Heidi Withers and Freddie Bourne on holiday in the US.(telegraph.co.uk) |
Bride-to-be Heidi Withers was chided by her future mother-in-law for her "lack of grace" according to a cutting email that she shared with friends. The email purportedly from Carolyn Bourne warned her stepson's fiancée about her poor etiquette. But after Miss Withers, a PA, forwarded the email to friends, it quickly spread and became the talk of the Internet because of its high moral tone. In the email, Mrs Bourne, from Dawlish, Devon, apparently tells off Miss Withers, 29, for the way she behaved when visiting the family in Devon in April. It describes the behaviour of Miss Withers as “staggering in its uncouthness and lack of grace.” Mrs Bourne, whose apparent moral attitude is reminiscent of the Countess of Grantham's in ITV’s Downton Abbey, reportedly warns her prospective daughter-in-law: “If you want to be accepted by the wider Bourne family, I suggest you take some guidance from experts with utmost haste.” The email goes on: “Here are a few examples of your lack of manners: When you are a guest in another's house, you do not declare what you will and will not eat – unless you are positively allergic to something. “You do not remark that you do not have enough food. You do not start before everyone else. “You do not take additional helpings without being invited to by your host. “When a guest in another's house, you do not lie in bed until late morning in households that rise early. You fall in line with house norms. “You should never ever insult the family you are about to join at any time and most definitely not in public. “You regularly draw attention to yourself. Perhaps you should ask yourself why. No one gets married in a castle unless they own it. It is brash, celebrity style behaviour. “If your parents are unable to contribute very much towards the cost of your wedding, it would be most ladylike and gracious to lower your sights and have a modest wedding as befits both your incomes. “One could be accused of thinking that Heidi Withers must be patting herself on the back for having caught a most eligible young man. I pity Freddie.” The man in the middle – prospective bridegroom and businessman Freddie Bourne, 29, from Putney – was trying hard not to inflame the situation. “I’m not commenting on the matter,” he said. (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies)
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根據(jù)準(zhǔn)新娘海蒂?威瑟斯與朋友分享的一封言語(yǔ)刻薄的電子郵件,她被未來(lái)婆婆指責(zé)為“缺乏風(fēng)度”。 據(jù)稱(chēng),這封電郵出自卡羅琳?伯恩之手,她在信中警告繼子的未婚妻沒(méi)規(guī)矩。 但在威瑟斯轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)給好友后,該郵件因其“高尚的道德基調(diào)”迅速風(fēng)靡網(wǎng)絡(luò)。威瑟斯小姐是一位私人助理。 郵件中,來(lái)自德文郡德力士的伯恩夫人明顯在責(zé)備29歲的威瑟斯小姐四月前往德文郡的家中拜訪(fǎng)他們時(shí)行為舉止不得體。 郵件中描述威瑟斯小姐的行為舉止稱(chēng),“舉止粗俗,缺乏教養(yǎng),令人難以想象”。 伯恩夫人看上去道德水準(zhǔn)非常高,這使人聯(lián)想到了英國(guó)獨(dú)立電視臺(tái)播放的《唐頓修道院》中的格蘭瑟姆伯爵夫人。據(jù)稱(chēng),她在郵件中這樣警告未來(lái)的兒媳:“如果你想被伯恩大家庭更多的成員接受,我建議你盡快找專(zhuān)家指導(dǎo)指導(dǎo)?!?/p> 郵件繼續(xù)寫(xiě)道:“以下是你缺乏教養(yǎng)的一些例子:當(dāng)你去別人家做客時(shí),除非你確定對(duì)某些食物過(guò)敏,否則不要公然對(duì)食物挑三揀四?!?/p> “不要和別人說(shuō)你還沒(méi)吃飽。要等別人開(kāi)始用餐后你再開(kāi)始?!?/p> “如果主人沒(méi)有主動(dòng)要你添加飯菜,不要額外添加。” “在別人家做客時(shí),如果家人習(xí)慣早起,你就不要熬夜。你的行為要符合起居習(xí)慣?!?/p> “任何時(shí)候你都不要在你未來(lái)的親人面前無(wú)禮,尤其是在公眾場(chǎng)合?!?/p> “你總是特別‘顯眼’?;蛟S你需要問(wèn)問(wèn)自己原因。沒(méi)有人會(huì)在不屬于他的城堡里結(jié)婚。那樣做太自以為是了,搞得像明星一樣。 “如果你的父母不能掏很多錢(qián)為你籌辦婚禮,你最好還是賢淑一些,把眼光放低,辦一場(chǎng)更適合你倆收入的婚禮。 “海蒂?威瑟斯一定覺(jué)得很慶幸能找到這樣一位如意郎君。如果有人這么想,他可能會(huì)遭到批評(píng)。我很同情費(fèi)雷迪?!?/p> 受夾板氣的是29歲的準(zhǔn)新郎費(fèi)雷迪?伯恩,他是一名帕特尼的商人,他一直盡力不激化矛盾。 他說(shuō),“我對(duì)此事不發(fā)表評(píng)論?!?/p> 相關(guān)閱讀 調(diào)查:更多美國(guó)人選擇簽訂婚前協(xié)議 父親節(jié)調(diào)查:半數(shù)美國(guó)爸爸有私生子 想要結(jié)婚嗎?先做“配對(duì)測(cè)試”吧! (中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 實(shí)習(xí)生史莉萍 編輯:Julie) |
Vocabulary: chide: to express disapproval of; scold; reproach(斥責(zé),責(zé)罵) cutting: wounding the feelings severely; sarcastic.(尖刻的;刻薄的;挖苦人的) etiquette: 禮節(jié) PA: 私人助理,personal assistant tell off: 責(zé)備 uncouthness: 粗俗的,笨拙的 helping: a portion of food served to a person at one time(進(jìn)餐時(shí)的一份食物) brash:impertinent; impudent; tactless(無(wú)禮的,傲慢的) pat someone on the back:表?yè)P(yáng),稱(chēng)贊 in the middle: 夾在中間,左右為難 |