Many of us already know about several American superstitions(迷信). Having a black cat cross your path, walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror are all bad luck. In addition, there are many other superstitions that are worth knowing. Understanding them will keep you safe from evil spirits —if you believe in such things —and impress your American friends when you mention them.
Like the superstitions in other cultures, American superstitions often involve the things important in daily life, such as health, numbers, and marriage. For example, have you ever had a cough that would not go away? According to one American superstition, you should take a piece of your hair and put it between two slices of buttered bread. Next, feed this hair sandwich to a dog and say, “Eat well, you hound, may you be sick and I be sound.” This will trick the evil spirits and help your cough. It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.
In American superstitions, the number three is very important. Often, Americas will say, “All things come in threes.” Three is lucky because it represents the traditional family: mother, father, and child. Therefore, gifts, letters, and guests will often arrive at your home in groups of three. However, it is also possible for bad events, like accidents and funerals, to come in threes as well.
Another time people pay attention to superstitions is when they get married. During a wedding, brides must wear or carry “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”. The old and borrowed things will bring luck to the person who gives them to the bride. The new and blue things will bring good fortune to the bride herself. The next time someone you know is getting married, be sure to recite this phrase.
As it would be unlucky to discuss one more superstition, we will wind things up here. Keep your fingers crossed, and stay lucky!
小題1:The passage is most probably entitled        .
A.American’s Bad LuckB.Cross-culture and Superstitions
C.American SuperstitionsD.Daily Life in Superstitions
小題2:The underlined sentence in the second paragraph “It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.” means        .
A.when you try it, the dog will raise its eyebrows.
B.you will make people surprised when you try this trick
C.only if you raise your eyebrows can the trick work
D.you will believe in the trick after you try it
小題3: In American’s view, the number three is a(n)         number.
A.luckyB.unluckyC.specialD.ordinary
小題4: On the wedding, the bride often uses old and borrowed things so as to          .
A.save some money for the wedding
B.bring good luck to the people who give them to the bride
C.give the good luck to the bride herself
D.pass the bad luck to others
小題5: After reading the passage, we may feel it is written in a         tone.
A.formalB.seriousC.humorousD.critical
小題1:C小題1:B小題1:C小題1:B小題1:C
練習冊系列答案
相關(guān)習題

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:完形填空

完型填空(共20小題;每小題1.5分,滿分30分)
閱讀下面短文,掌握其大意,然后從36—55各題所給的四個選項(A、B、C和D)中,選出最佳選項,并在答題卡上涂黑。
A daughter thought life was unpromising to her and complained to her father about it.She did not know how she was going to__36_and wanted to give up.She was__37_of fighting and struggling.It seemed as if one problem was just solved before a new one__38__.
Her father, a cook, took her to the__39 _.He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high  40 Soon the pots came to a  41 __.In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans.He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and_42_waited, asking repeatedly what he was doing.In about twenty minutes he turned offthe__43_ He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.Then he spooned the coffee out and placed it in another.Turning to her he asked, "Darling, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to  44  the carrots.She did and noted that they were soft.He then asked her to take an egg and break it.After pulling off the  45 , she observed the hard-boiled egg! Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee.She smiled_46_she tasted its rich flavor.She humbly asked, "What does it mean, Father?"
He explained that each of them had faced the same   47  , boiling water, but each_  48 differently.The carrot went in  49 and hard.But after being subjected to the boiling water, it _50_and became weak. The egg had been  51 .Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior.But after sitting__52_the boiling water, its inside became hardened.The ground coffee beans were unique, 53  .After they were in the boiling water, they had__54_the water.
"Which are you?" he asked his daughter."When adversity knocks on your door, __55 _do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
小題1:
A.make outB.make itC.make upD.make through
小題2:
A.typicalB.consciousC.tiredD.warned
小題3:
A.raisedB.a(chǎn)roseC.disappearedD.faded
小題4:
A.roomB.marketC.kitchenD.grocery
小題5:
A.shelfB.temperatureC.fireD.table
小題6:
A.boilB.coolC.hotD.smoke
小題7:
A.happilyB.calmlyC.casuallyD.impatiently
小題8:
A.lightsB.burnersC.tapD.water
小題9:
A.seeB.carryC.feelD.fetch
小題10:
A.shellB.packC.bagD.cover
小題11:
A.sinceB.a(chǎn)sC.beforeD.if
小題12:
A.occasionB.pointC.varietyD.a(chǎn)dversity
小題13:
A.reflectedB.a(chǎn)nsweredC.a(chǎn)bandonedD.reacted
小題14:
A.stableB.weakC.strongD.sensitive
小題15:
A.softenedB.widenedC.shortenedD.sharpened
小題16:
A.half-doneB.easily-broken C.easily-gotD.hard-boiled
小題17:
A.overB.forC.throughD.on
小題18:
A.howeverB.otherwiseC.besidesD.moreover
小題19:
A.meltedB.a(chǎn)bsorbedC.pollutedD.changed
小題20:
A.whatB.howC.whenD.why

