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Part 1 History of Baby Showers 新生儿派对的历史
Although the custom of helping expectant parents plan for a new baby has been a tradition for centuries, the origin of the modern baby shower is unknown. There is evidence that ancient cultures, such as the Egyptians and the Romans, often bestowed small gifts upon newborn children, or presented the parents with a hand-made gift after the child was born. However, baby showers as we know them today were not common until after World War II - possibly one of the first manifestations of the baby boom.
Baby showers have always served several purposes. They allow friends and family to share the joy and excitement of welcoming a new life into the world, and they provide emotional support to new parents. It is not uncommon for an expectant mother or father to be nervous about their new role as a parent. A friendly word of advice from a friend or family member can be extremely helpful, and the presence of everyone who attends the shower is a supportive gesture that many appreciate.
The expense of a baby can put quite a strain on a couple's budget, especially if the mother will no longer be working. Baby showers offer a chance for friends and family to help expectant parents with the costs of preparing for and caring for a newborn. New parents always need both fun and practical things, and hand-made gifts or toys create memories that last a lifetime.
Traditionally, baby showers were celebrated by a new mother and only her closest friends after the baby had been born.
At the time, it was considered presumptuous to hold a baby shower before the child was born (which is still the case in some cultures.) Over time, however, old traditions have relaxed, allowing for "couple showers" to which men are invited, and celebrations in the workplace that co-workers can attend. It is no longer necessary to wait until the baby is born, unless the mother-to-be prefers to wait until after she has given birth.
就像准新娘在新婚前夕的“新娘送礼派对”bridal shower一样，“新生儿送礼派对”baby shower就是为了庆祝新生儿诞生所举办的温馨派对。shower原意是“阵雨”的意思，但是baby shower上，其实没有baby 也没有水。
在这里指baby得到大批礼物，或许是因为礼物多得像大雨中的雨点。当一个妇女怀了baby后，她的亲朋好友会聚在一起，送baby很多衣服、玩具等礼物。比如说，The baby shower will be held for Amy tomorrow. 明天将给Amy举行一个新生儿送礼会。
准备一场新生儿送礼派对要花费很多心思，主办人大多是准妈妈的好朋友，主办人要一手包办邀请函、派对主题、布置、餐点、宾客的小礼物等等。来参加的宾客，也是以准妈妈的女性亲友为主。
在派队上，宾客除了问候准妈妈外，主办人也会带着大家玩小游戏，让大家和准妈妈互动起来，或者彼此多认识，小游戏的赢家也会另外得到奖品。baby shower 的压轴好戏是拆礼物的时间，准妈妈看到大家带来的礼物，惊喜之余也会感谢大家帮忙省下许多婴儿用品的费用。
Part 2 Prepare a Baby Shower 准备新生儿派对
Dialogue Script 1 对话原文 1
Sam: Oww. Ooh-OUCH!
Tina: What's wrong with you?
Sam: I don't know. I've had a really bad stomachache the last couple of weeks.
Tina: Doesn't sound too good, Sam. You should go to the doctor.
Sam: We've been so wrapped up in baby shower planning. I haven't found the time. I'll go later.
Tina: Oh, speaking of the shower, did you get the party supplies yet?
Sam: Well, I got these stick-ons for the car, some diapers and...
Tina: Sam, how do diapers qualify as party supplies?
Sam: I thought we could make a diaper cake. I downloaded instructions for making them from the Internet
Tina: Cool. And how are the invites coming along?
Sam: The invitations are all sent out, and most have already R.S.V.P.'d.
Tina: So now it's just time for the finishing touches and getting ready for the next Thursday.
