听播客学英语 284 贝基和克雷格

 　　Last week in Birmingham Becky and Craig met each other for the first time; a few minutes later they got married. Along with about 250 other people, they had entered a competition organised by the Birmingham radio station BRMB. The prize was a wedding, a honeymoon¹ and the use of a luxury² flat and a sports car for a year. The entrants were questioned by relationship experts; then the listeners³ to the radio station voted on which man and which woman should win the prize. The winners were not allowed to meet or talk to each other until the wedding. It was the ultimate⁴ “blind date”.

　　The newspapers reported that Becky and Craig were very pleased after their wedding. Becky said, ” We’re holding hands already. I feel very comfortable with Craig”. And Craig said, “She’s everything that I imagined – nice dark hair, nice blue eyes, lovely smile – she’s beautiful. I feel fantastic.” But some people objected that it was wrong for two people to get married in this way, as part of a publicity⁵ stunt⁶ organised by a radio station. What do you think?

　　Look at the expression “to get married”. The word GET in English has lots of different meanings. One of them is “to become”. Here are some examples.

　　Today the weather will get warmer.

　　The two men argued; they got angry with one another.

　　He ate so much that he got very fat.

　　She got very tired and had to go to bed early.

　　and finally

　　Becky and Craig got married. Good luck to them. You can read more about Becky and Craig on the BRMB website. There is a link to it from the podcast website http://www.listen-to-english.com/

　　Note : the past tense of GET is GOT – I got; I have got. In America, you will often hear people say “I have GOTTEN.” GOTTEN is an old form of the past participle which is no longer used in Britain, but is still alive across the Atlantic.

1 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

2 luxury   

n.难得享受到的愉悦；奢侈，奢华的生活

参考例句：

• He invited me to his suite. The luxury takes your breath away.他请我到他的套房里去，那豪华的气派真会令你吃惊。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods.政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

3 listeners   

n.倾听者，收听者( listener的名词复数 )；听众

参考例句：

• the demographics of radio listeners 电台听众统计数据
• The singer's high notes jarred on the ears of her listeners. 那位歌手的高音让听众们觉得刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 ultimate   

adj.最远的；最后的；终极的；根源的，基本的

参考例句：

• What was his ultimate goal?他的最终目标是什么？
• The sun is the ultimate store of power.太阳是能量之本。

5 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

6 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。