or often say,” touch wood” for good luck.
Chris: Then, what about the unlucky people? Do you mean if they think they ate
unlucky, they tend to believe in superstitions abut bad luck.
Susan: Yeah. They worry a lot about a broken mirror, a black cat running across their
path, and so on.
Chris: So what is his point? Susan: His point is that people make their own luck by their attitude to life. So, 49
percent of lucky people regularly cross their fingers, compared to 30 percent of unlucky people. And only 18 percent of lucky people are anxious if they break a mirror.
Chris: So, our fate is linked to our attitude rather than to our superstitions. Susan: I think that?s what he is suggesting. Chris: This research seems too complicates. If I were a psychologist, I would conduct a survey to find whether 13 really is an unlucky number. I f there ere traffic accidents or murders on the 13th than on other days, then we have to believe in superstitions.
Susan: What if there weren?t?
Chris: Then I wouldn?t be superstitious. Susan: What a brilliant idea! I never expected you to be as wise as Solomon. Chris: Well as long as you don?t think I?m a fool.
MODEL3 I believe ETs have visited the earth before. Script
Nora: Hey, what?s this picture of yours? It looks like a flying saucer.
Chris: It is. I was visited by aliens last week and this is a picture of their spacecraft. Nora: When I look closer, it resembles a liver Frisbee.
Chris: But it could have been aliens. I believe ETs have visited the earth before. What do you think?
Nora: It would be hard to believe otherwise. Projects like the pyramids are difficult to explain away, given the level of technology that was available at the time Chris: That?s for sure. They are mysterious. Nora: When you consider all those “impossibilities, it?s tempting to infer that some highly advanced civilization assisted humans in their construction.
Chris: Think about this: if you were abducted by aliens and taken up to their spaceship or something …well… Nora: What do you mean?
Chris: I mean, who would believe you? You?d go nuts telling everyone: “It?s true! I
was abducted by aliens!”
Nora: And everyone would think you were crazy, or just making up a story to get
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attention. Chris: From what I understand, sometimes these people do go crazy, trying to
convince people about their experiences.
Nora: I believe that in some cases they offer pretty good evidence.
Chris: So, take a closer look at this picture. Do you still think it?s a Frisbee?
Now Your Turn Task 1
SAMPLE DIALOG
Simon: Eliza, do you know why people say” keep your fingers crossed” when they
want to wish others luck?
Eliza: It sounds a bit funny. As far as I know, it?s a lot to do with an ancient
Christian belief.
Simon: Uh, go on.
Eliza: In the Christian belief “making the sign of the cross” would keep away evil
spirits and bad luck.
Simon: I see. When you think about the cross, sign of Christianity, that belief seems
to make some sense.
Eliza: That?s true. That?s why children often cross their fingers when they tell a
small lie. They want to keep bad luck away, or to avoid being punished.
Simon: Sounds interesting. So, I?ll cross my fingers for you before you take the final
examination.
Eliza: Thank you.
Simon: But those who don?t understand this superstition might be puzzled
Eliza: With interesting communications among nations, more and more people can
understand it now.
V. Let’s Talk
Script
Thanks, perhaps, to falling stock markets and unrest in the Middle East, Britons have become even more superstitious than usual, according to a report published today. “There has been a significant increase in superstition over the last month, possible as a result of current economic and political uncertainties,” stated Dr. Dick Armstrong. He launched an Internet Survey of national superstition, and found it to be surprisingly high, even among those with a scientific background. Only more in ten of those surveyed claimed not to be superstitious at all. Three out of four people in Britain feel the need to touch wood, and 65% cross their fingers.
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It is interesting to note that lucky people were much less superstitious and tended to take constructive action to improve their lives. Conversely, superstitious people tended to regard themselves as among the less lucky, worried about life, had a strong need for control, and could not tolerate ambiguity.
The survey also revealed some unexpected beliefs. For example, one respondent could not stay in the bathroom once a toilet had been flushed.
There was no evidence that superstitious ever worked, even, when people were instructed to carry lucky charms for a week. They didn?t feel any luckier or more stratified with their lives at the end of that week than when they started.