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:完形填空


John had to go to work. So he set off half an hour 36 than usual and arrived at the library before anybody else. The 37 to come was Mr. Steele, who thought, “This must be a wonder. John is 38 the first here. If he came as 39 as this every morning, he would get a lot more 40 done.” John began to get on with his work and by half past nine he had 41 all the postcards he had to write. It was a quarter to ten, and Mary had not arrived 42. He wondered 43 she was ill or if she had taken the day 44. But Mr. Steele came and 45 him if he knew where Mary was. If she were ill, she would 46, he said. It’s not like her. She’s usually 47. John said that he had no 48 where Mary was. But 49 the door opened and there was Mary. She was looking very 50 and tired. She apologized to Mr. Steele and explained that she had been 51 most of the night. She hadn’t 52 to sleep until five in the morning and had overslept. Mr. Steele was very 53 and suggested that she take the day off. She 54 him and said she would stay, but she 55 said a word for the rest of the morning. John, on the other hand, was feeling happy so at one o’clock he suggested to Mary that they go and have lunch together, and she agreed.
小題1:..
A.later B.faster C.slower D.earlier
小題2:..
A.next B.last C.third D.first
小題3:..
A.a(chǎn)lmost B.a(chǎn)bout C.a(chǎn)ctually D.finally
小題4:.
A.soon B.early C.late D.quick
小題5:.
A.job B.book C.work D.thing
小題6:..
A.taken B.sold C.finished D.ended
小題7:.
A.too B.yet C.still D.a(chǎn)lready
小題8:..
A.whether B.why C.when D.either
小題9:.
A.on B.over C.off D.up
小題10:..
A.told B.warned C.a(chǎn)nswered D.a(chǎn)sked
小題11:..
A.telephone B.drive C.ride D.stay
小題12:..
A.later for work B.a(chǎn)bsent C.illD.the first to come
小題13:..
A.question B.idea C.thought D.mind
小題14:.
A.a(chǎn)t that momentB.for a momentC.long beforeD.a(chǎn)fter work
小題15:.
A.happy B.pale C.red D.excited
小題16:..
A.a(chǎn)sleep B.a(chǎn)way C.a(chǎn)lone D.a(chǎn)wake
小題17:.
A.got B.wanted C.hoped D.begun
小題18:.
A.cruel B.kind C.a(chǎn)ngry D.glad
小題19:..
A.taught B.told C.laughed at D.thanked
小題20:..
A.hardly B.nearly C.mostly D.immediately

