Many of us already know about several American superstitions（迷信）. Having a black cat cross your path, walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror are all bad luck. In addition, there are many other superstitions that are worth knowing. Understanding them will keep you safe from evil spirits —if you believe in such things —and impress your American friends when you mention them.
Like the superstitions in other cultures, American superstitions often involve the things important in daily life, such as health, numbers, and marriage. For example, have you ever had a cough that would not go away? According to one American superstition, you should take a piece of your hair and put it between two slices of buttered bread. Next, feed this hair sandwich to a dog and say, “Eat well, you hound, may you be sick and I be sound.” This will trick the evil spirits and help your cough. It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.
In American superstitions, the number three is very important. Often, Americas will say, “All things come in threes.” Three is lucky because it represents the traditional family: mother, father, and child. Therefore, gifts, letters, and guests will often arrive at your home in groups of three. However, it is also possible for bad events, like accidents and funerals, to come in threes as well.
Another time people pay attention to superstitions is when they get married. During a wedding, brides must wear or carry “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”. The old and borrowed things will bring luck to the person who gives them to the bride. The new and blue things will bring good fortune to the bride herself. The next time someone you know is getting married, be sure to recite this phrase.
As it would be unlucky to discuss one more superstition, we will wind things up here. Keep your fingers crossed, and stay lucky!
【小题1】The passage is most probably entitled        .

Many of us already know about several American superstitions（迷信）. Having a black cat cross your path, walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror are all bad luck. In addition, there are many other superstitions that are worth knowing. Understanding them will keep you safe from evil spirits —if you believe in such things —and impress your American friends when you mention them.

Like the superstitions in other cultures, American superstitions often involve the things important in daily life, such as health, numbers, and marriage. For example, have you ever had a cough that would not go away? According to one American superstition, you should take a piece of your hair and put it between two slices of buttered bread. Next, feed this hair sandwich to a dog and say, “Eat well, you hound, may you be sick and I be sound.” This will trick the evil spirits and help your cough. It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.

In American superstitions, the number three is very important. Often, Americas will say, “All things come in threes.” Three is lucky because it represents the traditional family: mother, father, and child. Therefore, gifts, letters, and guests will often arrive at your home in groups of three. However, it is also possible for bad events, like accidents and funerals, to come in threes as well.

Another time people pay attention to superstitions is when they get married. During a wedding, brides must wear or carry “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”. The old and borrowed things will bring luck to the person who gives them to the bride. The new and blue things will bring good fortune to the bride herself. The next time someone you know is getting married, be sure to recite this phrase.

As it would be unlucky to discuss one more superstition, we will wind things up here. Keep your fingers crossed, and stay lucky!

1.The passage is most probably entitled        .

    A. American’s Bad Luck                 B. Cross-culture and Superstitions

    C. American Superstitions               D. Daily Life in Superstitions

2.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph “It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.” means        .

    A. when you try it, the dog will raise its eyebrows.

    B. you will make people surprised when you try this trick

    C. only if you raise your eyebrows can the trick work

    D. you will believe in the trick after you try it

3. In American’s view, the number three is a(n)         number.

    A. lucky                B. unlucky          C. special              D. ordinary

4. On the wedding, the bride often uses old and borrowed things so as to          .

    A. save some money for the wedding         

B. bring good luck to the people who give them to the bride

    C. give the good luck to the bride herself

    D. pass the bad luck to others

5. After reading the passage, we may feel it is written in a         tone.

    A. formal               B. serious          C. humorous         D. critical

Dear Carol,

I wear braces （牙箍） and I know I look just terrible in them. Is there anything I can do to improve my appearance until they come off?

Connie N.

Philadelphia, PA

Dear Connie,

Start by thinking about how good you are going to look when your braces come off. If you are negative about your appearance, people will pick that up right away about you. In the meantime there are several things that you can do to lift your spirits:

Change your hairstyle. Be sure to get a good cut so that the shape of your hair will be flattering to your face and also good for your type of hair （fine, thick, straight, curly, etc.） Choose a hairstyle that draws attention away from your face. Hair pulled back into a pony-tail or into a ball on top or slightly off-center can be attractive and practical for this purpose.

Keep skin clean. If you choose to wear makeup（化妆品）, it should look natural. Blusher（腮红） and lip gloss（润唇膏） in light tones of peach or pink are best.

