【英语趣味课堂】参加婚礼-Attending Wedding

Todd: So Travis, you said your brother is getting married.

Travis: Well, actually not my brother, my cousin is getting married. On my family's side of the family, on my father's side of the family, I have quite a few cousins and quite a few uncles and aunts. My dad is one of eight children, so we've always been very close and basically 1 we've been a nuclear family around my grandparents of my dad's side, so my cousin, Brian, is going to be getting married in Puerto Viarta, Mexico, and I think that wedding is taking place about August 9th.

Todd: Oh, wow.

Travis: So we are all going to be going out there as a family. Hopefully we'll have as many as maybe forty of us, and whoever the bride invites , and we'll be on the beach for about 3 or 4 days, and have a wedding of Saturday, so it should be pretty exciting.

Todd: Mexico, that's an interesting choice. I mean, that's pretty far away.

Travis: It is pretty far away so it should be kind of expensive for all the guests to get there, which might be planned on my cousin's side because he might be trying to limit the amount of people who come to his wedding, so it won't get to overly large, and Mexico is actually cheaper to have a wedding than the United States because the power of the dollar versus 2 the power of the peso, is you know, quite strong,

so you can go down to Mexico and for maybe a third the price have the same lavish 3 wedding you might have in the United States, though Puerto Viarta might be a little more expensive than a normal Mexican wedding because Puerto Viarta is sort of a tourist and resort 4 community.

Todd: Have you been to Puerto Viarta before?

Travis: I've never been there before. In fact, even though I am from Southern California and from Los Angeles basically, which is only two hours from Mexico, I've never been to Mexico.

Todd: I'm from San Francisco and even I've been to Mexico.

Travis: Well, Tijuana is a place everybody goes to, and it's never had any big appeal for me. Typically, southern Californians will go there, as soon they turn 18 , cause at 18 you can drink in Tijuana, and you can't drink in California when you're 18. You have to wait until you are 21, so that's a big reason to go I suppose, but I never made it down there.

Todd: Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy Mexico.

Travis: I'm sure I will.

学习内容：

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

father's side of the family

I have quite a few cousins on my father's side of the family.

Your 'father's side of the family' includes your father's parents, his aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, their husbands or wives and their children. This is frequently shortened 5 to 'my father's side' in conversation. Notice the following:

My father's side of the family is much larger than my mother's.

I am going to a family reunion for my father's side.

very close

My dad is one of eight children, so we've always been very close.

If you are 'very close' with someone you have a good relationship with him and he knows about what is happening in your life. Notice the following:

I have always been very close to my parents.

My brother and sister are very close and talk almost every day.

nuclear family

Basically, we've been a nuclear family around my grandparents on Dad's side.

Usually 'nuclear family' refers to just the parents and the children that live in the same house.  Travis is saying that his extended 6 family is so close that they acted like a linear 7 family. Notice the following:

My nuclear family and my grandparents live together.

I am in close contact with my nuclear family, but not as much with my extended family.

power of the dollar (or peso)

The power of the dollar is stronger, versus the power of the peso.

The 'power of the dollar' refers to value of a US dollar in Mexico, not just in terms of pesos, but what it can buy as far as things or services. Notice the following:

His wealth changes depending on the power of the dollar.

The power of the dollar decreased a lot in the last few years. 

lavish

You can have the same lavish wedding in Mexico for a third of the price in the US.

A 'lavish' wedding is very fancy 8 and elaborate 9, sometimes a little extravagant 10 or excessive 11. Notice the following:

He spends his money on lavish things, such as expensive sports cars.

She has always given us very lavish birthday and Christmas gifts.