常春藤生活英语【65】The Happy Honeymoon（在线收听）

Surprisingly, the honeymoon has been around a lot longer than the ceremony of marriage. In some ancient societies, if a man wanted a woman to be his only love, he would secretly take her from her family's house. The couple would then hide until the family of the woman ceased searching for her. Usually, this took about a month, or one moon cycle. This is where the "moon" part of honeymoon comes from.

The "honey" part refers to mead, a drink that the couple would have while they were hiding. This water and honey mixture was left out in the sun for some time and had a wine-like taste. It was said that if the couple drank mead every day, they were guaranteed to have plenty of children.

In modern times, the honeymoon is right after a wedding. Its purpose is to let a couple spend time alone and relax after the chaotic process of getting married. These vacations usually involve romantic beaches or remote islands. Honeymoons are no longer about hiding out from families. Instead, a wonderful honeymoon is one of the best wedding gifts a family can give a newly married couple.

出乎意料的是，蜜月存在的历史竟比婚礼还要久。在某些古代社会中，假如一名男子想要一位女子成为他的唯一挚爱，他会偷偷把她从家中带走。这对小两口会躲起来，直到女子家人停止找她为止。通常这会花上一个月的时间，或是称为一个月亮周期。这就是Honeymoon中moon的由来。

Honey指的是蜂蜜酒，也就是小两口躲起来时会喝的饮料。这种水加蜂蜜的饮品会放在阳光下一段时间，尝起来带有酒味。据说小两口如果每天喝蜂蜜酒，就保证会生很多小孩。

时到现今，蜜月就紧接在婚礼之后。其目的是为了让夫妻有时间单独相处，并且在忙乱的结婚过程后好好放松一下。这些假期通常与浪漫的海滩或遥远的岛屿有关。蜜月不再需要躲避家人。一趟美妙的蜜月反倒是家人能送给新人最好的结婚礼物之一。

Building Your Vocabulary

1.surprisingly　adv. 出人意料地
Surprisingly, Dad came home early tonight.
爸爸今晚出乎意料的很早就回家。

2. ancient　a. 古老的；古代的
Ancient people used rocks to make tools.
古代人用石头做成工具。

3. cease　vt. 停止，结束
When will the two countries cease fire?
这两个国家何时会休兵？

4. guarantee　vt. 保证
I guarantee that you will like this magazine.
我包准你会喜欢这本杂志。

5. remote　a. 遥远的
My grandmother lives in a remote town.
我外婆住在一个遥远的城镇里。

Phrases for Learning

plenty of...　　许多……
I have plenty of time to chat this afternoon.
我今天下午有很多时间可以聊天。

参考字词

1. honeymoon　n. 蜜月
2. cycle　n. 周期；循环
3. mead　n. 蜂蜜酒
4. mixture　n. 混合液，混合料
5. chaotic　a. 混乱的

Enjoy Box

热门蜜月地点

蜜月旅行对您之后的婚姻生活绝对可以加分，在筹办完繁复的婚礼过后，跟心爱的另一半到处走走看看、放松心情，是一种绝佳的享受。否则等到夫妻俩开始面临经济压力，再加上日后有了孩子，两个人真的鲜少有机会可以放长假。

根据一项网络最新的调查，最适合蜜月的前八大地点排名如下：法国蔚蓝海岸、意大利威尼斯、夏威夷、日本北海道、纽西兰皇后镇、澳洲黄金海岸、希腊、峇里岛。许多夫妻选择到海岛度假，是为了享受慵懒的步调及浪漫的气氛。

拥有多个离岛的夏威夷的确是个不错的选择，新婚夫妻只须短短的航程就可体验不同的岛屿风情。此外，也有很多人选择到全日本名汤最多的温泉乡北海道度蜜月，您可以浸身山峦、河川、和湖泊等自然景观中享受泡汤之乐。无论您选择的是哪一个地点，蜜月旅行还要视个人假期长短及预算多寡来规划，如此才能让自己跟另一半有个难忘的回忆。