White Wedding  白色婚礼  古代的婚纱是白色吗？

　　Wedding dresses weren't always white. In fact, they were traditionally red, blue, purple or even black, with gold and silver stitching. It wasn't until 1840, when Queen Victoria wed Prince Albert in a white bridal gown, that the "chaste" color became the status quo。

　　Pucker Up  噘嘴一吻  亲吻爱人会有意想不到的收获哦！

　　Men who kiss their wives in the morning are said to live five years longer than those who don’t. So pucker up and start your day off right!

　　Give It Away  给予  对爱人无私=美满的婚姻生活

　　A 2006 study found that altruism leads to marital bliss. Participants were asked whether they agreed with the following statements: "I'd rather suffer myself than let the one I love suffer" and "I'm willing to sacrifice my own wishes to let the one I love achieve his or hers." The study found that 67 percent of the more altruistic participants rated their own marriages as "very happy," while only 50 percent of the less altruistic were very happy in their marriages。

　　Ring Around the Finger  手指上的戒指  关于订婚钻戒的最早记载是什么时候？

　　While giving a ring to your betrothed is a practice that dates back to Roman times, the first recorded occurrence of a diamond engagement ring was in 1477, when the Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave one to his fiancée, Mary of Burgundy。

　　Say "Cheese"  说“茄子”  笑口常开的人更幸福。

　　If you want to know whether or not the object of your affection will be a good marriage partner, check out his or her yearbook photo. In a 2009 study, scientists ranked the intensity

　　of people's smiles in their college yearbook photos from 1 to 10. They found that none of the people in the top 10 percent—those with the biggest smiles—had divorced, while almost 25 percent in the bottom 10 percent had ended a marriage。

　　Girl Power  女性权力  女性也能求婚！

　　Most modern marriage proposals are from men, but women actually do a small share of the asking, too. And they have Scotland to thank for starting the trend centuries ago: In 1228, it was the first European country where women earned the right to propose marriage, a law which then spread throughout Europe。

　　Criminal Minds  犯罪思想  婚姻能减少犯罪行为。

　　Maybe love really is all you need…at least to stay out of trouble. According to a 2010 study, marriage reduced criminal behavior in high-risk males by 35 percent. While the study's authors weren't sure whether calmer men were more likely to marry or whether marriage had a calming effect, we think the married guys just didn't want to explain those handcuffs to their wives。

　　Tie the Knot  结婚  传统的婚约是一生一世的承诺吗？

　　The term "tie the knot" comes from the pre-Biblical tradition of "handfasting," during which betrothed couples would join hands—his right to her right, his left to her left—in front of witnesses, signifying the couple is married for a year and a day. After the allotted time passed, they could then renew permanently or pledge themselves to each other for another year and a day, ad infinitum。

　　Ring Finger  戴戒指  婚戒为什么要戴在无名指上？

　　Wedding and engagement rings have been worn on the fourth finger of the left hand since ancient times. The Romans believed a vein in this particular finger, called "vena amoris" (a.k.a. the "vein of love")， leads directly to the heart。

　　Mind or Matter?  精神还是物质？恋爱中的男女大脑会发生什么变化？

　　In a 2007 study, scientists found that men in love show more activity in the visual part of the brain, while women in love show more activity in the part of the brain that governs memory. Scientists theorize the difference has more to do with anthropology

　　than biology: Men look for fertility features in women, and since women can't judge fertility in men by physical appearance, they must remember certain characteristics that will determine if he will be a good mate。

　　Notes:

　　chaste: 贞洁的，纯洁的

　　pucker up: 皱起，撅起(嘴)

　　altruism: 利他主义，不自私

　　bliss: 福气，无上幸福

　　betrothed: 名词，未婚夫(妻)；betroth是动词，表示许配，和…定亲，如：girl remain to be betrothed(待字闺中)

　　occurrence: 事件，发生的事

　　intensity: 强烈，极度

　　propose marriage: 求婚

　　tie the knot: 结婚，喜结连理；tie the knot字面上是打结的意思，传统的结婚典礼上要打结，以此表示新郎新娘的生活结合在一起，故该用语现在用来表示结婚

　　ad infinitum: 来源于拉丁语，意思是无限地，永远地

　　anthropology: 人类学