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Do you carry a lucky penny? Have you ever knocked on wood or crossed your fingers after talking about something pleasant? Do you avoid walking under a ladder?
Most of today's superstitious beliefs can be traced back to those of primitive people who had no understanding of the laws of nature. However, there are few people even today who are completely free of superstitious beliefs. So have fun with them and enjoy them, but don't take them seriously.
Crossing Your Fingers. Often people cross their fingers when making a wish. They believe this will make the wish come true. This came from the idea that when two lines crossed, the wish was held at the center of the lines until it came to pass,
Umbrellas. Will opening an umbrella indoors bring bad luck and disappointments? This superstition began in the Old World many years ago, when umbrellas were made big enough to cover a whole family. When opened indoors, these clumsy, thick things usually hurt someone or broke something in the house. They were bad luck indeed.
Walking Under a Ladder. In past centuries walking under ladders was forbidden in some countries. One of the oldest beliefs was that a leaning ladder made a triangle, a symbol of life, with the wall and the floor. Anyone who walked through this sacred triangle would be punished unless counter-charms were used. He might save himself by making a wish or crossing his fingers. In fact, it is sensible to avoid walking under ladders. A ladder can collapse, or a workman's tool resting on it can fall and hit you.
Spill Salt. Many superstitions have been built around salt. We now understand the chemical reasons that enable salt to melt snow but help freeze ice cream. But the ancients thought that salt was magic and could perform good or evil. When they discovered that salt could preserve food, they felt it could also protect them. It was believed that spilling salt was a warning from friendly spirits that evil was nearby. The people thought that the good spirits live on the right side of the body and the evil ones on the left. Therefore, early man threw a pinch of salt over his left shoulder to win the favor of the spirits who planned to hurt him.
Breaking a Mirror. Some people think that breaking a mirror will mean seven years of hard luck. This started long before mirrors were known, when early man believed that the reflection he saw of himself in a pool of water was his soul, or "other self". This other self would be injured if disturbed in any way. After mirrors were made of glass, breaking one continued to mean bad luck to the other self. About 2,000 years ago, the Romans thought that life renewed itself every seven years. That's why it would take a person that long to recover from such a blow.
Sneezes. Your friends are likely to say "God bless you" when you sneeze. In the Near and Far East people may clasp their hands and bow toward you. The custom of asking God's blessing began when early man believed that a person's spirit or soul was in the form of air or breath in the head. A sneeze might expel the spirit for a short time, or even forever, unless God prevented it. The act of bowing toward the sneezer was also counter-magic and meant "May your soul not escape./

填空题 Today most people have no superstitious beliefs because they understand the laws of nature.

填空题 To cross your heart when you make a wish will help make the wish come true.

填空题 People believed opening an umbrella indoors brought bad luck because in the past, big umbrellas were made for a whole family and if opened indoors, they usually made some trouble.

填空题 In the past, people believed that walking through the sacred triangle made by a leaning ladder would prevent their wishes from coming true.

填空题 It is wise to avoid walking under ladders because it may be dangerous.

填空题 Early man threw a pinch of salt over his left shoulder so that the evil spirits living on the right side of the body could not hurt him.

填空题 Failure to see the reflection of oneself in the mirror would bring hard luck to one's soul.

填空题 Ancient people felt salt could protect them because ______.

填空题 It would take a person seven years to recover from the bad luck caused by breaking a mirror because ______.

填空题 If you sneeze, people may ask God's blessing or bow toward you in order to ______.