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Part 1 History of Baby Showers 新生兒派對的歷史
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.
就像準新娘在新婚前夕的“新娘送禮派對”bridal shower一樣，“新生兒送禮派對”baby shower就是為了慶祝新生兒誕生所舉辦的溫馨派對。shower原意是“陣雨”的意思，但是baby shower上，其實沒有baby 也沒有水。
在這里指baby得到大批禮物，或許是因為禮物多得像大雨中的雨點。當一個婦女懷了baby后，她的親朋好友會聚在一起，送baby很多衣服、玩具等禮物。比如說，The baby shower will be held for Amy tomorrow. 明天將給Amy舉行一個新生兒送禮會。
準備一場新生兒送禮派對要花費很多心思，主辦人大多是準媽媽的好朋友，主辦人要一手包辦邀請函、派對主題、布置、餐點、賓客的小禮物等等。來參加的賓客，也是以準媽媽的女性親友為主。
在派隊上，賓客除了問候準媽媽外，主辦人也會帶著大家玩小游戲，讓大家和準媽媽互動起來，或者彼此多認識，小游戲的贏家也會另外得到獎品。baby shower 的壓軸好戲是拆禮物的時間，準媽媽看到大家帶來的禮物，驚喜之余也會感謝大家幫忙省下許多嬰兒用品的費用。
Part 2 Prepare a Baby Shower 準備新生兒派對
Dialogue Script 1 對話原文 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.
講解：
1. 對話中，Sam 和Tina在為baby shower做準備工作，忙得團團轉，以至于Sam的胃病犯了也沒有時間去看醫生。wrap 這個詞表示“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”，比如說，They are completely wrapped up in their children.他們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. 她只顧埋頭工作，沒注意到天已經很晚了。
2. Sam的準備工作做的怎么樣了呢？supplies是一個復數名詞，表示“生活用品”，那么party supplies就是指“在派對上使用的各式用品”。看看Sam都準備了什么，有stick-ons，就是指那種以吸盤、背膠黏著的小物品。還有一些diapers，就是“尿布，尿片”。Tina就不明白了，怎么尿布也能算是派對用品呢？qualify as sth，就是“具有…資格的意思”。比如說，A stroll around the garden hardly qualifies as exercise! 在花園里轉一圈根本不算鍛煉。
3. 還有qualify sb as 這個詞組表示“讓某人具有某種資格”，比如說，The training course qualifies you as a driving instructor. 參加了培訓課程就有資格成為駕駛教練。Sam解釋說，他想用這些尿布做一個尿布蛋糕，作為派對的裝飾。
4. Sam還特意從網上下載了制作方法。instructions，這個詞經常以復數的形式出現，表示“操作指南，使用說明”。Tina又問邀請工作做的如何了？invite這里作名詞，表示“邀請”，在口語中很常用，比如說，Did you get an invite to the party? 你收到參加派隊的請帖了嗎？而invitation除了可以用來表示“邀請”之外，還可以表示“邀請函，請帖”，比如說，The invitations of the party have been sent out. 宴會的請帖已經發出去了。
5. 這里要說一下 How is/are sth coming along? 這個句型，意思是“…進行的如何？”。come along 是“進展”的意思，而在美語當中，想要問事情進展的狀況，最常用到的就是How is/are sth coming along?這個句型。而且是不管你對事情的現狀感到樂觀還是悲觀，都可以使用。我們用一個對話來作為例子，---How is the puzzle coming along? ---I'm stuck on the sky. All the pieces look the same. ---拼圖拼的怎么樣了？---我卡在天空那部分了。每一片看起來都一樣。
6. Sam已經把所有的請帖都寄出去了，而且大部分人都已經回復了。R.S.V.P.是在請帖上經常能看到的用語，意思就是“敬請回復”。這個縮寫源于法語中的répondez s'il vous pla?t，在美國口語中也把它動詞化了，變成“確認回復”的意思，過去式和過去分詞就是R.S.V.P.'d。準備工作做的差不多了，現在要做的就是最后再聯系參加派對的人，然后準備迎接下周四舉行的新生兒派對。
Dialogue Script 2 對話原文 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.
講解：
1. 對話中Sam在給Ann解釋為什么在嬰兒出生之前舉行新生兒派對。I've been meaning to ask...這個句型表示“我一直想要問某事”，這是在美語對話中常能聽到的表達法。當你有些一直放在心里的疑問，想要問對方，就可以用 I've been meaning to ask...這個句型來問。我們來舉個例子，---I've been meaning o ask , how do you know which stock to invest in?---Oh, I just took wild guesses. ---我一直想問，你怎么知道該投資哪些股票呢？---哦，我只是瞎猜的。
2. 有時候對方說的話正好是你一直心存疑問的事情，你也可以用I've been meaning to ask you about that. 這個句子來回答。比如說，---I think I broke the radio. ---Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that. ---我想我把收音機弄壞了。---對呀，我還想問你呢。
3. 大家知道在中國我們是在孩子出生后一個月的時候才進行慶祝，就是我們平常說的，孩子滿月，擺滿月酒。但是在美國就不一樣了，baby shower都是在孩子出生前的一兩個月舉辦。一個是因為準媽媽在孩子出生后體力會比較弱。the mother-to-be 就是指“孕婦，準媽媽”。
4. 這個-to-be還可以跟很多詞連用，表示“即將成為...的人”，比如說，有mother-to-be，那就有father-to-be，準爸爸。還有bride-to-be，準新娘等等。大家如法炮制就可以了。提前準備新生兒派對的另一個原因就是準媽媽在收到禮物以后，才知道還要去買哪些東西，這樣才不至于浪費，也是挺有道理的。
5. Sam說他們這個baby shower辦的時間還挺趕的，因為Linda的預產期再過三周就到了。be pushing sth for time 表示“做某事很趕時間，時間快來不及的”。
6. due這個詞表示“預定到達的，預定生產的”，在對話中表示“預產期”，比如說，Her baby is due on March 12. 她的預產期是3月12號。