Armstrong attempted to explain this phenomenon: “When students are preparing for exams with a lucky charm, they may trust the charm, rather than doing some extra revision.” Reasons foe More Thanks, perhaps, to falling stock markets and unrest in the Middle East, Britons have become even more superstitious than Superstitions usual Lucky people were much less superstitious and tended to take constructive action to improve their lives. Conversely, superstitious people tended to regard themselves as among the Who are more less lucky superstitious? There was no evidence that superstitious ever worked, even, when people were instructed to carry lucky charms for a week. Do superstitions They didn?t feel any luckier or more satisfied work? Explanation
When students are preparing for exams with a lucky charm, they may trust the charm, rather than doing some more revision. VI. Further Listening and Speaking
Task1: Horseshoes as a Sign of Good Luck Script
Horseshoes are a traditional sign of good luck. Most people believe this comes from the fact that the horseshoe is shaped like the crescent moon, a period of prosperity and good fortune. One legend has it that the Devil was in disguise and wandering at large, looking for trouble. He happened to call on St. Dunstan, who ea skilled in shoeing horses. St. Dunstan recognized the Devil and tied him to a wall with only his feet free to move. He then set to work shoeing him as though he were a horse, but with such roughness the Devil cried out for mercy. St. Dunstan stopped his work and released the Devil after making him promise never to enter a home on which a horseshoe was
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fixed. Witches fear horses, so they are also turned away by a door with a horseshoe mounted on it. The big issue regarding horseshoes is whether they should be hung points up or points down.
The original superstition was that the horseshoe is points up to keep the luck from pouring out. Despite this view most buildings with horseshoes in their sign hang them the opposite way. The Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas hangs its horseshoe with the arc on top. They may be hoping their customers? luck runs out, but this is usually not something you advertise in your sign. Finger rings made of horseshoe nail are said to keep away bad luck. Also, robbing two horseshoes together is said to bring good luck.
1. According to the passage, what does the crescent moon represent? 2. What did St. Dunstan do to the Devil? 3. What did the Devil promise?
4. What is the big issue concerning the horseshoe?
5. Why is the arc of the horseshoe up at the casino in Las Vegas?
Keys: 1.A 2.C 3.D 4.C5.B
Task 2: Superstitions or real bad lucks?
Script
Joan: Pass me that mirror, would you? I?ll see if my makeup is OK.
Dick: OOOPS!! Sorry I dropped it…but is it you or me that gets the seven years of
bad luck?
Joan: You, I hope, but probable neither of us. I wonder where that “old wives? tale”
originated anyway.
Dick: There used to be a lot of superstitions: black cats, ladders, numbers. My
parent and grandparents are full of them.
Joan: I agree. People today are much more educated than before. These superstitions
are just amusing pieced of history rather than beliefs, don?t you think so?
Dick: Perhaps, but some people today still go for them. People whose livelihoods
depend more on luck—like professional athletes, or fishermen—often they have superstitious routines.
Joan: It?s rue. I have heard of athletes who wear lucky socks or a treasured medal to
bring them good fortune.
Dick: And let?s not forget lucky numbers. We all know about the number4,6, and 8 in
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China.
Joan: I know 4 is death and 8 is wealth, but what is the significance of 6?
Dick: 6 means good luck. Some people include 6 in their e-mail address just for luck. Joan: Maybe we are not as smart as we think we are.
Dick: Well, there are many things in the universe that we cannot control, and that?s
why people are superstitious.
Keys: TTFFT
Task3: Career Transitions
Script
There was a king in Africa who has a close friend that he grew up with. The friend has a habit of looking at every situation in his life and saying, “This is good!”
One day the king and his friend were out hunting. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” to which the king replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail.
About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied him to a stake surrounded by wood. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king had but one thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So they set the king free.
As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb off and felt badly sorry about his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good for my thumb was blown off.” Then he apologized, “I?m very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”
“No,” his friend replied, “this is good!”
“What do you mean, ?this is good?? How could it be good that I sent you, my good friend, to jail for all this time?”
“If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you—and eaten.!”
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