UnitA Few Kind Words for Superstition 练习答案

1、Unit 5 A Few Kind Words for SuperstitionConsolidation ActivitiesI. Text Comprehension1. Decide which of the following best states the author's purpose.A. To tell readers the origin and history of superstition in human society.B. To describe four types of superstition and their effects on human n

2、ature.C. To describe four types of superstition and their relevance to science and reason.Key: B 2. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false.1). Since superstition is a sign of naÏveté or ignorance, it is only practiced by ill-educated people. F 2).

3、Idolatry is manifested by peoples profound but ungrounded conviction in something that could bring good luck. T 3). Many people have practiced superstition even without their own awareness. T 4). Religion and superstition have the same persistent and minatory power on all people. F 5). Superstition

4、is prevalent because it can meet peoples curiosity about their future. T II. Writing StrategiesIn this expository essay, the author first presents four types of superstition by means of classification and division. Each type is clarified with some anecdotes and examples. Then, he offers his explanat

5、ion as to why some people are fascinated with these irrational practices by taking a close look at human nature. During the process, the author now and then inserts some rhetorical questions to achieve a variety of functions. Read the following questions taken from the text and explain their respect

6、ive meanings: 1. Is it because it has an unacknowledged hold on so many of us? (Paragraph 1) To express doubt.2. You did not know that superstition takes four forms? (Paragraph 3) To introduce the subsequent classification. 3. And why not? (Paragraph 4)To express certainty.4. Modest idolatry, but wh

7、at else can you call it? (Paragraph 5)To express submission or acceptance.5. How did the Melanesians come by the same idea? (Paragraph 9)To express wonder or surprise.6. But when has astrology not been popular? (Paragraph 10)To express certainty. (Of course, astrology has always been popular.)7. Whe

8、n has the heart of man given a damn for science? (Paragraph 10)To emphasize the authors conviction. (I dont really believe that science could work in this manner.)III. Language Work1. Explain the underlined part(s) in each sentence in your own words.1). Is it because it has an unacknowledged hold on

9、 so many of us?à has an unrecognized control over2). I live in the middle of a large university, and I see superstition in its four manifestations, alive and flourishing among people who are indisputably rational and learned.à unquestionably3). If you have ever supervised a large examinati

10、on room, you know how many jujus, lucky coins, and other bringers of luck are placed on the desks of the candidates.à things that are supposed to contain some power to bring good luck4). When I talked with him, he did not think he was pricing God cheap because he could afford no more.àwas

11、offering God too little money5). Most people keep their terror within bounds, but they cannot root it out, nor do they seem to want to do so.à get rid of it completely6). Superstition makes its appearance, apparently unbidden, very early in life. à comes into being7). The psychoanalysts ha

12、ve their explanation, but calling a superstition a compulsion neurosis does not banish it.à do away with 8). No use saying science discredits it.à according to science it is false, not believable9). Superstition in general is linked to mans yearning to know his fate, and to have some hand

13、in deciding it.à have some control in10). I am not one to stand aloof from the rest of humanity in this matter . à keep a distance from2. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words.1). I dont think you understand the gravity (grave) of the situation.2). The tone of th

14、e letter was placatory (placate). 3). They are forced to live in deplorable (deplore) conditions.4). She claimed that the rise in unemployment was just a further manifestation (manifest) of the governments incompetence. 5). Religious observances (observe) such as fasting can be hard to follow.6). Th

15、e report absolved (absolution) her from all blame for the accident. 7). The fruit was preserved by submersion (submerge) in alcohol.8). I divined (divination) from his grim expression that the news was not good.9). The past two years have seen a proliferation (proliferate) of TV channels.10). Shes n

16、eurotic (neurosis) about her weight she weighs herself three times a day. 3. Fill in the blank(s) in each sentence with a phrase taken from the box in its appropriate form.within the bounds | depth | yearning | hastenroot out | make an appearance | give a damnhave a hold on | come by | stand aloof1)

17、. Ms Campbell has been appointed to root out inefficiency in this company. 2). Their company has a strong hold on the computer market. 3). What he did was within the bounds of acceptable behavior. 4). The famous movie star make a rare personal appearance last Friday. 5). They had not realized the de

18、pth of their feelings for one another. 6). The president hastened to reassure his people that he was in perfect health.7). Cheap organic food is still difficult to come by.8). He can think what he likes about me I dont give a damn ! 9). Although many of his friends were politicians, he stood aloof f

19、rom politics. 10). I suppose its because I live in a crowded city that I have this yearning for open spaces. 4. Explain the meaning of the underlined part in each sentence.1). People often behave irrationally when they are under stress.à do unreasonable things 2). Evidence of links with drug de

20、alers has discredited the President.à harmed the reputation of3). He devoutly hoped that they would reach a peaceful agreement.à sincerely 4). The most effective technique is to cajole rather than to threaten.à try to persuade 5). Ares and Aphrodite were the ancient Greek deities of w

21、ar and love. à god and goddess 6). Opera in Britain is enjoying a long-awaited renaissance.à rebirth7). The terrorist action has been condemned as an act of barbarism and cowardiceà strongly criticized8). Professor Ross is regarded as the oracle on eating disorders.à authority9.