Be well-groomed（打扮）. Neatness really counts. People see a total look about you before they ever become aware of your braces. And first impressions are lasting ones!

68. Why did Connie write to Carol?

A. Because she really cared about her clothes.

B. Because she cared much about her appearance.

C. Because her teeth were not good.

D. Because she didn’t know how to make up.

69. Carol’s idea about one’s appearance is that ___________.

A. change your hairstyle and you will look beautiful

B. wear your make-up and you will look good

C. neatness is not important

D. if you yourself don’t think you look smart, neither will people

70. Carol tries to let Connie know that ___________.

A. the deepest impressions one leaves on others is the first ones

B. spirits are important when we talk about one’s appearance

C. there are some practical ways to draw people’s attention away from where you don’t feel good 

D. all of the above

71. The underlined word “count” means “___________” in the last paragraph.

A. say numbers in order        B. be of importance           C. not include        D. be accepted

Many of us already know about several American superstitions(迷信). Having a black cat cross your path, walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror are all bad luck. In addition to these, there are many other superstitions that are worth knowing. Understanding them will keep you safe from evil spirits—if you believe in such things—and impress your American friends when you mention them.
Like the superstitions in other cultures, American superstitions often involve the things important in daily life, such as health, numbers, and marriage. For example, have you ever had a cough that would not go away? According to one American superstition, you should take a piece of your hair and put it between two slices of buttered bread. Next, feed this hair sandwich to a dog and say, “Eat well, you hound, may you be sick and I be sound.”This will trick the evil spirits and help your cough. It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.
In American superstitions, the number three is very important. Often, Americans will say, “All things come in threes.” Three is lucky because it represents the traditional family: mother, father, and child. Therefore, gifts, letters, and guests will often arrive at your home in groups of three. However, it is also possible for bad events, like accidents and funerals, to come in threes as well.
Another time people pay attention to superstitions is when they get married. During a wedding, brides must wear or carry“something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.”The old and borrowed things will bring luck to the person who gives them to the bride. The new and blue things will bring good fortune to the bride herself. The next time someone you know is getting married, be sure to recite this phrase.
As it would be unlucky to discuss one more superstition, we will wind things up here. Keep your fingers crossed, and stay lucky!
【小题1】The passage is most probably entitled(命名)“       ”.

Many of us already know about several American superstitions（迷信）. Having a black cat cross your path, walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror are all bad luck. In addition, there are many other superstitions that are worth knowing. Understanding them will keep you safe from evil spirits —if you believe in such things —and impress your American friends when you mention them.

Like the superstitions in other cultures, American superstitions often involve the things important in daily life, such as health, numbers, and marriage. For example, have you ever had a cough that would not go away? According to one American superstition, you should take a piece of your hair and put it between two slices of buttered bread. Next, feed this hair sandwich to a dog and say, “Eat well, you hound, may you be sick and I be sound.” This will trick the evil spirits and help your cough. It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.

In American superstitions, the number three is very important. Often, Americas will say, “All things come in threes.” Three is lucky because it represents the traditional family: mother, father, and child. Therefore, gifts, letters, and guests will often arrive at your home in groups of three. However, it is also possible for bad events, like accidents and funerals, to come in threes as well.

Another time people pay attention to superstitions is when they get married. During a wedding, brides must wear or carry “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”. The old and borrowed things will bring luck to the person who gives them to the bride. The new and blue things will bring good fortune to the bride herself. The next time someone you know is getting married, be sure to recite this phrase.

As it would be unlucky to discuss one more superstition, we will wind things up here. Keep your fingers crossed, and stay lucky!

The passage is most probably entitled        .

    A. American’s Bad Luck                 B. Cross-culture and Superstitions

    C. American Superstitions               D. Daily Life in Superstitions

The underlined sentence in the second paragraph “It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.” means        .

    A. when you try it, the dog will raise its eyebrows.

    B. you will make people surprised when you try this trick

    C. only if you raise your eyebrows can the trick work

    D. you will believe in the trick after you try it

In American’s view, the number three is a(n)         number.

    A. lucky                B. unlucky          C. special              D. ordinary

On the wedding, the bride often uses old and borrowed things so as to          .

    A. save some money for the wedding         

B. bring good luck to the people who give them to the bride

    C. give the good luck to the bride herself

    D. pass the bad luck to others

After reading the passage, we may feel it is written in a         tone.

    A. formal               B. serious          C. humorous         D. critical