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Superstition（迷信）has existed for a long time. Hundreds of years ago it was more alive because of humans’ limited knowledge. Who was the first to walk under a ladder and suffer the bad result？ Who hung a horseshoe up the wrong position or broke a mirror and then their luck ran out？

Superstition， somehow， has been with us as a tradition. Human beings have tried hard to find explanations for it.

Friday the 13th is an unlucky day in much of Western Europe， North America， and Australia. Many people avoid traveling and signing contracts on Friday the 13th. Floors in tall buildings often skip from 12 to 14. Such belief has deep roots in Christian religion.

Some people claim that the number is bad luck because thirteen people sat down for the Last Supper before Jesus was put to death， and with this in mind few hosts will serve dinner with thirteen at the table.

In the Norse Mythology （北欧神话）twelve gods gathered for a feast （盛宴）when a thirteen， Loki， entered. Loki then， after the meal， killed Balder， who was the most beloved of the gods.

Have you ever placed your shoes on the table or on the top of your bed？ Of course you haven’t—they may be dirty. But there is also another reason for not doing it—it means bad luck.

There has been a strange tradition in the West of throwing an old shoe after a person when he or she leaves his or her home. Believe it or not， this is a way of wishing him or her good luck.

Is the number 13 really unlucky， or is it just a myth？ There are a handful of athletes who dare to wear the infamous number. NBA super star Steve Nash wears the number 13 both in Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.

It is said that superstition has been a part of sports since the beginning. Players have their ways of avoiding bad luck.

1. People used to think it would bring about bad luck to ___ .

A. hang a mirror up

B. go under a ladder

C. hang a horseshoe up

D. wear a shoe in the wrong way

2. What’s the correct explanation for the unlucky number 13？

A. It has something to do with religious belief.

B. Thirteen gods gathered for a feast when Balder was killed.

C. Jesus was put to death when another， the thirteenth god， entered.

D. It has something to do with the people’s tradition of serving dinner.

3. From the passage， we can infer that ___ .

A. the number 13 has brought good luck to some famous athletes

B. superstition still influences people’s life in a way

C. sports is the field least influenced by superstition

D. superstition has lost its influence in modern society

4. What does the passage mainly talk about？

A. Superstition and tradition

B. How superstition began and developed

C. How superstition influences people’s life

D. The relationship between superstition and bad luck

B

The mother came out of the exam room to hold me up： she knew I would probably have to talk to her daughter about how she was gaining weight， she said， but please don’t use the word “fat” or even “overweight”. Don’t make her feel bad about herself.

The girl was about 8， and clearly some balance had shifted over the past year， and her weight was increasing much too fast relative to her height.

But I was as conscious of my own body as I was of hers. “How on earth，” I was thinking， “should I give nutritional advice when all they have to do is to look at me to see that I don’t follow it very well myself？ How to be in line with her mother’s reasonable request？ And above all， how should I help prevent from the so-called childhood obesity（肥胖）when not a week goes by that I don’t break my own resolutions？”

“The advice we’re supposed to give is ‘Eat less， exercise more，’” said Dr Julie C. Lumeng， an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School and an expert in child-hood obesity.

“What does it mean when the doctor clearly can not follow the doctor’s own advice？” I asked that question of Dr David Ludwig， director of the Optimal Weight for Life Program.

“This is an issue that can cut in every possible direction，” he replied. “The doctor who is herself struggling with her weight will have the advantage of personal experience in the patient’s viewpoint—which may increase sympathy and provide other insights that a primary-care practitioner without the problem may not have.”

“On the other hand，” he continued， “the patient may view a doctor who is well overweight as lacking the basic under-standing of the problem to put those principles into effect in his own life.”

There has been growing concern about childhood obesity in recent years. But meanwhile， the American children have gotten heavier. I have diagnosed Type 2 diabetes in too many of my patients， and I haven’t done any major shrinking myself.

