waiting to have her hair done at a hairdresser's shop in Shanghai, China. meanwhile: adv.
1) during the same period of time 同时
Meanwhile, two men had walked into the dining hall. 与此同时，两个男人走进了餐厅。
Mother was cleaning the room, and meanwhile, Father was watching TV. 妈妈正在打扫房间，与此同时，爸爸正在看电视。 2) in the time between two events 在间隔时间里
I will talk to you tomorrow; meanwhile, have a good evening. 我明天和你谈，祝你晚安。
3. There are a lot of rituals and superstitions at weddings...
Meaning: There are many traditional customs and old ideas about good or bad luck at weddings...
ritual: n. [C; U] one or more ceremonies or customary acts that are often repeated in the same form 仪式；例行习惯
She will go through her usual ritual of making up her face before going out. 她出门前按习惯要化化妆。
superstition: n. [C;U] belief that is not based on reason or fact, but on old ideas about luck, magic, etc. 迷信
A common superstition in China is that red is a lucky color. 红色是吉祥色，这在中国是一种很普遍的迷信。
4. As Kerry plans her wedding, her aunt and sisters help her check off the things she needs, according to an old custom.
Meaning: When Kerry makes plans for her wedding, her aunt and sisters help her mark things off the list to make sure she has everything. All of this is done on the basis of an old custom.
check off: check by marking (e.g. names or items in a list) as having been dealt with
清点；清查
I checked off the items on the shopping list. 我一一清点购物清单上的项目。
5. Female friends and relatives gather around, preparing the bride for the ceremony.
Meaning: Women friends and relatives come together to help the bride get things ready for the wedding ceremony.
gather around/round: come together; gather together 聚集；会合
The club members gather around, exchanging ideas and information. 俱乐部成员们聚集在一起，交流思想和信息。
6. \…
Meaning: Wearing a wedding veil is a custom from ancient Greece. It is used to cover the bride so that evil spirits cannot see her or hurt her.
to hide the bride from evil spirits = (The wedding veil is used) to hide the bride from evil spirits
veil: n. [C] a covering of thin material or net for the head or face 面纱
under the veil of 以…… 为借口
draw a veil over something 把某事掩盖起来
Many Arabian women wear veils. 许多阿拉伯妇女戴面纱。
7. The Romans developed the custom of bridesmaids (i.e. women dressed like the bride) to confuse the spirits.
Meaning: The Romans came up with the idea of having bridesmaids at weddings. The bridesmaids are women or girls who are dressed like the bride so that the evil spirits cannot tell which woman is the bride.
8. Also, some wedding flowers have a strong smell to scare away the evil spirits.\ Meaning: Also, some wedding flowers have a strong smell to drive away the evil spirits.
scare: v. cause sudden fear to; frighten 恐吓；使惊恐 scare away: 吓走 吓跑
Don't speak so rudely, or you'll scare the customers away. 说话别这么粗鲁，不然会吓跑顾客的。
After he scared the dog away, I went over to the house. 他把狗吓跑了以后，我才朝那房子走去。
9. \the past, Chinese couples consulted a special book to find lucky and unlucky days for getting married\
Meaning: In the past, Chinese couples got some advice from a special book. The book would tell them the lucky or unlucky days for getting married.
consult: vt. go to ( a book, a person with special knowledge, etc.) for information, advice, etc. 查阅；咨询
Consult a dictionary if you don't know the meanings of these words. 如果你不知道这些词的意思，查查词典吧。
10. She is trying on the dress that she is planning to wear later at the wedding reception.
Meaning: She puts on the dress to see if it suits her. This dress is the one she is going to wear later at the wedding party.
try on: put on (a garment, hat, shoes, etc.) to test the fit, examine the appearance, etc.
试穿/试戴（衣服，帽子，鞋子等）
Mother made a shirt for Tom and asked him to try it on.
母亲为汤姆做了一件衬衫，并要他试穿一下。
11. Hairdressers, and owners of flower stores, restaurants and car services say it's the best day of the year.
Meaning: Hairdressers, flower-store owners, restaurant owners, and car business owners say May 18th is the best day of the year.
12. They can raise their prices for this one day and their services will still be fully booked.
Meaning: On this special day (May 18th), they can raise the prices they charge for offering services, and yet, in spite of this, a lot of people will still come to use their services.