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:完形填空

完形填空(共20小題;每小題1.5分,共30分)
閱讀下面短文,從短文后所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中選出可以填入空白出的最佳選項。
?Long time ago, if a child had some problems in his life, he might go home and write in his   21 . Now, a child with the same problems might go onto the Internet and write about them in a blog(博客. In many ways, a diary and a blog are very   22 .So, what makes blogging different from writing in a   23 diary?
The biggest difference is that blogging is much more   24 than a diary. Usually, a teenager treats her diary like a book full of   25   that she does not want to   26 .
It’s interesting that someone who writes in a blog  27 a diary will probably write nearly the same information.
I have a little sister, and sometimes I go online to read her blog. She   28 about things like waking up early for swimming practice and not studying enough for her chemistry test.  29 I was her age, I wrote about the same things, but   30 in my diary. Then, after I had finished writing, I would hide my diary in a secret place because I was   31 that my sister might read it!
The biggest  32 with blogging is that anyone can read what you write. If I were angry with a friend during high school and wrote something   33 about her in my diary, she would never know.  34 , if my sister ever wrote something bad about a friend, that friend   35 read her blog and get angry.
There are also   36 to blogging, of course. If I were feeling sad one day and wrote in my diary, “Nobody cares about me,”  37 would know about it. However if my sister wrote the same sentence in her blog, her best friends would   38 respond(回應)and tell her how much they like her. Blogs help people   39 in contact with their friends and to hear what the people   40 them are doing.
小題1:
A.notebookB.diaryC.blogD.book
小題2:
A.familiarB.sameC.similarD.different
小題3:
A.oldB.realC.dailyD.traditional
小題4:
A.convenientB.secretC.publicD.cheap
小題5:
A.secretsB.mysteriesC.questionsD.puzzles
小題6:
A.publishB.shareC.solveD.a(chǎn)nswer
小題7:
A.insteadB.a(chǎn)s well as C.in favor ofD.instead of
小題8:
A.wondersB.learnsC.writesD.worries

20070331

 
小題9:
A.AlthoughB.WhenC.BecauseD.Since

小題10:
A.onlyB.neverC.a(chǎn)lsoD.still
小題11:
A.surprisedB.gladC.interestedD.worried
小題12:
A.difficultyB.reasonC.problemD.mistake
小題13:
A.goodB.meanC.funnyD.interesting
小題14:
A.HoweverB.AlsoC.ThenD.Besides
小題15:
A.willB.shouldC.mustD.might
小題16:
A.problemsB.goodsC.a(chǎn)dvantagesD.mistakes
小題17:
A.everyoneB.no oneC.someoneD.a(chǎn)nyone
小題18:
A.happilyB.hardlyC.seldomD.quickly
小題19:
A.stayB.putC.loseD.find
小題20:
A.besidesB.overC.a(chǎn)roundD.in front of

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:完形填空

完形填空(共20小題; 每小題1.5分, 滿分30分)
閱讀下面短文, 掌握其大意, 然后從36—55各題所給的四個選項(A、B、C和D)中, 選出最佳選項, 并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
The old man went slowly into the restaurant. A young waitress named Mary  36  him go toward a table by the window.
Mary ran  37  to him, and said, “Here, Sir. Let me give you a  38  with that chair.”
She pulled the chair away from the table. Steadying(使平穩(wěn)) him with one arm, she helped him move  39  the chair, and get  40  seated. Then she leaned his  41  against the table where he could reach it. In a  42 , clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss. And bless you for your kind  43 .” “You’re welcome, Sir.” She replied. “And my name is Mary. I’ll be back in a moment, and if you need  44 , just wave at me!”
 45  he had finished a hearty(豐盛的) meal of pancakes, bacon, and hot lemon tea, Mary  46  him the change. She helped him up from his chair, and out from behind the table. She handed  47  his walking stick, and  48  with him to the front door.
Holding the door  49  for him, she said, “Come back and see us, Sir!” He turned with his whole body, smiled, and nodded. “You are very kind.” he said softly.  50 Mary went to clean his table, she was very  51 . Under his plate she found a business card and a note. Under the note was a one-hundred-dollar bill.
The note  52 : “Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you  53  yourself too. It shows by the  54  you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through  55  meets you.”
The man she had waited on was the owner of the restaurant where she worked. This was the first time that she, or any of his employees had ever seen him in person.
小題1:
A.watchedB.helpedC.lookedD.wanted
小題2:
A.towardsB.overC.a(chǎn)wayD.outside
小題3:
A.liftB.changeC.ringD.hand
小題4:
A.behindB.next toC.in the front ofD.in front of
小題5:
A.comfortablyB.nervouslyC.curiouslyD.a(chǎn)ctively
小題6:
A.hatB.walking stickC.coatD.bag
小題7:
A.hardB.toughC.softD.cold
小題8:
A.methodsB.mindsC.gesturesD.thoughts
小題9:
A.nothingB.everythingC.a(chǎn)nybodyD.a(chǎn)nything
小題10:
A.AfterB.BeforeC.As ifD.If
小題11:
A.tookB.broughtC.passedD.treated
小題12:
A.herB.themC.himD.it
小題13:
A.wavedB.greetedC.walkedD.sent
小題14:
A.openB.shutC.closedD.opened
小題15:
A.UnlessB.ThoughC.Now thatD.When
小題16:
A.surprisedB.puzzledC.disappointedD.satisfied
小題17:
A.putB.readC.toldD.spoke
小題18:
A.ignoreB.valueC.respectD.express
小題19:
A.wayB.smileC.a(chǎn)ctionD.style
小題20:
A.whoB.whomC.a(chǎn)nyoneD.whoever

