英语听力精选进阶版 6347

Does the removal of a wedding ring mean that marital¹ bliss² has gone or even that divorce is looming³?

That seems to be the message people are sending when they take off their wedding band. Actress Katie Holmes was seen in New York without hers after filing for divorce from Tom Cruise.

As soon as the newspapers suggest that a celebrity⁴ relationship is on the rocks, the couple will be scrutinised for real signs the marriage is over - the "noticeably bare finger".

Not everyone wears a ring after they get married, but for those who do it is usually deeply symbolic⁵, a sign of commitment. There's a painful contrast between the joyous⁶ ceremony involved when people tie the knot, and the loneliness when things haven't worked out.

For some couples, the ring comes off and goes back on as the relationship goes through its ups and downs. "Taking it off does help one psychologically," says agony aunt Virginia Ironside. "But it's a pretty emotional decision."

If the separation appears to be amicable⁷, some people might not rush to remove the ring. Singer Seal said in an interview that he'd wear his ring, even after it had been announced that he and wife Heidi Klum were to split. "It's a token of how I feel about this woman," he said.

But on the other hand, the divorce process can be lengthy⁸ and many people get anxious over the right time to remove the ring - when lawyers are taken on, or when the decree absolute comes through. Many will feel they are living a lie wearing it, but are worried in case it looks like they are back on the dating scene.

The ring was supposedly worn on fourth finger of the left hand because of a belief in ancient times in a vein⁹ running from there directly to the heart, which the Romans called "vena amoris" - "vein of love". Archaeologists found evidence of brides' wedding bands in hieroglyphics¹⁰ of ancient Egyptians, for whom a circle symbolised eternity¹¹.

Quiz 测验

1. What happens when newspapers say that a relationship is not going well?

The couple is scrutinised for signs that the marriage is really over.

2. Look at the article. Is this statement true, false or not given: Seal decided¹² to wear his wedding band because his wife was still in love with him?

It's not given. All we know is that he sees it as a symbol of how he feels about his wife.

3. What is the name of the final legal step to end a marriage?

A decree absolute.

4. What expression is used in the article that means 'to get married'?

To tie the knot.

5. According to the article, what other two civilizations used a ring to represent marriage?

Ancient Romans and Ancient Egyptians

Glossary 词汇表

marital bliss 婚姻之幸福

to take off (a ring) 摘下（戒指）

a wedding band 结婚戒指

to file (for divorce) 提出（离婚）

on the rocks 关系（触礁）紧张

to scrutinise 仔细的查看

a bare finger 光手指（什么都没戴）

to wear (a ring) 戴上（戒指） 

symbolic 象征性的

commitment 承诺 

joyous 欢乐的

to tie the knot 结婚，联姻

to work out 解决（问题）

ups and downs 起伏

an agony aunt 一个读者来信专栏

amicable 友好的

to split 分离，分道扬镳

a token of (something) 一种表示

a decree absolute 法庭离婚判决书

dating scene 约会场景

1 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。

2 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

3 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

4 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

5 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

6 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

7 amicable   

adj.和平的，友好的；友善的

参考例句：

• The two nations reached an amicable agreement.两国达成了一项友好协议。
• The two nations settled their quarrel in an amicable way.两国以和睦友好的方式解决了他们的争端。

8 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

9 vein   

n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络

参考例句：

• The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
• The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。

10 hieroglyphics   

n.pl.象形文字

参考例句：

• Hieroglyphics are carved into the walls of the temple. 寺庙的墙壁上刻着象形文字。
• His writing is so bad it just looks like hieroglyphics to me. 他写的糟透了，对我来说就像天书一样。

11 eternity   

n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷

参考例句：

• The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
• Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞，永世相随。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。