我本科的专业并非英语，但本专业的课程不多，空闲时间不少，没事就学英语，纯粹是兴趣使然，后来慢慢接触到了翻译。在校期间，我只是偶尔旁听过一些翻译课程，并没有系统地学过，主要还是*自学，多做练习，遇有问题就向有经验的老师请益，因此本科时还算打了点基础。需要说明的是，我自学翻译的主要方法就是“对照法”，将原文和较好的译文对照着看，这是个笨办法，但在我看来却最为有效。谈到翻译教材或辅导书，虽然见到一本买一本，慢慢也攒了几十本，但却没有通读过一本，因为我总是固执地认为实践高于理论，而书中的有些内容在实践中总是派不上用场，还不如多做些练习提高得快些。
毕业后我从事的工作与翻译无关，但英语学习也没间断。2005年春天，我决定参加年末的二级笔译考试。先买了本大纲，看了看样题，拟定了备考方案。由于有专业八级的底子，综合能力考试不成问题，关键是实务考试。备考过程中我坚持勤动手的原则，每天英译汉和汉译英各做一段，真正动笔写，丝毫不马虎。备考过程中切忌光看不练，即只看各种教材而不练习，这样的考生几乎没有通过的希望。翻译是实践性很强的工作，只有在实际练习中才能发现自己的不足，才能找到各种问题。教材的例子往往比较典型，但弄懂这些例子并不意味着在实践中就不会遇到新问题，没有哪本教材是万能的。必须要勤于练习，在练习中思考和总结。教材中的例子是别人咀嚼后的现成品，考生一定要学会自己去咀嚼，这个步骤断不能省。此外，练习中要动笔写，不能做视译。在平时训练中就要以考试的真实状况训练自己。口说和笔写是截然不同的两个过程，往往觉得看懂了，能翻译，但落到纸上的译文却不一定能令人满意。汉语是否通顺，英语是否准确，书法是否整齐，卷面是否干净，这都在考察平时是否动笔。
关于资料，我备考二笔时没有购买指定教材，而是自己根据大纲和样题准备了一些，简要介绍如下：
1.《邓小平文选》第三卷及其英译本
2.《中国翻译》编辑部编的《名作精译》（青岛出版社）
3.张培基先生的《英译中国现代散文选》（上海外语教育出版社）
4.最新的《政府工作报告》及其英译本
5.网上搜索的我国领导人讲话及其英译本
6.《时代》和《经济学家》等外刊若干
7.《英语世界》和《英语学习》若干
8.《中式英语之鉴》（外研社出版）
需要指出的是，资料不贵多而贵精，时间有限，因此必须要找到与自己水平相适应的资
料并好好利用。由于我在备考开始之时已经掌握了翻译的基本技巧，所以备考过程中主要以练习为手段，侧重扩大阅读面和提高双语水平。我看的这些书不一定适合所有备考者。如果是刚刚接触翻译的网友，我还是建议找几本翻译教材读一读。至于能力培养，就是要提高理解能力和表达能力，大家可参看我写的《英译汉重在理解汉译英重在表达》一文。二笔考试无固定范围，指定教材也就是个参考，千万不可以此为据，猜题目、背译文等方法就更不足取了。
2005年11月的考试我顺利通过，但分数很低，由此我也猜测到评判标准之严格，同时也认识到唯有严格的评判标准方能保证证书的含金量。
2006年1月份我开始准备二级口译考试，由于过了二笔，底气很足，轻敌之念遂生，以为二口不过如此。5月一考，大败而归，综合能力虽然勉强通过，但实务仅得50分。失败原因小结如下：第一，听力不过关。考口译，八成是考听力。虽然我有专八的听力底子，但那是做选择题，听懂个大概也能勾对ABCD。口译考试却丝毫不能马虎，漏听或错听一点，全句的分就没了。第二，笔记不过关。交替传译的测试内容之一就是笔记，而我在备考中恰恰忽视了这一点，结果在实战中记得一塌糊涂。知道成绩后，痛定思痛，端正态度，认真备考11月的考试。主要方法如下：第一，加大听力训练强度，不求数量，但求质量。即不在乎每天听多少，而是每天听懂多少。我经常一个晚上只练习一段10分钟的材料，一个词一个词地抠。虽然进度慢，但收效很好。第二，学着记笔记。推荐林超伦先生《实战口译》一书，书中对如何做笔记有相当详细的讲解。第三，精读教材。王燕老师主编的这本二口实务教材非常好，讲解透彻，我在第二次备考中细细阅读了几遍，收获很大。
关于资料，仍是简要介绍如下：
1.梅德明主编的《汉英/英汉口译实践》和《新汉英/英汉口译实践》四本书。这四本书是上海高口的辅导书，但也可用来备考二口，因为该套书内容广泛，所选材料也比较新。
2.温家宝总理记者招待会音频。记者会译员均来自外交部翻译室，水平之高，足可借鉴。记者会内容广泛，不排除考试中会涉及到相关内容。
3.林超伦的《实战口译》。
4.政经词汇，这需要慢慢积累，没有哪本书是“一本全”。
第二次考口译，顺利通过，兴奋之余也很冷静，就是刚入门而已，要走的路仍很漫长。
几句题外话：
第一，近日适逢5月份考试成绩公布，有怨气的考生不少。我还是劝没通过的考生先查找自身原因，不要怨天尤人。这个考试已举办三年，难度和评分标准渐趋稳定。第二，我已
开始准备同传考试，故今后很少再来这个论坛，大家如有问题，尽可到我的博客上留言，我尽量回答。最后，希望参加翻译考试的网友都能顺利过关。
红衫书生逍遥客
二〇〇七年七月十二日
补充内容：
（一）选用哪本英汉词典？
按CATTI考试规定，笔译考试考生可携带纸质英汉词典和汉英词典各一本参加考试。关于英汉词典，我推荐复旦大学陆谷孙教授主编的《英汉大词典（第二版）》（上海译文出版社出版）。
《英汉大词典》是我国首部独立研编的综合性英汉词典，兼具百科全书的性质。这部“中国制造”的词典1991年出版后即成为联合国编译人员使用的主要英汉工具书，被誉为“世界范围内最好的双语词典之一”。出版16年来，《英汉大词典》的影响已难以估量。截止2005年，《英汉大词典》已累计发行36万册，迭次获奖。2007年4月，《英汉大词典（第二版）》出版。新版除对旧版中的软硬伤勘误纠错外，更着重于更新专有名词和术语的信息，增补英语新词、新义、新用法。新版收录约22万词条，其中增2万余条新词新义，设附录13种。
我于2001年购得《英汉大词典》（第一版），六年来日日请益，获益良多。在备考二级笔译的八个月中，这本词典更是须臾不可离手。2005年12月我带着这本词典走进了二级笔译考试的考场。偶尔遇见的几个生词都没有逃出这本词典的范围。后来者是幸福的，因为你们可以带着《英汉大词典》（第二版）走进考场。
对有志于从事翻译工作的学生而言，这本词典是一位良师。当然，请千万不要为了一时之需而购买这本词典，因为带着平时使用的词典考试最顺手。我吁请大家在平时学习中也能勤于查阅，定有所得。
（二）选用哪本汉英词典？
关于汉英词典，我推荐吴景荣和程镇球二位先生主编的《新时代汉英大词典》（商务印书馆出版）。
本词典由商务印书馆于世纪之交隆重推出，是我国迄今为止篇幅最大、收词最全、内容最新的一部大型汉英词典。本词典在我国着名英语专家、《汉英词典》主编吴景荣教授和外交部英语专家程镇球先生的主持下，由十多位活跃在当今英语界的专家教授通力合作、呕心沥血十余年编纂而成。值得一提的是，王燕老师也参与了本词典的编写工作。
该词典收词广泛，全书条目近十二万，为我国同类词典之冠，注意收录政治、经济、文
化、金融、高科技等方面的流行新词（含港、台词语），并提供各领域重要的专有名词及其背景简释，具有百科功能。释义准确，译文精当，所有词条和例证均经汉语和英语专家审定。
从应考的角度说，带入考场的词典当然是越大越好。但这本词典的好处不仅仅是“大”，更重要的优点是例句丰富，这对考生大有裨益。
特别需要指出的是，目前坊间汉英词典比较多。这本词典我用得比较勤，感觉比较顺手，但推荐这本词典仅是我的一家之言，供大家备考时参考。