? Questions
(1) Why is Kerry sticking stamps and addressing envelopes? (2) What day is May 18th considered to be in China?
(3) For what purpose are many wedding traditions in western cultures designed? (4) How did Chinese couples know the proper date for them to get married in the past?
(5) According to the author, who should be saying “I will get rich?” . VI Homework ? Finish exercises behind the text ? Learn about basic writing skills. ? Preview Text B
Here Comes the Bride!
Ⅰ Objective ? Understanding the Text: Here Comes the Brideds! ? Practical Writing: Writing Personal Letters
Ⅱ Time Arrangement
passage
? About two periods of class will be used for the analysis and discussion of the
Ⅲ Related Information Victorian times: the period during which Queen Victoria was ruling the country. Victoria (1819 — 1901), Queen of Great Britain and Ireland (1837 — 1901), and Empress of India (1876 — 1901): her reign was the longest in British history. （维多利亚女王时代。维多利亚，生于1819年，卒于1901年。为大不列颠与爱尔兰女王（1837 — 1901），印度王后（1876 — 1901）。在英国历史上她在位时间最长。） Ⅳ Emphasized Points ? Key Words
(28) vary
(29) symbolize (30) object (31) attend (32) remove (33) date back to (34) in the past Ⅴ Text Comprehension ? Sentence Analysis 1. Here Comes the Bride!
Meaning: The bride is coming!
Note that the word order in the sentence is inverted (倒装). The word %used in the sentence to draw attention to something or someone (用于引起对某物或某人的注意).
Study the following similar sentences: Here he comes! 他来了！
Here is the dish you have ordered! 你点的菜来了！
2. Although weddings vary greatly from country to country, they are happy events in every culture.
Meaning: Although there are great differences in weddings in different countries, all weddings have one thing in common: they are happy events.
3. This \American brides take it very seriously, following the tradition of the wedding dress.
Meaning: This \ruled Britain in the 1800s. Many American brides are serious about it, too, wearing a wedding dress according to the tradition. date back to: have lasted or existed since 回溯至 …… （年代）；始于 ……
This custom dates back to the 19th century. 这个风俗可以回溯到19世纪。
That style of clothes dates back to the time when women were asking for more freedom.
这种服装式样始于妇女要求更多自由的年代。
4. \when she needs them.
Meaning: Wearing something that is borrowed from a friend or a relative makes the bride remember that her friends and family will help her when she is in need. needs them = needs their help
remind: v. tell or cause someone to remember ( a fact or to do something) 使 …… 想起；提醒
His words reminded me of the day we first met.
他的话使我回想起我们第一次相遇的那一天。 I must go to a meeting at ten. Will you remind me? 我10点钟得去开个会，你提醒一下我好吗？
5. \
Meaning: Wearing something blue shows that the bride is faithful and loyal to her husband. faithful: adj.
1) full of or showing loyalty 忠诚的；守信的
This is a faithful dog. 这是一条忠实的狗。
She has always been faithful to her husband. 她于自己的丈夫一直忠贞。
2) true to the facts or to an original 如实的；可靠的
Are you sure he gave a faithful account of the accident? 你能肯定他如实描述了那场事故吗？
His translation of the text is faithful to the original. 他对课文的翻译与原文很贴切。
6. Often the blue item is the garter worn on the bride's leg.
Meaning: Usually the blue thing for the bride to wear is the garter that is worn on her leg.
the garter worn on the bride's leg = the garter that is worn on the bride's leg
7. It might also be a ribbon or a piece of jewelry.
Meaning: The blue item for the bride to wear might also be a silky narrow band in her hair or a piece of jewelry.
ribbon: n. [C] (a piece of ) silk, or other material, woven in a long narrow band, used for tying things, for decoration, etc. 丝带；缎带
Wearing ribbons in a girl's hair used to be very popular. 女孩头上系丝带曾经风靡一时。
8. In the United States, the groom traditionally removes the garter from the bride and throws it to the unmarried men.
Meaning: It's a tradition in the United States that the groom takes off the bride's garter and throws it to the single men at the wedding. remove: v.
1) take away (from a place) or take to another place; take off 移走；脱掉
He removed his son from the group. 他把儿子开除了小组。
We all removed our coats when we felt hot here. 我们感到这儿很热，就都脱了外套。 2) get rid of 除去