22、Trees are dying in areas where acid rain is most prevalent.à widespread10. At night images would come unbidden into her mind. à appear automatically in5. Correct the errors in the following passage. The passage contains ten errors, one in each indicated line. In each case, only one word is

23、 involved.Corrections should be done as follows:Wrong word: underline the wrong word and write the correct word in the blank.Extra word: delete the extra word with an “×.”Missing word: mark the position of the missing word with a “” and write the missing word in the blank.The ZodiacSome of the

24、earliest civilizations on Earth developed in Mesopotamia. In them developed the early division of society in farmers, warriors and religious personnel. These priests spent most of their time watching the stars as they were believed to have a direct effect on daily life. On this day, almost everyone

25、knows their birth (or zodiac) sign. Newspapers print out horoscopes; lovers try to figure out they are compatible, and people spend a lot of money consulting astrologers. The solar year begins with the sun passing through the constellation of Aries around the beginning of April.Aries is a ram, and t

26、hose born at this time are said to be independent and unpredicted. Then comes Taurus, the strong, not very bright, but stubborn bull. Gemini are twins this doubleness is to be found in those with birthdays in late May and early June. Cancer the crab, moves sideways and can pinch. Leo, the lion, is t

27、he king of animals, proud, brave and trustworthy. Virgo, the maiden, is kind and sweet, characterized by innocence. Libra is the scales that weight what is good and bad, just and unjust. Scorpio, the scorpion, is a very dangerous creature, best avoid. Sagittarius is the centaur, a man-horse, who is

28、also an archer. This gives a fine mixture of qualities. Capricorn, the goat, is versatile, able to survive almost anywhere, and times rather crude and coarse. Aquarius, the water-carrier, is a dreamer with some of the fluid quality of water. The year ends with Pisces, the fish, brilliant, slipping a

29、nd fast.(1) into(2) To(3) out(4) if/whether(5) unpredictable(6) and(7) weigh(8) avoided(9) at(10) slippery6. Fill in each blank in the passage below with ONE appropriate word.TelepathyI can well believe in telepathy, for it has been part of my life since childhood. My own first (1) experience of wha

30、t might be a kind of telepathy I have already described in A Sort of Life. I would have put it down to mere coincidence if it had not been repeated twice under roughly the same circumstances, each (2) involving a tragedy at sea and a loss of life. The first occasion was during an Easter seaside holi

31、day at Littlehampton when I was seven years old. I dreamt of shipwreck and I can still see clearly one (3) image of the dream. A man is scrambling up the staircase of a ship and a great wave is coming down to swamp him. Next morning we heard the (4) news of the Titanic sunk that night. Of the second

32、 dream of a wreck about ten years later, I have also written. I can recall no (5) details and have lost the dream diary which I was keeping during a course of psychoanalysis in London. Perhaps writing down the dream cancelled the (6) memory of it. Again, my dream (7) coincided with a real wreck, thi

33、s time of the Rowan in the Irish Sea when, I seem to remember, a whole orchestra lost their (8) lives.Always the sea, always lives lost. But the third occasion was not a (9) dream. I was in my flat in Antibes one morning, some six or seven years ago, with (10) nothing to worry me when around breakfa

34、st time I was overcome by a deep depression and an anxiety agonizing in its acuteness. I have a witness, for a friend came to lunch with me and I told her what I feared, that something terrible had (11) happened to one of my family. To distract me, she (12) turned on the radio for the one oclock new

35、s. A plane coming from Corsica had (13) crashed that morning into the sea off Cap dAntibes a few miles away and there were no (14) survivors. On (15) board was General Cogny whom I had known and liked in Vietnam. IV. Translation1. Translating SentencesTranslate the following sentences into English,

36、using the words or phrases given in brackets.1). 孩子们是天真烂漫的，他们都向往真善美的东西。(yearn) à Children are innocent, and they all yearn for what is true, good, and beautiful.yearn vi.to want something a lot, especially something that you know you may not be able to havee.g.He yearned for her love.They were

37、yearning to have a baby.2). 有些评论家批评该电影对妇女的刻画带有性别歧视。(be condemned by)à The film was condemned by some critics for its sexist portrayal of women.condemn v. to criticize strongly, usually for moral reasonse.g. We condemn his foolish behavior.We all condemn cruelty to children.3). 你不必勉强带我和你一起去。如果你不

38、带我去，我不会生气的。(under compulsion to)à Dont feel under any compulsion to take me with you. I wont be offended if you dont. compulsion n. a legal or other obligation to do somethinge.g.You are not under any compulsion to make a statement to the police.4).在那场竞选中，他的对手们散布谣言破坏他的好名声。 (discredit) à In

39、 the election his opponents spread rumours to discredit his good name.discredit vt. to harm someone's reputatione.g. She claims there was a conspiracy to discredit her.5). 每当他们开始争吵，我总是离得远远的。(remain aloof)à Whenever they started quarrelling, I would always remain aloof. aloof adj. someone wh

