英语听力背景知识50篇.pdfVIP

www.TopwayE 听力背景知识 50篇 1. Superstition 迷信 One person in four in Britain is, apparently, superstitious, and they’ll do everything from hanging horseshoes over their fireplace to crossing their fingers, touching wood and absolutely never walking under a ladder. And they’re careful about cats. Black cats are supposed to be the familiars of witches, so if one is following you it’s definitely bad luck — a witch is after you! On the other hand, if one crosses your path and continues then it’s good luck because it hasn’t noticed you. However, in some places the beliefs are different — so it pays to know where your black cat comes from! Old superstitions linger even in today’s modern world. The author Philip Pullman drew on them in his award winning novel “His Dark Materials”. The novel, which appeals to both children and adults, has been adapted for radio and also the theatre. 2. Graduate Student 研究生 Graduate students specialize in a particular field of study. They study to become experts in this field and to learn new advances in their fields while they earn an M.A. or Ph.D. Sometimes when they get an M. A. in one field they begin studying another field. They hope that when they earn their graduate degrees they will succeed in finding important jobs. They hope to get jobs that are interesting and high paying. The life of a graduate student is often difficult. They are usually too busy studying to make a good living. Often they have to pay high tuition fees for their education. Some give up studying before they get their degrees. But most keep on working at their studies until they graduate. In today’s world, most graduate students don’t regret spending time with their studies. They are finding that new developments are occurring in all fields. For many graduate study has become a necessity. 3. April Fool’s Day