讲解：
1. 对话中，Sam 和Tina在为baby shower做准备工作，忙得团团转，以至于Sam的胃病犯了也没有时间去看医生。wrap 这个词表示“包或者裹某物”，那么be wrapped up in sth就可以很形象地表示“忙碌于某事的，醉心于某事的”，比如说，They are completely wrapped up in their children.他们的全部精力都用在孩子身上了。 She was so wrapped up in her work that she didn't realize how late it was. 她只顾埋头工作，没注意到天已经很晚了。
2. Sam的准备工作做的怎么样了呢？supplies是一个复数名词，表示“生活用品”，那么party supplies就是指“在派对上使用的各式用品”。看看Sam都准备了什么，有stick-ons，就是指那种以吸盘、背胶黏着的小物品。还有一些diapers，就是“尿布，尿片”。Tina就不明白了，怎么尿布也能算是派对用品呢？qualify as sth，就是“具有…资格的意思”。比如说，A stroll around the garden hardly qualifies as exercise! 在花园里转一圈根本不算锻炼。
3. 还有qualify sb as 这个词组表示“让某人具有某种资格”，比如说，The training course qualifies you as a driving instructor. 参加了培训课程就有资格成为驾驶教练。Sam解释说，他想用这些尿布做一个尿布蛋糕，作为派对的装饰。
4. Sam还特意从网上下载了制作方法。instructions，这个词经常以复数的形式出现，表示“操作指南，使用说明”。Tina又问邀请工作做的如何了？invite这里作名词，表示“邀请”，在口语中很常用，比如说，Did you get an invite to the party? 你收到参加派队的请帖了吗？而invitation除了可以用来表示“邀请”之外，还可以表示“邀请函，请帖”，比如说，The invitations of the party have been sent out. 宴会的请帖已经发出去了。
5. 这里要说一下 How is/are sth coming along? 这个句型，意思是“…进行的如何？”。come along 是“进展”的意思，而在美语当中，想要问事情进展的状况，最常用到的就是How is/are sth coming along?这个句型。而且是不管你对事情的现状感到乐观还是悲观，都可以使用。我们用一个对话来作为例子，---How is the puzzle coming along? ---I'm stuck on the sky. All the pieces look the same. ---拼图拼的怎么样了？---我卡在天空那部分了。每一片看起来都一样。
6. Sam已经把所有的请帖都寄出去了，而且大部分人都已经回复了。R.S.V.P.是在请帖上经常能看到的用语，意思就是“敬请回复”。这个缩写源于法语中的répondez s'il vous pla?t，在美国口语中也把它动词化了，变成“确认回复”的意思，过去式和过去分词就是R.S.V.P.'d。准备工作做的差不多了，现在要做的就是最后再联系参加派对的人，然后准备迎接下周四举行的新生儿派对。
Dialogue Script 2 对话原文 2
Ann: I've been meaning to ask - why have the party before the baby comes?
Sam: Do you normally do it differently?
Ann: We wait a month after the baby's born then celebrate with red eggs and presents.
Sam: Eggs, huh? Here, showers are usually a month or two before the baby's arrival.
Ann: Because the mother-to-be has more energy than after birth?
Sam: Yep, and so she knows what else she needs to buy after getting gifts. We're pushing it for time, though. Linda's due in three weeks.
讲解：
1. 对话中Sam在给Ann解释为什么在婴儿出生之前举行新生儿派对。I've been meaning to ask...这个句型表示“我一直想要问某事”，这是在美语对话中常能听到的表达法。当你有些一直放在心里的疑问，想要问对方，就可以用 I've been meaning to ask...这个句型来问。我们来举个例子，---I've been meaning o ask , how do you know which stock to invest in?---Oh, I just took wild guesses. ---我一直想问，你怎么知道该投资哪些股票呢？---哦，我只是瞎猜的。
2. 有时候对方说的话正好是你一直心存疑问的事情，你也可以用I've been meaning to ask you about that. 这个句子来回答。比如说，---I think I broke the radio. ---Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that. ---我想我把收音机弄坏了。---对呀，我还想问你呢。
3. 大家知道在中国我们是在孩子出生后一个月的时候才进行庆祝，就是我们平常说的，孩子满月，摆满月酒。但是在美国就不一样了，baby shower都是在孩子出生前的一两个月举办。一个是因为准妈妈在孩子出生后体力会比较弱。the mother-to-be 就是指“孕妇，准妈妈”。
4. 这个-to-be还可以跟很多词连用，表示“即将成为...的人”，比如说，有mother-to-be，那就有father-to-be，准爸爸。还有bride-to-be，准新娘等等。大家如法炮制就可以了。提前准备新生儿派对的另一个原因就是准妈妈在收到礼物以后，才知道还要去买哪些东西，这样才不至于浪费，也是挺有道理的。
5. Sam说他们这个baby shower办的时间还挺赶的，因为Linda的预产期再过三周就到了。be pushing sth for time 表示“做某事很赶时间，时间快来不及的”。
6. due这个词表示“预定到达的，预定生产的”，在对话中表示“预产期”，比如说，Her baby is due on March 12. 她的预产期是3月12号。
