EXTRA READING COMPREHENSION 4

1 Read the text. Then answer the questions.

A FASHIONABLE WEDDING Have you ever been to a wedding? The bride’s dress is one of the most important parts of the event, and most women spend a long time choosing the right one. But what is the right dress? Wedding dresses, like other types of clothing, reflect the fashion of the time. In Ancient Rome, people believed white was the favourite colour of the god of marriage, so women wore white wedding dresses. But in the medieval period, colourful material was more expensive than plain material. Rich women wore colourful wedding dresses with a lot of cloth to show their status. Ordinary people wore practical dresses from plain cloth. After their wedding, they wore their wedding dress at church and for celebrations. The long white wedding dress of today became fashionable after Queen Victoria got married in 1840. Many brides saw her wedding photograph and decided to wear similar dresses. People began using machines to make cloth in the 19th century, so cloth wasn’t as expensive as before and more people had the money to pay for long dresses. During World War II, people needed cloth to make uniforms, so brides wore short dresses. But when the war was over, long dresses were “in” again. Since then, the style and length of wedding dresses has changed as different fashions have become trendy or outdated. So what do you think wedding dresses will look like a hundred years from now?

       1.  Why did some medieval women wear colourful dresses?

                                                                                                                                                  

       2.  What did other medieval women do with their dresses after their wedding?

                                                                                                                                                  

       3.  What type of wedding dress did Queen Victoria wear?

                                                                                                                                                  

       4.  What happened as a result of Queen Victoria’s wedding dress?

                                                                                                                                                  

       5.  How did machines change fashion?

                                                                                                                                                  

       6.  Why was cloth important during World War II?