Formal Clothes 英伦正装
Bill: 大家好，欢迎收听Ask About Britain 《英国问答》节目。我是李亿，我是BBC Learning English 的实习生。
William: And I'm William. Well, welcome to our programme. And this is the first time Li Yi is presenting Ask about Britain.
Bill: Hello! 我很高兴来到这里，因为我获得今年21 世纪杯的全国总冠军和BBC最佳即席演说奖，作为奖励，我来到BBC进行实习。
William: Yes, congratulations for that. OK, well, what's our question today, Bill?
Bill: Hmm, actually, I'm wondering if I can ask a question for us to answer today…
William: Yes, of course.
Bill: 好的，谢谢。当我还是小孩的时候，我在父亲的书橱里面找到一本很旧的英汉词典，打开它突然发现有关男士女士正装的图文介绍。从那时开始，我就对正装十分着迷。我非常想了解英国人穿什么样的正装，什么时候穿。
William: OK, so to answer your question, shall we hear from some Londoners?
Bill: Yes! 下面请我们来听听一些伦敦人的录音，看看你是否能听出来他们最近一次穿正装是在什么时候。
Insert
Three years ago.
It was eight months ago, at a wedding for my brother.
I will always wear a black dress and a black jacket for the office, because I am meeting clients.
Graduation probably, which was about six or seven years ago.
Bill: 好的，我们听到这些人只在一些特别场合穿正装，比如婚礼，毕业典礼。但是其中有一个人说她经常在工作时穿西装。Will, when was the last time you wore formal dress 正装?
William: Ah, well, the last time I wore really formal dress, was three years ago for my own wedding. But I do wear business suits when I've got a job interview. I think it's very uncommon to wear, for example, a tailcoat or a bow tie nowadays.
Bill: Tailcoat 是燕尾服，bow tie 是领结。在下一段录音中，我们将要听听人们是如何描述他们的正装。看看你能否听出一些有关描述正装的英文单词。
Insert
It would be a formal dark suit with a dark tie and a dress shirt.
Just a halter-neck, long, maxi dress.
For a wedding, he would wear tails – tailcoat (tailcoat and top hat?), yes top hat and tailcoat. For a black tie he would have a black bow tie, yes. Sometimes, a coloured bow tie, because a black bow tie can be a bit boring.
I wore a single-breasted dinner jacket, black bow tie.
William: So we heard the phrase dress shirt.
Bill: 正装衬衫。
William: Halter-neck maxi dress.
Bill: A maxi dress 是超长连衣裙。A halter-neck 就是颈围露背女装。
William: We also heard the words top hat.
Bill: 高顶礼帽。
William: And dinner jacket.
Bill: 男士晚礼服。
William: What a lot of vocabulary! Well, let's end today's programme by hearing from a real expert!
Bill: 下面我们将采访Frank Lipman 先生，他是伦敦一家正装裁缝店的店主。请仔细收听，然后尝试回答这个问题：现在人们会在什么场合穿正装？
Insert
It used to be the domain of the upper classes and those people who wanted to appear as if they were a part of the upper classes. But now everybody who wants that occasion to be special will wear special clothing.
Ascot, garden parties, formal dinners, opera, societies and dancing.
William: Frank said that in the past, formal clothing used to be the domain of the upper classes.
Bill: The domain of the upper classes 就是说正装属于过去上层社会的范畴。
William: Now things have changed and everybody can wear formal clothing, particularly for special occasions such as Ascot, garden parties, formal dinners and the opera.
Bill: 现在英国人会在这些场合穿正装，比如说Ascot 皇家马赛，游园会，正式晚宴，歌剧等等。
William: Well, I hope you've found the answer to your question.
Bill: 是的。今天能来参加这个节目，我也非常荣幸。
William: It's been fun hasn't it?
Bill: Yeah.
William: Remember, that if you're listening and you have a question about British culture then you can email it to us at chinaelt@bbc.co.uk.
Bill: 感谢所有听众朋友，我们下次节目再会。
William: Bye bye.
词汇学习：
1. formal clothes 正装
2. dress shirt 正装衬衫
3. domain 范畴
4. bow tie 蝴蝶结
5. dinner jacket 男士晚礼服
6. tailcoat 燕尾服
7. top hat 高顶礼帽
8. society 协会
9. halter-neck 超长连衣裙
10. maxi dress超长连衣裙