2019年CATTI二级笔译英译汉真题及参考答案 【第一篇】 So where there is financial connection, we see that rapid improvements in quality of life can quickly follow. In our modern context, there are several important channels to achieving this greater financial connectivity. I want to highlight two today: increased capital mobility and increased financial inclusion. First, enabling capital to flow more freely. Allowing capital to flow across borders can help support inclusive growth. Right now, foreign direct investment —FDI — is only 1.9 percent of GDP in developing countries. Before the global financial crisis, it was at 2.5 percent. Making progress on major infrastructure needs will require capital flows to rise again and to be managed safely. Greater openness to capital flows can also bring down the cost of finance, improve the efficiency of the financial sector, and allow capital to support productive investments and new jobs. Challenges that come with opening up capital markets. Thankfully, we know from experience the elements that are required for success. These include sound financial regulation, transparent rules for investment, and attention to fiscal sustainability. We also need increased financial inclusion. A few numbers: close to half of the adult population in low and middle-income Asia-Pacific economies do not have a bank account. Less than 10 percent have ever borrowed from a financial institution. And yet, we know that closing the finance gap is an “economic must-have” for nations to thrive in the 21st century. IMF analysis shows that if the least financially inclusive countries in Asia narrowed the finance gap to the level of Thailand — an emerging market economy — the poverty rate in those countries could be reduced by nearly 4 percent. How can we get there? In part, through policies that enable more women and rural citizens to access financial services. The financial gender gap for women in developing countries is about 9 percent and has remained largely unchanged since 2011. There is no silver bullet, but we know that fintech can play a catalyzing role. In Cambodia, for example, strong public-private partnerships in supporting mobile finance has led to a tripling in the number of micro-financial institutions since 2011. These institutions have now provided loans to over 2 million new borrowers, representing nearly 20 percent of the adult population. Many of these citizens had never had a bank account. Now they can save for the future and perhaps even start a business of their own. These are ideas that can work everywhere. But countries have to be willing to partner and learn from each other. That is one of the major reasons why last October, the IMF and World Bank launched the Bali Fintech Agenda. The agenda lays out key principles — from developing financial markets to safeguarding financial integrity — that can help each nation as it strives for greater financial inclusion. 【第一篇参考答案】
2018年11月翻译资格考试二级英语笔译实务真题及答案 【英译中】【Passage 1】 New drone footage gives a glimpse of the damage that Hawaii’s Big Island sustainedin the wake of volcanic explosions in recent days. Smoke can be seen billowing off the lava as it creeps down roads and through wooded areas toward homes. Fires are visible with terrifying streams of brightness breaking through the surrounding areas of black. After a day of relative calm, Kilauea roared back in full force on Sunday,spewing lava 300 feet in the air, encroaching on a half mile of new ground and bringing the total number of destroyed structures to 35. 从无人机拍摄到的最新视频中，可以大概了解到近日火山喷发后，夏威夷大岛所遭受的损失情况。火山岩浆在道路上、树林里蔓延，直逼住家，岩浆所到处浓烟滚滚。在一片漆黑中可见多处大火，火光十分刺眼。基拉韦厄火山经过相对平静的一天后，周日又火力全开，将岩浆喷到300英尺高空，又侵蚀了半英里土地，共有35处建筑遭摧毁。 There have been 1,800 residents evacuated from their neighborhoods where cracks have been opening and spilling lava. In evacuated areas with relatively low sulfur dioxide levels, residents were allowed to return home for a few hours to collect belongings on Sunday and Monday. Officials said those residents – a little more than half of the evacuees — were allowed to return briefly, and they would continue to allow residents in if it could be done safely. 