Superstitions in Britain

In Britain, there are many superstitions connected with cats. Black cats are good-luck animals, and you should welcome them into your house. A black cat sitting outside your front door means that you will be rich, and you will be very lucky if you see a cat sneeze. However, if a black cat crosses your path, you will have bad luck. The bad luck will go away if you walk backwards or spit on the ground in front of you.

Which birds or animals in your country are considered to be lucky or unlucky?

What other superstitions are common?

How superstitious are you?

Active vocabulary 2c

disaster (n) – бедствие, несчастье

a natural disaster – стихийное бедствие

Protect your property from natural disasters such as flooding.

The expedition ended in disaster with three being killed.

fortune (n) - 1) счастье, удача; 2) судьба, фортуна;

His friends were delighted with his change of fortune.

to tell fortunes -предсказывать судьбу;

3) богатство, состояние;

He had inherited a considerable fortune from his uncle.

a man of fortune - богатый человек;

to make a fortune - разбогатеть;

to lose a fortune - потерять целое состояние

fortunate (a) - счастливый, удачливый, благоприятный.

She was extremely fortunate to escape without injury.

fortunately – к счастью

unfortunately – к несчастью

superstition (n) - суеверие, религиозный предрассудок;

superstitious (a) -суеверный;

survive (v) - 1) пережить; 2) остаться в живых, выжить, продолжать существовать, сохраняться (the custom still survives);

Eight passengers survived the crash.

survivor (n) - оставшийся в живых, уцелевший;

He is the sole survivor of the 1935 winning team.

Ex.82 Match the words from the list of the Active Vocabulary to their meanings on the right

a. fortune b. disaster c. to survive d. superstition

1. A very large amount of money, possessions 2. sth very bad that happens and causes a lot of damage or kills a lot of people 3. to stay alive despite all injury, illness, war 4. a belief that things such as magic or luck have the power to affect your life

Ex.83 Fill in the gaps.

Survived; superstition; fortune (2); survive; disaster (2).

1. She won a ….. in a lottery. 2 Just one passenger ….. the plane crash. 3. The flood was a terrible …… Hundreds of people died. 4. It‘s a common ….. that black cats are unlucky. 5. He inherited a considerable ….. from his uncle. 6. The organization cannot ….. unless we make some major changes. 7. My carefully planned party was a complete …..

Ex.84 Replace the words in italics using active vocabulary.

disaster; fortune (3); fortunately; superstitious; to survive(2).

1. This diamond necklace is worth a lot of money. 2. Luckily the fire was discovered soon after it had started. 3. She believes in the power of magic. 4. The crash was the worst air accident this year. 5. This family made their money from computers. 6. That diamond necklace she was wearing must be worth a lot of money. 7. Of all the museum`s paintings, only one remained in a good condition. 8. Don‘t worry about him, he always manages to continue in spite of difficulties.

EX.85 Study the following phrases and use them in sentences of your own.

to swerve off; to plough into; to jump out; to come off (the rails); to be involved in; to find oneself in; an expert at; to knock smb over; to be philosophical about; to watch over smb; to arrive at; to break into the house; to bend down; to pick up; to bang one`s head on; to smile at; to rescue from; to share with; a scream of; to scream with; to bang the table with one`s fist;

EX.86 Fill in the gaps with prepositions.

1. Helen bent (…) to pick (…) her pen. 2. Be careful not to bang your head (…) that beam. 3. He banged the seat (…) his fist and said that he was fed (…) (…) her complaints. 4. We screamed (…) laughter (…) his joke. 5. We heard screams (…) laughter coming (…) the hotel lobby. 6. James looked (…) and smiled (…) Karen. 7. A house in Breckon Place was broken (…) last night. 8. Four police officers suddenly arrived (…) their house. 9. