We have spoken of marriage as a formal contract. It should be noted, however, that this contract does not 【B1】 the same form in different societies. In Western societies, the 【B2】 of a man and a woman 【B3】 given the status of legal marriage by being registered by an official 【B4】 by the state. In some African cities, 【B5】, marriage has nothing to do 【B6】 an official registration of this kind but is legalized by the formal 【B7】 of goods. Generally 【B8】 is the bridegroom who is required to make a 【B9】 of goods to the bride’’s kin (亲戚), though sometimes a payment is 【B10】 made by the bridegroom’’s kin to that of the bride. Among the Nuer, a 【B11】 living in Southern Sudan, the payment made to the bride’’s kin, 【B12】 as bridewealth, is in the 【B13】 of cattle. Once the 【B14】 of bridewealth is agreed 【B15】, and the formal payment is made, the marriage becomes a 【B16】 union and the offspring of the union become the acceptable 【B17】 of the husband. They remain 【B18】 children even 【B19】 the wife subsequently leaves him to live with 【B20】 man.

A．money
B．payment
C．cost
D．consumption