40、o remains or stays aloof from something, is not friendly or does not want to be involved in somethinge.g. He is always rather aloof with strangers.6). 无须惊慌，警方已经控制了局面。(have . in hand)à Theres no need to panic. The police have the situation in hand.have in hand: if you have something in

41、 hand, you are managing it well so that it happens in the way that it shoulde.g.At half time, they had the match well in hand.7). 遇上一个好老板不是那么容易的。(come by)à A good boss is not so easy to come e by:to obtain something using effort, by chance or in a way that has not been explainede.g.How di

42、d you come by such a beautiful house?8). 她脸上丝毫没有懊恼的表情。(absent from)à Any sign of remorse was completely absent from her face.absent adj. showing that you are not paying attention to what is happening because you are thinking about something elsee.g. I know that we can never meet again, and you

43、are never absent from my thoughts.9). 你必须打消一切报仇的念头。(banish from)à You must try to banish all thoughts of revenge from your mind.banish vt. If you banish the thought of something, you stop thinking about it.e.g.He has now banished all thoughts of retirement.10). 她对女儿们的影响很大。(have a hold on)à

44、 She has a strong hold on her daughters.have a hold on: have a strong and secure influence on someonee.g.The coach has a very strong hold on the members of the team.2. Translate the following passage into Chinese.Superstition is a part of British culture today. Although superstition was more alive a

45、 hundred years ago, there are still many superstitious people around now, both young and old. All superstition has grown from something, since there is no smoke without fire. Who was the first one to decide that opening an umbrella in a house is bad luck? Who was the first to walk under a ladder and

46、 suffer the consequences? Who hung a horseshoe the wrong way up, smashed a mirror and spilled the salt? Who first branded Friday 13th as a day on which luck would run out? Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth century life was hazardous, and the central feature of day-to-day existence was a preoc

47、cupation with finding explanations for fortune and misfortune. Religion, diseases and fire might have been the most essential elements in the background of the beliefs of superstition. Even though we are not searching for the same answers today superstition is still with us as a tradition.参考译文迷信是当今英

48、国文化中的一部分。尽管迷信活动在100年前更为活跃，但现在仍有不少相信迷信的人，有老人也有年轻人。所有的迷信都有其根源，所谓无火不起烟。是谁第一个认为在屋里打伞会带来厄运？是谁第一个走在梯子下而遭遇不幸？是谁把马蹄铁倒挂？是谁打碎了镜子？是谁洒了盐？是谁第一个把13号星期五看成是最倒霉的日子？16和17世纪时，人们的生活中充满了碰运气的成分，每天的生活中心都在于为祸福找解释。宗教、疾病、火灾也许称得上是迷信的三大最基本的要素。尽管今天我们寻求的答案已经不同，但是迷信作为一种传统仍然流传在我们中间。V. Oral Activities1. Giving A TalkWherever there

49、are humans, there are superstitions. In other words, the history of superstition is as long as the history of mankind. Many superstitions are so widespread and so old that they are even indifferent to race or creed. While some people have a deep belief in it, others think it harmful. Whats your opin

50、ion?(For reference)As a college student, I believe that superstitions are harmful to mankind. Let me give you some instances.The most important thing is that superstitions can be misleading. Even today there are still many people in remote places in China who trust more in witchcraft than in medical

51、 treatment. It has caused so many tragedies. Some people even try to achieve their goals through superstitions rather than hard work. However there are also some kinds of superstition that are not so harmful. For example, everyone has his lucky numbers and favourite colors. Different nations believe

52、 in different kinds of superstition. What is considered to be lucky in one culture might be unlucky in another. This is because we all have our own traditions and customs. 2.Having A DialogueThe author mentions in the text that there are four forms of superstition, namely, Vain Observances, Divinati

53、on, Idolatry, and Improper Worship of the True God. Some superstitions are so widespread and influential that people from many countries all believe them. Now work in pairs. Suppose one of you is a reporter, and the other an anthropologist who studies superstitions. Make an interview about the reaso

54、ns why people believe in superstitions.(For reference)A: Nice to meet you, Mr./Ms. Im a reporter from the China Daily. Id like to ask you some questions on superstitions. B: Oh, thats an interesting topic.A: You see, I come from a small village and people there seem to be very superstitious. B: For

55、example?Giving A Talk | Having A DialogueCA-Oral activities-dialogue-2A:Back in my hometown there are many temples where people would bring food, fruit and candles to bribe the Buddha every first and fifteenth day of the month according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Do you think everybody believes

56、in superstition?B:Honestly speaking, all of us are superstitious to some extent. For example, we would choose a lucky day to get married, to move into a new house, etc. A: Can you give us some reasons why people believe in superstition, even learned and rational individuals?B: The most important rea

57、son seems to me to be history and tradition. Most of the superstitions have been passed down from generation to generation. But as you have just mentioned, religion also plays a very important role. Besides, people from one country often have similar preferences. Say, we Chinese all like the numbers

58、 six and eight and dislike the number four but people from English-speaking counties all loathe the number thirteen.A: But my lucky number is five and my mothers is nine.B: Yes, personal experiences and tastes are another factor.A: Any other reasons?B: Yes, legends, historical events, and even disasters, to name just a few. In this connection, we can say that superstitions are a complex re