由于地面开裂、岩浆涌出，1800社区居民被疏散。周六周日，在二氧化硫浓度不高的被疏散区域，居民获准回家几个小时收拾家中物品。当地官员称，这些居民——约占被疏散居民总数的半数多些——被准许回家短暂停留，并且在保证安全的前提下，允许其他居民回家。 “Things got pretty active,” an official said at a Saturday press conference. “The eight volcanoes were pretty active, to the point where lava was spewing and the flow started spreading so we got additional damage out there. I’m not sure what the count is, but we thought it was just continuing to go. Fortunately, seismicity has laid down and the volcanoes have gone quiet now.” But officials had cautioned that while the lava flow was quiet, it wouldn’t be for long. “More volcanoes could open up, the existing ones could get active again.” There’s a lot of lava under the ground so eventually it’s going to come up.” “这些火山变的很活跃，”一位官员在周六举行的新闻发布会上称，“有八个火山变的很活跃，岩浆喷出后，四处扩散，因此我们那里损失又多了些。我现在还不了解损失总数，但我们认为这个数字仍在不断攀升。庆幸地是，现在地震强度已经减弱，火山也开始平息下来了。”但是官员警告称，虽然岩浆流动慢下来了，但是不会维持太久。“还有更多地火山可能会爆发，现有的火山可能再次变得活跃。”地表下面有许多岩浆，这些岩浆最终会喷发出来。
第一部分真题精选 英语二级笔译实务英译汉真题精选（42篇）及答案 Passage1 Where Shakespeare Slept,or So They Say Tucked away in this small village in Buckinghamshire County is the former Elizabethan coaching inn where William Shakespeare is said to have penned part of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Dating from1534,the inn,now called Shakespeare House,is thought to have been built as a Tudor hunting https://www.doczj.com/doc/9b872095.html,ter it became a stop for travelers between London and Stratford-upon-Avon,where Shakespeare was born and buried. It was“Brief Lives,”a17th-century collection of biographies by John Aubrey, that linked Shakespeare to the inn,saying that he had stayed there and drawn inspiration for the comedy while in the village. One of the current owners,Nick Underwood,said the local lore goes even further:“It is also said he appears at the oriel window on the top floor of the house on April23every year—the date he is said to have been born and to have died.” “In later years,the house later became a farm house,with150acres of land, but,over time,pieces were sold off,”Mr.Underwood said.“In the20th century,it was owned by two American families.”Now,he and his co-owner,Roy Elsbury, have put the seven-bedroom property on the market at1.375million,or$2.13 million. Despite its varied uses and renovations over the years,the4,250-square-foot,
01A（3 人组）说翻译（下）材料 原文： 要以经济体制改革为重点，区别情况，分类推进，抓好牵一发而动全身的举措，力求取 得实质性进展，更多释放改革红利。 在全国实施工商登记制度改革，落实认缴登记制，由先证后照改为先照后证，由企业年 检制度改为年报公示制度，让市场主体不断迸发新的活力。（118 字） 译文： We will focus on economic structural reform, advance it on different fronts in a targeted way in light of different conditions, take key measures that will have an overall impact, strive to make substantive progress and reap more benefits from reform. We will reform the business registration system nationwide and carry out registration of subscribed capital. Issuing an operating permit before a license, which was the practice in the past, will be replaced with the practice of license first, operating permit second. Annual inspections of businesses will be replaced by annual reporting to incentivize market actors. 0 1B（3 人组）说翻译（下）材料 原文： 坚持放管并重，建立纵横联动协同管理机制，实现责任和权力同步下放、放活和监管同 步到位。 各级政府预算和决算都要向社会公开，部门预算要逐步公开到基本支出和项目支出，所有财政拨款的“三公”经费都要公开，打造阳光财政，让群众看明白、能监督。