5. Why did the mother stop the doctor after her daughter was examined？

A. She knew the doctor well.

B. She wanted to get some advice.

C. She was eager to know the result.

D. She had something secret to tell the doctor.

6. What can we learn from the text about the doctor？

A. He was trying to lose weight.

B. He was an expert on childhood obesity.

C. He gave some nutritional advice to the girl.

D. He knew Dr Julie C and Dr David Ludwig well.

7. What do the underlined words “the problem” probably refer to？

A. Gaining weight.

B. Failing to reduce weight.

C. Being unable to follow the advice of his own.

D. Having no much experience in reducing weight

8. What can we infer from the last paragraph？

A. The author feels unsuccessful in his job.

B. The American children are getting heavier.

C. Fat doctors are more concerned with childhood obesity.

D. More and more people come to care for childhood obesity.

1. She heard something ____（飞溅）about in the pool a little way off.

2. The timely rain after a long time of drought will certainly bring on the ____（农作物）.

3. People have taken advantage of 98 percent of the land that can be ____（种植）for rice， wheat or corn.

4. A she was trying her best to save her child from serious illness.

5. He has been f all morning but hasn’t had a single bite.

Attention， please， everyone. I have a announcement to take. We will pay a visit to the museum on October 1st. I think you’ll be interesting in it. In the course of the visit the guide will give us an account of the past or the development of her city. She say something about the advanced workers， included some teachers. We will see many pictures there. I’m sure of that we can learn a lot. After the visit， we’ll have a discussion in group and each of us must write a composition. We are to start out at 7：00 am. We must gather on time at the school’s gate. That’s all. Thank you.

1. 从你上次接到你叔父的信以来有多长时间了？

2. 加拿大有2000万人口——还不到世界人口六个月内的增长数。

3. 与京剧相比，你认为我们的歌剧怎么样？

4. 当时我觉得每天躺在床上或去钓鱼而不必读书是挺舒服的。

1. Used to ___ all kinds of cars in various weather， Tom’s brother is truly an experienced driver.

A. drive B. driven

C. driving D. drove

2. Mary has a great ___ of interests； she likes music， dancing， travel， and collecting stamps.

A. ability B. diversity

C. property D. quality

3. Every minute was made full use of ___ for the performance for the Thanksgiving Day.

A. being prepared B. preparing

C. prepared D. to prepare

4. When ___ ， the park will be open to the public next year.

A. completed B. completing

C. being completed D. to be completed

5. — Mr Smith， you are fined for speeding. Please sign here.

— Fined？ Speeding？ ___ .

A. Go ahead B. I’m a foreigner

C. It doesn’t matter D. You can’t be serious

My kids and I would be spending the Thanksgiving Day without their father. He had 1 several months before. The two older kids were 2 with the flu. I had only about $2.5 to 3 until the end of the month.

Then I heard the phone ring. 4 was the secretary from the church. She said they had something to give us. So I dropped by the church on my way to the 5 .

The church secretary met me at the door and 6 me a special envelope. I opened the envelope and found two grocery certificates（杂货购物券）inside. Each was worth $20.

“Thank you very much，” I said， and as we 7 each other， I cried.

Then I went to a store and bought some 8 things and had a little over $14 groceries. As I handed the cashier（收银员）one of the gift certificates， she took it， but turned her back for what seemed like a very 9 time. I thought something might be wrong.

“This certificate is a real blessing，” I explained. “Our church gave it to my family， knowing I’m a single 10 trying to make ends meet.”

The cashier turned 11 and replied， “Honey， do you have a turkey？”

“No.”

“Anything else for Thanksgiving dinner？”

“No. But it’s okay，” I replied.

Handing me the 12 ， she said， “I can’t tell you exactly

13 now， but please go back into the store and buy a turkey， or anything else you 14 for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Are you 15 ？” I asked.

“Yes！ Get whatever you want.”

I felt awkward as I went back to do some more shopping， but I chose a fresh turkey， a few potatoes， and some juices for the children. Then I 16 the shopping cart（购物车）up to the same cashier.

“Now I can tell you，” she said， with 17 in her kind eyes. “This morning！ I 18 to help someone today， and you walked through my line！”

She reached under the counter for her 19 ， took out a $20 bill and paid for my groceries.

“I’m glad I could help，” she said， “here is my phone number if you ever need 20 . God bless you， honey.”

1. A. returned B. left C. arrived D. disappeared

2. A. satisfied B. sad C. sick D. disappointed

3. A. last B. help C. spend D. take

4. A. She B. He C. They D. It

5. A. farm B. market C. bank D. post office

6. A. made B. bought C. wrote D. handed

7. A. saw B. hugged C. met D. talked

8. A. delicious B. cheap C. common D. necessary

9. A. long B. quiet C. dull D. high

10. A. woman B. wife C. parent D. housewife

11. A. down B. out C. up D. around

12. A. turkey B. juice C. change D. envelope

13. A. what B. when C. who D. why

14. A. need B. cook C. prepare D. afford

15. A. joking B. mad C. sure D. true

16. A. drove B. wheeled C. changed D. raised

17. A. tears B. happiness C. joy D. fun

18. A. tried B. expected C. asked D. offered

19. A. pocket B. case C. drawer D. purse

20. A. anything B. something C. much D. more