M:    Oh,  I hate black.

S:     It’s not for long.   Mama says we can go into half-mourning  next month. And back to colours  by September.

 

M:    Still seems a lot for a cousin.

E:     But not a fiance?

M:    He wasn’t really a fiance.

E:     No?   I thought that was what you call a man  you’re going to marry.

M:    I was only going to marry him if nothing better turned up.

S:     Mary, what a horrid  thing to say.

M:    Don’t worry.  Edith would have taken him, wouldn’t you?

E:     Yes, I’d have taken him.   If you’d given me the chance, I’d have taken him like a shot.

 

 

语言点 Language points:

1.half-mourning:服半丧 At half mourning, grey and lavender could be introduced.

mourning

[英][ˈmɔ:nɪŋ][美][ˈmɔrnɪŋ, ˈmor-]

n.悲痛，哀悼; 戴孝; 服丧期; 

 

2.back to colours:穿回彩色衣服（这里指服丧期结束）

color=colour 颜色（英美不同拼法）

 

3.fiance/fiancee：未婚夫/妻

从法语引入的外来词，读音不符合英语拼音规则！英 [fɪ'ɑ:nseɪ]美 [ˌfi:ən'seɪ]    [,fiən'se]

 

4.only...if...只有(if)。。。了，我才会（only）。。。

 

5.sth./sb. turn up 某事/某人出现

 

6.horrid:adj.引起反感的; 可怕的; 恐怖的; 极讨厌的; 

[英][ˈhɒrɪd]  [美][ˈhɔrɪd, ˈhɑr-]

单词扩展：horror——恐怖、恐怖的东西（n.）        horrible——可怕的; 对人极不友好的; 令人极讨厌的; 令人震惊的(adj.)

 

7.like a shot：乐意地 立即

可与at once（立刻、马上）替换，但比at once主观的急迫性更强一些。