Question

When we talk about superstitious（迷信的）beliefs , the beliefs associated with Friday the 13th , no doubt , deserve a special mention . In fact , such is the fear associated with this date that people just can’t seem to stick to their daily routine on this day . The data from Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute suggests that somewhere around 17 to 21 million Americans are affected by the fear associated with this day , i.e. the combination of Friday and 13 . Even worse , the financial losses caused on this day amounts to as much as US$800 million every year .

As we flipped through the pages of history , we realized that Friday the 13th bears the brunt of bad luck associated with number 13 , the unluckiest number , and Friday , the unluckiest day of the week . Number 13 has always been considered unlucky , mainly as a result of it being associated with various occurrences in mythology . While some associate it with the instance of Norse mythology , in which the god of joy and gladness – Balter , was killed in a dishonest manner by Loki – the god of discord and mischief , who was the 13th guest , others associate it with the Last Supper , in which the 13th guest was Judas , who betrayed Jesus to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver .

Similarly , Friday has also been a sign of bad luck to many people , with incidents like Jesus being crucified（在十字架上钉死）on this unfaithful day , contributing to this belief . It is also widely believed that Cain killed Able on this very day of the week . The fear of Friday the 13th is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia , the former combining the words frigga , meaning Friday , and triskaidekaphobia , meaning the phobia of number 13 . Over the period , the belief that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day has just become one of the most widely accepted superstitions , which consequently causes much blind panic and unreasonable fear in the world .

1.What does Friday the 13th refer to according to passage ?

A. The 13th Friday of a year .

B. The fear of the number 13 on Fridays .

C. A fixed date of a year that can bring bad luck .

D. The 13th day of a month falling on a Friday .

2.We can learn from the passage that __________ .

A. superstition is more popular among the uneducated

B. religion is an important contributing factor to superstition

C. Numbers are believed to bring people bad luck in history

D. The belief of Friday the 13th is based on folk stories

3.What will the author most probably talk about next ?

A.Arguments for and against the belief of Friday the 13th

B.Reasons why Friday the 13th is widely accepted

C.Stories about the bad luck brought by Friday the 13th

D.Appropriate attitude towards Friday the 13th

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A.The psychology of superstition

B.The history of a common superstition

C.The origins of Friday the 13th

D.Influences of Friday the 13th

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】

试题分析: 本文主要讲述黑色星期五的起源，周五因为是耶稣受难日，而13也不是个吉利的数字，再者结合在一块给人们带来了巨大的压力与恐怖

1.D 细节理解题。根据第二段提到As we flipped through the pages of history , we realized that Friday the 13th bears the brunt of bad luck associated with number 13 , the unluckiest number , and Friday , the unluckiest day of the week .可知13本来就不吉利，赶上周五，所以是糟糕的日子在，故选D项。

2.B 细节理解题。根据第三段提到Similarly , Friday has also been a sign of bad luck to many people , with incidents like Jesus being crucified（在十字架上钉死）on this unfaithful day , contributing to this belief .周五是耶稣受难日，更加深这一信念，故选B项。

3.D 推断题。根据最后一段从宗教上肯定周五的恐怖再加上对于13所发生的恐怖事情，使人们对这一观念更加恐怖，所以接下来应该来叙述如何正确对待这一观念，故选D项。

4.C 主旨大意。本文主要讲述黑色星期五的起源，周五因为是耶稣受难日，而13也不是个吉利的数字，再者结合在一块给人们带来了巨大的压力与恐怖，故选C项。

考点：文化类阅读。