（115 字）译文： We will attach equal importance to both delegating power and strengthening oversight, establish a mechanism of coordinating management between government bodies at both the same and different levels, and ensure that both responsibility and power are delegated together and that relaxing control and strengthening oversight go hand in hand. Governments at all levels should release their budgets and final accounts to the public, and budgets released by government bodies should progressively include details down to basic regular and project expenditures. In particular, all public spending on official overseas visits, official vehicles, and official hospitality should be made public. We will ensure transparency of public finance and make it easy for people to understand and oversee it. 02A（3 人组）说翻译（下）材料 原文： 推进税收制度改革，把“营改增”试点扩大到铁路运输、邮政服务、电信等行业，清费 立税，推动消费税、资源税改革，做好房地产税、环境保护税立法相关工作。 保持人民币汇率在合理均衡水平上的基本稳定，扩大汇率双向浮动区间，推进人民币资本项目可兑换。（117 字） 译文： We will advance the reform of the tax system by taking the following steps: Extend trials for replacing business tax with VAT to the railway transport, postal and telecommunications services industries, abolish fees and replace them with taxes, reform the excise tax and resource tax, and move ahead with legislation on property tax and environmental protection tax. We will keep the renminbi exchange rate basically stable at an appropriate, balanced level,
2018-11 【英译中】【Passage 1】 New drone footage gives a glimpse of the damage that Hawaii’s Big Island sustained in the wake of volcanic explosions in recent days. Smoke can be seen billowing off the lava as it creeps down roads and through wooded areas toward homes. Fires are visible with terrifying streams of brightness breaking through the surrounding areas of black. After a day of relative calm, Kilauea roared back in full force on Sunday,spewing lava 300 feet in the air, encroaching on a half mile of new ground and bringing the total number of destroyed structures to 35. 从无人机拍摄到的最新视频中，可以大概了解到近日火山喷发后，夏威夷大岛所遭受的损失情况。火山岩浆在道路上、树林里蔓延，直逼住家，岩浆所到处浓烟滚滚。在一片漆黑中可见多处大火，火光十分刺眼。基拉韦厄火山经过相对平静的一天后，周日又火力全开，将岩浆喷到300英尺高空，又侵蚀了半英里土地，共有35处建筑遭摧毁。 There have been 1,800 residents evacuated from their neighborhoods where cracks have been opening and spilling lava. In evacuated areas with relatively low sulfur dioxide levels, residents were allowed to return home for a few hours to collect belongings on Sunday and Monday. Officials said those residents – a little more than half of the evacuees — were allowed to return briefly, and they would continue to allow residents in if it could be done safely. 由于地面开裂、岩浆涌出，1800社区居民被疏散。周六周日，在二氧化硫浓度不高的被疏散区域，居民获准回家几个小时收拾家中物品。当地官员称，这些居民——约占被疏散居民总数的半数多些——被准许回家短暂停留，并且在保证安全的前提下，允许其他居民回家。 “Things got pretty active,” an official said at a Saturday press conference. “The eight volcanoes were pretty active, to the point where lava was spewing and the flow started spreading so we got additional damage out there. I’m not sure what the count is, but we thought it was just continuing to go. Fortunately, seismicity has laid down and the volcanoes have gone quiet now.” But officials had cautioned that while the lava flow was quiet, it wouldn’t be for long. “More volcano es could open up, the existing ones could get active again.” There’s a lot of lava under the ground so eventually it’s going to come up.” “这些火山变的很活跃，”一位官员在周六举行的新闻发布会上称，“有八个火山变的很活跃，岩浆喷出后，四处扩散，因此我们那里损失又多了些。我现在还不了解损失总数，但我们认为这个数字仍在不断攀升。庆幸地是，现在地震强度已经减弱，火山也开始平息下来了。”但是官员警告称，虽然岩浆流动慢下来了，
