Idioms

1
Idioms

• a bleeding heart
• eat your heart out
• a heart of gold
• a flowering heart
• cross my heart

• bury your head in the sand
• come to a head
• cut your head
• have your head in the clouds
• off the top of your head

2
honeymoon, bicycle, car, DVD player, banquet,
apartment, radio,furniture household appliances,
studio wedding photos
3

• 2. A Work in pairs and look at the pictures
  again. Which of them are wedding gifts? Do you
  think they are good wedding gifts? Put a tick
  beside the things you would like to be given.

4

• B ListeningListen to your teacher read today's
  article. Write down the numbers of articles as
  you hear them.
• If you hear one of the pictures being mentioned a
  second time, write the number down again.

5

• Getting Married Costs More in Shanghai

SHANGHAI Tues Sept 10 (Reuters) - Marrying in
Shanghai now costs the average Chinese worker
eight years of salary. DVD players and cars have
replaced radios and bicycles as essential gifts
for newlyweds who are setting up their first
home, a state newspaper said on Tuesday.The China
Daily said the average cost of getting married in
Shanghai was 150,000 yuan (18,000) which is
double the amount 5 years ago. The average city
worker earns 1,530 yuan (184) a month.
Twenty-first century marriage essentials now
include a banquet for several hundred guests,
studio wedding photos, a honeymoon, household
appliances and an apartment.
6

• Getting Married Costs More in Shanghai

This is a big change from the 1970s when a couple
received a bicycle, a radio and some furniture.
Their marriage was rubber-stamped at a local
government office.But the traditional Chinese
wedding gift is still money which is put into red
envelopes. (rubber-stamped - someone in authority
agrees to a decision, plan or law)
7

• C Vocabulary
• Match these words to the meanings below
• cost    salary    average    replace   
  essential    newlyweds

1. how much money you pay for something2. the
money you receive every month for the work you
do3. the usual or normal amount of something4.
to use or give something instead of another
thing5. something that is very important or
absolutely necessary6. a husband and wife who
have only been married a short time
8

• A Listening
• Listen to your teacher read today's article again
  and choose the best summary.
• Today's article is about
• 1. ...newlyweds in Shanghai.2. ...the expense
  of getting married in Shanghai.3.
  ...Chinese workers.4. ...marriages in Shanghai
  one hundred years ago.

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• B Reading for Detail
• setting up their first home in this sentence
  meansa. building their first home.b.
  organizing things for their first home.c. buying
  their first home.

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• B Reading for Detail
• 150,000 yuan (18,000) which is double the amount
  5 years ago in this sentence meansa. 5 years
  ago it cost 75,000 yuan (9000) to have a wedding
  in Shanghai.b. 5 years ago it cost 150,000 yuan
  (18,000) to have a wedding in Shanghai.c. 5
   years ago it cost  50,000 yuan ( 6,000) to have
  a wedding in Shanghai.

11

• B Reading for Detail
• Their marriage was rubber -stamped at a local
  government office means a. the local government
  office agreed to the marriage.b. the local
  government office  disagreed to the marriage.c.
  the local government office gave them the
  essential gifts.

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• Verb tenses

A Language Read today's article again and look
for examples of Present simple (active)Present
simple (passive) Present perfectPresent
 continuousPast simple Compare your answers
with a partner. Work together to explain why the
writer of the article used these verb forms.
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• Verb tenses

Present simple (active) gets, costs, is, earns,
include, is, isPresent simple (passive) is
putPresent perfect have replacedPresent
continuous are setting upPast simple (active)
said, said, was, receivedPast simple (passive)
was rubber-stamped
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Work in groups and discuss the questions
below. 1. Do you think things like DVD players
and cars are essential gifts for newlyweds? Why /
why not?2. What are the good points and the bad
points of having a large wedding?3. Are large
weddings common in your country?4. How much does
an average wedding cost in your country?5.
Describe to the group a wedding you have been to.
What was it like? Where was it held? What did
people wear? How long was it for?
15
Wedding Lore and Traditions Tossing the
Bouquet Tossing the bouquet is a tradition that
stems from England. Women used to try to rip
pieces of the bride's dress and flowers in order
to obtain some of her good luck. To escape from
the crowd the bride would toss her bouquet and
run away. Today the bouquet is tossed to single
women with the belief that whoever catches it
will be the next to marry. "Something borrowed"
usually comes from a happily married woman and is
thought to lend some of her good fortune and joy
to the new bride.  Giving Away the Bride The
tradition of the father giving away his daughter
has its roots in the days of arranged marriages.
Daughters in those times were considered their
father's property. It was the father's right to
give his child to the groom, usually for a price.
Today a father giving away his daughter is a
symbol of his blessing of the marriage.
16
Wedding Lore and Traditions The wedding ring
has been worn on the third finger of the left
hand since Roman times. The Romans believed that
the vein in that finger runs directly to the
heart. The wedding ring is a never-ending circle,
which symbolizes everlasting love. The Best
Man In ancient times, men sometimes captured
women to make them their brides. A man would take
along his strongest and most trusted friend to
help him fight resistance from the woman's
family. This friend, therefore, was considered
the best man among his friends. In Anglo-Saxon
England, the best man accompanied the groom up
the aisle to help defend the bride. Bride on
Groom's Left Because grooms in Anglo-Saxon
England often had to defend their brides, the
bride would stand to the left of her groom so
that his sword arm was free.
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Wedding Lore and Traditions Something Old,
Something New, Something Borrowed, Something
Blue, and a Sixpence in Your Shoe "Something
old" represents the bride's link to her family
and the past. The bride may choose to wear a
piece of family jewelry or her mother or
grandmother's wedding gown. "Something new"
represents hope for good fortune and success in
the future. The bride often chooses the wedding
gown to represent the new item. "Something
borrowed" usually comes from a happily married
woman and is thought to lend some of her good
fortune and joy to the new bride. "Something
blue" is a symbol of love, fidelity, and purity
of the bride. A sixpence in her shoe is to wish
the bride wealth in her future life.
18
Wedding Lore and Traditions The origin of the
tiered wedding cake also lies in Anglo-Saxon
times. Guests would bring small cakes to the
wedding and stack them on top of each other.
Later, a clever French baker created a cake in
the shape of the small cakes and covered it in
frosting. It is now known as the tiered
cake. Wedding Bouquet Flowers are incorporated
into the wedding ceremony as a symbol of
fertility. The first bouquets consisted of herbs
and, later, orange blossoms. The Bridal Veil The
bridal veil has long been a symbol of youth,
modesty, and virginity and was used to ward off
evil.
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Wedding Lore and Traditions Bridesmaids the
bridal party is a tradition that has been
established for many centuries. For a long time
the purpose of the bridal party was to fool evil
spirits. The bride's friends dressed similarly to
her in order to confuse any virulent presences
that might be lurking about. Today bridesmaids
are there to support the bride in the stressful
times during the wedding.