Now listen to the following recording andanswer questions 20 to 22

20

A.Making a cross on the toe of your shoes.

B.Licking your finger until you have seen a dog.

C.Making a cross on the finger until the mark hasdried.

D.Keeping your fingers crossed until you have seen a dog.

21

A.They were considered to be tools of the gods.

B.They would trap the souls of bad people.

C.They were recognized as a tool to avoid bad luck.

D.They would bring bad luck when people touched them.

22

A.Breaking a mirror indoors.

B.A black cat crossing one’s path.

C.Opening an umbrella in the house.

D.Touching wood.

There are many superstitions in Britain, but one ofthe most widely held is that it is unlucky to walkunder a ladder even if it means stepping off thepavement into a busy street. (20) If you must passunder a ladder you can avoid bad luck by crossingyour fingers and keeping them crossed until youhave seen a dog. Alternatively, you may lick yourfinger and make a cross on the toe of your shoe, and not look again at the shoe until the markhas dried.

Another common superstition is that it is unlucky to open an umbrella in the house. It will eitherbring misfortune to the person who opened it or to the whole household. Anyone opening anumbrella in fine weather is unpopular, as it inevitably brings rain.

The number 13 is said to be unlucky for some, and when the 13th day of the month falls on aFriday, anyone wishing to avoid a bad event had better stay indoors. The worst misfortunethat can happen to a person is caused by breaking a mirror, as it brings seven years of badluck. (21) The superstition is supposed to have originated in ancient times, when mirrors wereconsidered to be tools of the gods.

(22) Black cats are generally considered lucky in Britain, even though they are associated withwitchcraft. It is especially lucky if a black cat crosses your path although in America the exactopposite belief prevails.

Finally, a commonly held superstition is that of touching wood for luck. This measure is mostoften taken if you think you have said something that is taking a risk, such as "my car hasnever broken down, touch wood?"

20. How to avoid bad luck when you must pass under a ladder in Britain?

21. What did the ancient British people think of mirrors?

22. What is believed as good luck in Britain?

在英国有很多迷信的说法，但是信众最多的一个迷信说法是在梯子底下经过会带来厄运，即使这有时候意味着你必须离开人行道到车辆川流的大街上去走。如果你必须要从梯子下面走过，可以让手指保持交叉状态，直到看到狗时再放开，这样就可以避免厄运。或者，你舔一下手指，然后在鞋尖上画一个十字。接下来不能看这只鞋，直到标记干掉为止。

另一个很多人相信的迷信说法是在房间里面打开伞会带来厄运。这要么会给打开伞的人带来坏运气，要么会给全家人带来坏运气。人们也不喜欢在晴好的天气里打伞，因为他们认为这样必定会招来阴雨天气。

数字13对于一些人来说是不吉利的，当13日这一天刚好是星期五时，不想遇到坏事情的人们通常会选择待在家中。一个人遇到最不幸的事情可能就是打碎镜子，因为这会带来连续七天的坏运气。这个迷信之说应该是起源于古代，当时人们认为镜子是神的工具。

在英国黑猫被认为是幸运的，虽然它通常被与巫术联系在一起。如果走路时一只黑猫从你面前穿过，一般会认为你将交上好运，但是美国人则正好相反。

最后，一个普遍的迷信说法是摸木头驱除厄运。这种方法通常是在你说出有风险的话之后使用的。比如：我的车从来没有坏过。摸木头。

问题20 在英国如果人们从梯子下面走过怎样避免坏运气?

问题21 英国古代的人们对镜子的想法是什么?

问题22 在英国人们认为什么象征着好运气?

参考答案：

【小题20】D

【小题21】A

【小题22】B

习题解析：

【小题20】听力原文中提到 If you must pass under a ladder you can avoid bad luck by crossing your fingers and keeping them crossed until you have seen a dog. 由此可知，如果必须通过梯子底部，可以让手指保持交叉状态，直到看到狗时再放开，这样就可以避免厄运。故选项 D 为答案。

【小题21】听力原文中提到一个人打碎了镜子就要倒霉七年，这种说法起源于古代，而古代时 mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods，由此可知在古代镜子被认为是神的工具。故选项 A 为答案。

【小题22】听力原文中提到 Black cats are generally considered lucky in Britain，而后又提到 It is especially lucky if a black cat crosses your path，由此可知，在英国黑猫被认为是幸运的，如果走路时一只黑猫从你面前穿过，一般会认为你将交上好运。故选项 B 为答案。