2013年11月英语二级《笔译实务》试题 Part A Compulsory Translation（必译题） The archivists requested a donkey, but what they got from the mayor‘s office were four wary black sheep, which, as of Wednesday morning, were chewing away at a lumpy field of grass beside the municipal archives building as the City of Paris‘s newest, shaggiest lawn mowers. Mayor Bertrand Delano? has made the environment a priority since his election in 2001, with popular bike- and car-sharing programs, an expanded network of designated lanes for bicycles and buses, and an enormous project to pedestrianize the banks along much of the Seine. The sheep, which are to mow (and, not inconsequentially, fertilize) an airy half-acre patch in the 19th District intended in the same spirit. City Hall refers to the project as ―eco-grazing,‖ and it notes that the four ewes will prevent the use of noisy, gas-guzzling mowers and cut down on the use of herbicides. Paris has plans for a slightly larger eco-grazing project not far from the archives building, assuming all goes well; similar projects have been under way in smaller towns in the region in recent years. The sheep, from a rare, diminutive Breton breed called Ouessant, stand just about two feet high. Chosen for their hardiness, city officials said, they will pasture here until October inside a three-foot-high, yellow electrified fence. ―This is really not a one-shot deal,‖ insisted René Dutrey, the adjunct mayor for the environment and sustainable development. Mr. Dutrey, a fast-talking man in orange-striped Adidas Samba sneakers, noted that the sheep had cost the city a total of just about $335, though no further economic projections have been drawn up for the time being. A metal fence surrounds the grounds of the archives, and a security guard stands watch at the gate, so there is little risk that local predators — large, unleashed dogs, for instance — will be able to reach the ewes. Curious humans, however, are encouraged to visit the sheep, and perhaps the archives, too. The eco-grazing project began as an initiative to attract the public to the archives, and informational panels have been put in place to explain what, exactly, the
英语翻译二级笔译综合能力模拟试题及答案解析（4） (1/20)Vocabulary Selection In this part, there are 20 incomplete sentences. Below each sentence, there are 4 choices respectively marked by letters A, B, C and D. Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence. There is only ONE right answer. Blacken the corresponding letter as required on your Machine-scoring ANSWER SHEET. 第1题 Home to________and gangsters, officials and laborers, refugees and artists, the city was, in its prime, a metropolis that exhibited all the hues of the human character. A.magnates B.magnets C.machines D.magnitudes 下一题 (2/20)Vocabulary Selection In this part, there are 20 incomplete sentences. Below each sentence, there are 4 choices respectively marked by letters A, B, C and D. Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence. There is only ONE right answer. Blacken the corresponding letter as required on your Machine-scoring ANSWER SHEET. 第2题 "They′re the best team I′ve seen thus far," says________men′s basketball coach Larry Brown. A.American′s https://www.doczj.com/doc/9b872095.html, C.the USA D.United States of America 上一题下一题 (3/20)Vocabulary Selection In this part, there are 20 incomplete sentences. Below each sentence, there are 4 choices respectively marked by letters A, B, C and D. Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence. There is only ONE right answer. Blacken the corresponding letter as required on your Machine-scoring ANSWER SHEET. 第3题 Over a very large number of trials, the probability of an event________is equal to the probability that it will not occur. A.occurring B.occurred C.occurs D.occur 上一题下一题 (4/20)Vocabulary Selection In this part, there are 20 incomplete sentences. Below each sentence, there are 4 choices respectively marked by letters A, B, C and D. Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence. There is only ONE right answer. Blacken the corresponding letter as required on your Machine-scoring ANSWER SHEET.