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Several years ago, a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America. One was a very rich banker, another owned one of the largest companies in the world, and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York.
The reporter was talking to them about being important.
“How do we know if someone is really important?” the reporter asked the banker.
The banker thought for a few moments and then said, “I think anybody who is invited to the White House to meet the President of the United States is really important.”
The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company. “Do you agree with that?” she asked.
The man shook his head, “No. I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House. You‘d only be important if while you were visiting the President, there was a telephone call from the president of another country, and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it.”
The reporter turned to the third man. “Do you think so?”
“No, I don‘t,” he said. “I don’t think that makes the visitor important. That makes the President important.”
“Then what would make the visitor important?” the reporter and the other two men asked.
“Oh, I think if the visitor to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang, and the President picked up the receiver, listened and then said, ‘It’s for you.‘ ”
小題1: There are _______ in this passage.
A.two men and two womenB.three men and one woman
C.three women and one manD.four women
小題2: The banker thought _______.
A.he was really important because he was a rich banker
B.the visitor to the White House was really important
C.the visitor who met the President of the United States
D.the reporter was really important
小題3: The owner of the very large company thought _______.
A.she was really important because she owned one of the largest companies
B.the banker was really important
C.the owner of many buildings in the center of New York was really important
D.the visitor would be really important if while he was visiting the President, the President would not answer any telephone call
小題4: The owner of many buildings thought _______.
A.he was really important because he owned many buildings in the center of New York
B.the owner of the very large company was really important
C.the visitor was really important if he talking to the President and the President received a telephone call for the visitor
D.the person who worked in the White House was really important

