单选题 In Britain arrangements for inviting and entertaining guests at a wedding are usually the responsibility of the bride' s family. In most cases it is mainly friends and relations of both families who are invited but when the bride' s father is a businessman of some kind, the wedding reception may pro vide a useful occasion for establishing social connections with clients or customers who has the job of sending out the formal printed invitation cards.
In the case of a church wedding, the vicar (牧师) of each parish in which the bride and bride groom lives is normally informed about a month in advance of the ceremony so that an announcement of the coming wedding can be made in church on each of three Sundays before it takes place. Anyone who may know of an existing marriage of either partner is ordered to give information about it, though this means of avoiding bigamy (重婚) must have been more effective in the days when people move about the world less than they do today. Often up to a hundred or more people attend the religious service and the bride usually wears the traditional long white dress and veil, while her bridesmaids, who are often children, wear long dresses in attractive colors. This may also happen in the case of a civil wedding in a register office but is probably less usual.
The reception which follows may be held in a restaurant, a local hall or, when there are few guests, in the bride' s own home. Refreshments are provided, a special iced wedding-cake is cut ( usually to the accompaniment of speeches) and distributed to the guests, toasts are drunk and dancing may follow. At some point in the celebrations, the bride goes off to change into everyday clothes and then leaves the party with her husband to go on their honeymoon, the journey they will make together, often in romantic surroundings abroad.
单选题 It is the bride's parents who normally have to ______.
  • A. make all the arrangements for the wedding
  • B. provide hospitality for the people attending
  • C. decide who shall be invited
  • D. pay all the expenses involved
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 此题考查的是对文章第一段的opening sentence的理解。根据文章第一段的大意，即在英国宴请参加婚礼的宾客通常是新娘家的责任，我们可以推断出答案是A。
单选题 According to the passage some guests may be invited because ______.
  • A. they are likely to be annoyed if they are not
  • B. they may give valuable presents
  • C. their presence could provide future benefits
  • D. they may help with the expenses of the wedding
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。文章第一段指出：In most cases it is mainly friends and relations of both families who are invited but when the bride's father is a businessman of some kind． the wedding reception may provide a useful occasion for establishing social connections with clients or customers who has the job of sending out the formal printed invitation cards．大意是：大多数情况下婚礼喜宴邀请的都是新郎新娘双方的亲戚朋友，但是如果新娘的父亲是一位商业人士的话，那么婚礼招待会可能为他在生意上和客户建立业务联系提供一个契机。而本题所说的some guests就是指这些客户，而这些客户也就是能带来生意上的利益的人，所以答案选C。
单选题 Why are the arrangements for a church wedding usually made some time before?
  • A. To allow the necessary length of time for publicizing the wedding.
  • B. To provide time for organizing the reception.
  • C. To make sure that the guests can arrange to be free on the day.
  • D. To ensure a thorough investigation of the couple's existing marital status.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 文章第二段指出一般婚礼要提前一个月公布，以便万一新娘新郎哪一方结过婚的话，知情人则可以及时举报。答案D中的marital status意思是“婚姻状况”。
单选题 What possible difference is suggested between a church and a civil wedding?
  • A. Civil weddings are less commonly followed by a reception.
  • B. It is less usual for guests to attend the civil wedding formalities.
  • C. Guests at civil weddings are less formally dressed.
  • D. There could be less attention paid at the latter to convention and picturesque effect.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 文章第二段末尾指出新娘在religious wedding中即本题所谓的church wed ding中要穿traditional long white dress and veil，然而通常由儿童扮的新娘的女宾相，即 bridesmaids，则要穿long dresses in attractive colors。相比之下，文章第二段的最后一句 This may also happen in the case of a civil wedding in a register office but is probably less usual表明“在civil wedding中这种情况则是比较少见的”。最后一句中的register of fice指结婚登记办公室，即本题所谓的civil wedding。
单选题 The reception normally takes place in the bride' s home if ______.
  • A. this is a large one
  • B. there is enough room to entertain the people invited
  • C. the parents can not afford to hire a hall
  • D. there is to be no party afterwards
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 文章最后一段第一句话指出：The reception which follows may be held in a restaurant，a local hall or，when there are few guests，in the bride’s own home．意思是：结婚典礼结束以后，接下来就是招待宴会。新婚招待宴会通常是在饭店里举行，但是如果来参加喜宴的客人比较少的话，那么则可以在新娘的父母家里举行新婚招待宴会。而选项B中所谓的there is enough room to entertain the people invited即和前文所说的“客人不多(家里可以招待得下)”意思相符。