Section 1 V ocabulary and Grammar (60 points) This section consists of 3 parts. Read the direction for each part before answering the questions. Part 1 V ocabulary Selection In this part, there are 20 incomplete sentences. Below each sentence, there are 4 choices marked by letters A, B, C, and D respectively. Choose the word which best completes each sentence. There is only ONE right answer. Blacken the corresponding letter as required on your machine-scoring ANSWER SHEET. 1. From a young age, children begin a continuous process of evaluating themselves in the _____ of the opinions and comments of those around them. a. contrast b. return c. light d. spite 2. If you’re forced outside for hours ____ end, especially doing something physical, consider dumping water over your head or on your neck. a. at b. to c. in d. on 3. One reason for the cost of wave power is the need to make the equipment _____ to storm damage and corrosion. a. impassable b. impertinent c. imperious d. impervious 4. The study found that one in four people has missed an important appointment, and that nearly one in five has fallen ____ with a friend
2016.11 CATTI 英语二级笔译实务科目试题 E-C Passage 1 Everyone knows that weddings—the most elaborate and costly form of old school pageantry still acceptable in modern society—are stupid expensive. But it turns out Americans are now blowing even more money than ever before on what‘s supposed to be the most magical day of any couple‘s life together. Money that, to be honest, could be spent on much, much cooler stuff. The Knot released its annual wedding survey this week, with findings showing that couples are spending a mind-numbing average of $32,641 on matrimonial celebrations. The study includes data from nearly 18,000 pairs across the country. While the cost of a wedding varied greatly from city to city—reaching a nauseating high of $82,300 in Manhattan—the price was steep no matter where couples chose to get hitched. All this despite the fact that weddings (and marriages in general, honestly) can be a fairly impractical thing to invest in. Seriously, even 50 Cent doesn‘t spend as much in a day as you‘re spending on a reception band alone. Think about that. So rather than buying into the Marriage Industrial Complex on a union that may or may not work out, wouldn‘t it make more sense to save your hard-earned money by forgoing the big ceremony for the major expenses you‘re likely to face in married life? You know, like a mortgage. Or braces for your wallet-draining children-to-be. And if your fianceé is dead set on a fairytale wedding? You could always just blow your financial load on a plenty fulfilling single life. With nearly $33,000 to spend in the life of a singledom, you could get pretty far when it comes to amenities and entertainment. Perhaps the best part of being free from the shackles of wedding planning is the opportunity to treat yourself. Like, why drop $1,400 on a frilly dress you‘ll wear once before it turns to moth food when you can rock the most expensive shoes of the season and look great doing it? And while weddings are supposed to be all about the happy couple, everyone knows that‘s bull, because you have to feed your guests and provide them entertainment and put a roof over their heads for a couple of hours and likely go into debt doing it. In addition to simply having fun, there are some more practical ways to spend your wedding purse as well. For instance, purchasing and providing for a nice house cat rather than dropping major dough on finger bling intended for fending off hotties for the rest of your life. Fluffy won‘t care if you bring home someone new every weekend—he‘ll just hate everyone i ndiscriminately. Passage 2 My teenage son recently informed me that there is an Internet quiz to test oneself for narcissism. His friend had just taken it. ―How did it turn out?‖ I asked. ―He says he did great!‖ my son responded. ―He