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Suddenly all the lights on that crowded underground train went out. Then it stopped in that dark tunnel(隧道).
We waited. We expected the lights to come on again soon. But nothing happened. Then I began to smell something. Yes, I could smell smoke. So I asked myself, “Is this train on fire?” People around me then began to cry out in fear. “The train is on fire!” they cried.
Then the woman standing next to me suddenly fell on the floor. I realized she was overcome by the smoke. Then I saw flames appearing. “If something does not happen soon,” I said to myself, “I will be burnt alive!”
But as I stood there in the dark in that crowded burning train, I could see no way to escape. I thought, “No one can save me from certain death but God. Only God can make a way for any of us to escape death in this train.”
Before the flames reached me, I found the open door and I climbed out of the train into the dark tunnel. Then as quickly as I could, I ran from the burning train down the tunnel. Now as I ran I could hear hundreds of people that were locked in that burning train, crying out for help. I knew I could do nothing to help them, so I ran on.
Then for two hours I kept walking in that dark train tunnel. At last I saw a light in the distance. I asked myself “Why did God enable me to escape death?” I decided, “God must have a purpose for saving my life. He must want me to help other people experience what He could do for them.”
小題1: What caused the woman next to me to fall?
A.The fire.
B.Fear.
C.The smoke.
D.Anxiety.
小題2: The passengers failed to escape because ________.
A.they didn’t find the way out
B.they were too frightened to move
C.the fire and smoke were too much
D.too many people were in their way
小題3: What would the author most possibly do after he saw the exit from the tunnel?
A.Going home.
B.Blaming himself.
C.Calling reporters.
D.Returning to help.
小題4:Between which two paragraphs can the following paragraph be put?
I cried, “God, if it is not my time to die, please help me!” Then I heard a noise. It was like a door opening. It was on my right hand side. So in the dark, I at once began to push my way forward to where that noise came from.
A.Between Paragraph 2 and 3.
B.Between Paragraph 3 and 4.
C.Between Paragraph 4 and 5.
D.Between Paragraph 5 and 6.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Herta Müller, the Romanian-born German writer, has won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature. Ms. Müller, 56, immigrated to Germany from Romania in 1987. She is the first German writer to win the Nobel in literature since Günter Grass in 1999 and the 13th winner writing in German since the prize was first given in 1901. She is the 12th woman to gain the literature prize. But unlike previous winners like Doris Lessing and V. S. Naipaul, Ms. Müller is unknown inside of literary circles in Germany.
“I am very surprised and still cannot believe it,” Ms. Muller said in a statement released by her publisher in Germany. “I can’t say anything more at the moment.”
She has written some 20 books, but just 5 have been translated into English, including the novels “The Land of Green Plums” and “The Appointment.”
At a news conference on Thursday at the German Publishers & Booksellers Association in Berlin, where she lives, Ms. Müller, wearing all black, appeared overwhelmed(不知所措) by all the cameras in her face.
When asked what it meant that her name would now be mentioned in the same breath as German greats like Thomas Mann and Heinrich Böll, Ms. Müller remained philosophical(達觀的). “I am now nothing better and I’m nothing worse,” she said, adding: “My inner thing is writing. That’s what I can hold on to.”
Earlier in the day, at a news conference in Stockholm, Peter Englund, secretary of the Swedish Academy, said Ms. Müller was honored for her “very, very distinct special language” and because “she has really a story to tell about…and growing up as a stranger in your own family.
小題1:.we can learn from the passage that Ms. Muller is_______.
A.the 1st writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature since 1999
B.the 12th winner for the Nobel Prize in Literature since 1901
C.the 13th woman writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature
D.a(chǎn) German citizen since she moved to German in 1987
小題2: Ms. Müller was surprised at the news about her winning the award because ____.
A.she was born a Romanian person
B.she had failed many times in winning it
C.she had never wanted to win the prize
D.she was only an unknown writer
小題3: The underlined expression “in the same breath” is the nearest in meaning to ____.
A.instead ofB.a(chǎn)t the same moment
C.in a breathD.under the same roof
小題4: We can infer according to the passage that ____.
A.her honored works are based on her own experience
B.most of Ms. Müller’s novels are unsuccessful works
C.Ms. Müller is feeling much better after she becomes the award winner
D.Ms. Müller was honored because she’s described the Germans’ life vividly

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

King Midas used to love gold. One day he met a fairy who allowed him to make a wish for something. The king replied at once , ‘‘I love gold . I want everything I touch to change into gold”. ‘‘Very well , tomorrow morning, everything you touch will turn into gold .”Saying this, the fairy disappeared.
The king waited excitedly till the next morning. To his joy ,everything he touched changed immediately into gold. ‘‘I’m the richest man in the world now.” He shouted.
Soon Midas became hungry. He sat down at his table. All the foods and drinks turned into gold in his hand . ‘‘I’m dying of hunger.” He cried.
Just then his daughter came running in . ‘‘Why are you so sad , dad ?” she asked, putting her arms around him. There and then she became a golden statue. The king loved his daughter very much .Seeing this ,he began to cry. He looked up and suddenly saw the fairy before him.  ‘‘Don’t you like the golden touch?” asked the fairy. ‘‘ Please take it away,” begged the king, ‘‘ give me back my daughter.”  ‘‘Well, you have learned your lesson. Go and wash in the river. Then the golden touch will be gone.” The king ran quickly to the nearby river.
小題1: The fairy allowed the king to make a wish because_____
A.she hoped to make the king the richest in the world.B.She loved gold too.
C.She wanted to teach the king a lesson.
D.She wanted to turn the king’s daughter into gold gold.
小題2: When the foods and drinks turned into gold the king was _____
A. excited  B. hungry  C. worried   D  happy
小題3: Which of the following might have happened afterwards?
A.The king died in the river.
B.The king’s daughter changed back from gold to a lovely girl.
C.All the things the king had touched changed back into real ones.
D.Both B and C
小題4:What do you think the story tries to tell us?
A.Gold makes people unhappy.
B.More gold , more happiness.
C.Gold is not the thing that makes life happy.
D.People feel happy if they have not gold.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習冊答案