中国石油大学(华东)第二学期期末试题《大学英语》解析.doc

《大学英语4》I. Reading Comprehension Passage 1 Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage. In the United States, when people attain legal marriage age and meet certain medical requirements, they are free to choose their own mates. Once a couple has decided to get married, the man customarily gives the girl a diamond ring. The use of a ring comes from the ancient custom of using a ring to settle an important agreement. When the wedding day is decided upon, the girl sends wedding announcements or invitation to friends and relatives. On the wedding day it is supposed to be bad luck for the bride and bride-groom to see each other before the wedding. Another old custom that many people believe will bring good luck to the marriage is for the bride to wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Before the wedding day the bridegroom always chooses a best man, a good friend to help him and stand beside him during the wedding ceremony. The idea of having a best man originated from the belief that evil spirits, envious of the couples happiness, would be out to harm them, but would be confused by so many similarly dressed people. The custom of the best man goes back to the ancient days when a strong friend helped the bridegroom escape from the brides friends. Bells were originally rung at weddings to frighten away the evil spirits, and noisy celebrations were held beforehand to try and drive them from the community. When a couple gets married, the groom gives his bride a wedding ring. Many marriages are double-ring ceremonies — that is, the bride and the groom exchange rings. The wedding ring is customarily a simple plain gold band. The roundness of the ring symbolizes eternity and announces that the couple is untied for life. The wedding ring is worn on the third finger of the left hand. People believe that a vein from the third finger runs directly to the heart. Near the end of the reception, which is offered by the brides parents,the b