新视野大学英语视听说教程4unit6—unit10lead-in答案完整.doc

PAGE8 / NUMPAGES8 UNIT 6 Describe some superstitions in English-speaking countries. English-speaking nations have a number of superstitions. For example, many people believe 13 to be an unlucky number, and don’t want to live on the 13th floor on in Room 13. They say “knock on wood” or “ touch wood” to avoid bad luck. To wish somebody good luck, they may say “I’ll cross my fingers for you .” Superstitious people avoid walking under a ladderor opening an umbrella in doors. When they see a black cat run across their path, they think it’s a bad omen. Some people may hang a horseshoe over their door to ward off bad luck. If they happen to drop a mirror, they worry that they will have seven year’s bad luck. To ensure good luck, they may carry a charm of some kind, such as a lucky rabbit’s foot! What is the relationship between one’s attitude to life and one’s fate? Does the former determine the latter or is it the other way round? Since the world is complex and mysterious, it is not easy to arrive at a definite conclusion. Some scholars, including a British psychologist, suggest that there exists a correlation between one’s attitude to life and one’s fate. But more research is needed before we can be sure of such a correlation. Moreover, the cause-and-effect relationship has not been clearly identified, and we are uncertain which causes which. In real life we can find counter examples: some optimistic people aren’t very lucky, while some pessimistic people are quite lucky. Perhaps we should try to find out which case is more frequent: optimistic people with good luck or optimistic people with bad luck. Judging from my personal observations, the former is more common. I can even supply the reason: optimistic people have more self-confidence, which facilitates their success in life. A survey involving many people is required to discover what most people think about this issue. Do you believe there are extraterrestrial beings in outer space? It’s difficult to come to