 20,000 英鎊的婚姻中有十分之一在三年內(nèi)結(jié)束。 因此，至少有些人已經(jīng)逃離了沉沒成本誤區(qū)。

• sunk cost n. 沉沒成本（指已經(jīng)發(fā)生不可收回的支出，如時(shí)間、金錢、精力等）
• fallacy n. 謬論

sunk cost fallacy 沉沒成本誤區(qū)

段落大意

Marriage Foundation的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)婚禮越豪華，越不長(zhǎng)久。作者對(duì)此持保留態(tài)度。

Marriage and divorce experts were quick to comment: it was surely down to the fairytale expectation that ￡20,000 creates.

婚姻和離婚專家很快就發(fā)表了評(píng)論：這肯定是因?yàn)?20,000 英鎊創(chuàng)造的童話般的期望。

• be down to sb./sth. 由...引起的

(After that much white tulle and the delightful country house), the brutal reality of life (in athleisure, and a not-country house), was too much to take.

經(jīng)歷過穿著白色婚紗在令人愉快的鄉(xiāng)間別墅里舉行婚禮后，運(yùn)動(dòng)休閑服和非鄉(xiāng)間別墅的殘酷現(xiàn)實(shí)生活實(shí)在是讓人難以接受。

• tulle n. 薄紗
• delightful adj. 使人快樂的、令人愉快的
• country house n. 鄉(xiāng)間宅邸、別墅
• brutal adj. 殘暴的、無情的
• athleisure n. 運(yùn)動(dòng)休閑，即athletic（運(yùn)動(dòng)） + leisure（休閑）

And it brings a certain narratorial satisfaction: anyone who blows a fortune (on a single day) must surely be shallow, and incapable of doing dreary or lasting work.

它還帶來了某種敘事上的滿足感：任何一個(gè)在一天內(nèi)一擲千金的人一定是膚淺的，做不了枯燥或長(zhǎng)期的工作。

• narrator?n.?敘述者、解說人

narrate v. 講述記憶

• blow?v.?花大錢

blow sth. on sth. 在某事上花多少錢

• fortune?n.?大筆的錢、巨款
• shallow?adj.?膚淺的
• dreary?adj.?枯燥的

段落大意

專家認(rèn)為辦豪華婚禮的人婚姻不長(zhǎng)久的原因：無法接受婚禮和現(xiàn)實(shí)的落差，且揮金如土的人適應(yīng)不了枯燥的生活。

But the Marriage Foundation is missing something major, here, which is weird because it?comes from their own research: second marriages are more likely to last (than the first ones),?(with 31% ending in divorce) (against 45%).?

但是婚姻基金會(huì)在這里遺漏了一些重要的東西，這很奇怪，因?yàn)樗鼇碜运麄冏约旱难芯浚憾楸纫换楦锌赡艹志茫?1% 二婚的人以離婚告終，而一婚的人有45%會(huì)離婚。

• weird adj. 奇怪的
• against prep. 和...對(duì)比

If there’s one thing (all second marriages have (in common), it’s not the age and definitely not the wisdom of the participants, but rather, that they’re definitely, positively still skint (from the dissolution (of the first marriage).

如果所有二婚都有一個(gè)共同點(diǎn)，那不是年齡，也絕對(duì)不是參與者的智慧，而是他們解除第一次婚姻后依然身無分文。

• positively adv.?肯定地、絕對(duì)地
• skint?adj.?（非正式）身無分文的
• from?prep.?因?yàn)椋ū碓颍?/li>

She felt sick?from?tiredness.?

她累得渾身不對(duì)勁。

• dissolution?n.?解除、解散

the?dissolution?of the monasteries

修道院的解散

So they can’t have a massive, meringue-style wedding, and their no-frills, pay-bar nuptials have skewed the data.

因此，他們無法舉辦一場(chǎng)盛大的蛋白酥皮式婚禮，而且他們無過多裝飾的、賓客還要自付酒水的婚禮影響了數(shù)據(jù)的準(zhǔn)確性。

• meringue n. 蛋白酥、蛋糖甜餅，蛋糕裙
• no-frills adj. 無裝飾的、最基本的

frills n. 襯衫的荷葉邊，引申為“不實(shí)用的裝飾”

• pay bar n. 自行付費(fèi)的水吧
• nuptial adj. （正式）婚禮的

nuptials n. 婚禮

• skew vt. 影響（數(shù)據(jù)的）準(zhǔn)確性

原意是「改變方向、使...偏離方向」，具體到數(shù)字領(lǐng)域就是「曲解、影響...準(zhǔn)確性的意思」

This is how to make a marriage last – not with small economies, but by taking the precaution of a previous, failed marriage.

這是使婚姻持久的方法——不是通過省一些小錢，而是通過先有一段失敗的婚姻來采取預(yù)防措施。

• economy n. 省錢的辦法、節(jié)約措施

We need to make substantial economies.

我們需要厲行節(jié)約。

• precaution n. 預(yù)防措施

take the precaution of doing sth. 采取...的預(yù)防措施

I took the precaution of insuring my camera.

我把我的照相機(jī)投了保以防萬一。

段落大意

專家在分析原因時(shí)遺漏了另一個(gè)重要的參考因素：二婚離婚率更低。二婚再辦豪華婚禮的人不多，這會(huì)影響結(jié)果的準(zhǔn)確性。

文章結(jié)構(gòu)

思考題參考答案

1. 哪些因素和婚姻持久相關(guān)？

? Couples who have expensive weddings are less likely to stay together than those who do it on the cheap.

? After that much white tulle and the delightful country house, the brutal reality of life in athleisure, and a not-country house, was too much to take.

? Second marriages are more likely to last than the first ones.

? This is how to make a marriage last – not with small economies, but by taking the precaution of a previous, failed marriage.

2. 積累到哪些婚姻相關(guān)詞匯？

婚禮：

?(fairytale) wedding, nuptials

?white tulle, wedding dress

?country house

廉價(jià)、簡(jiǎn)單相關(guān)：

?on the cheap

?pay bar

?no-frills

?small economies

持久：

?stay together

?last

失?。?/p>

?failed marriage

?end in divorce