发布时间 : 星期日 文章新视野大学英语视听说教程（第二版）第四册 原文和参考答案 修正版 unit6更新完毕开始阅读
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
China.
Joan: I know 4 is death and 8 is wealth, but what is the significance of 6?
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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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For Reference
1. He had a habit of looking at every situation in his life and saying, “This is good!” 2. After taking the gun, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.
3. They set the king free, because being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole
4. He felt sorry for his friend and went to the jail to apologize to him. 5. If he had not been in jail, I would have been with you—and eaten.
News Report
Egyptian Tombs Script
Archaeologist have uncovered two tombs that date back more than 2,500 years in the part of Cairo where the ancient city of Heliopolis once stood, according to Egyptian antiquity authorities.
Although there is a modern suburb of Heliopolis in Cairo southeast of its ancient namesake, the original Heliopolis was known as a center of learning and academic study in ancient Mediterranean times.
The 26-century-old tombs that date back to the years 664 to 625 BC were developed during a routine archaeological inspection of an empty plot of land in the Eins Shams district of northwestern Cairo. This district covers part of the ground that used to be the ancient city of Heliopolis.
The owner of the land was seeking construction rights and by law, construction cannot begin without a permit certifying that the site has no historical significance.
The first of the two limestone tombs to be opened contained a sarcophagus and sixteen statuettes, said the chief state archaeologist for the Cairo-Giza area, Zahi Hawass.
Hawass said in a statement that the tombs were found in a downtown residential area, three meters below the ground. [SOUND BITE]
Hawass went on to give a more detailed account of the important find. [SOUND BITE]
It appears that the tombs have not been raided by grave robbers, but they have been damaged by leaking sewage water.
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The first tomb to be uncovered belonged to a builder named Waja-Hur. His name was engraved on the statuettes, which the ancient Egyptians placed in tombs to answer questions for them in the afterlife.
Te process of recovering these artifacts can be long and tedious, but the historical significance of these pieces makes the painstaking work worthwhile. [SOUND BITE]
Egyptian archaeologists plan to open the second tomb on Sunday.
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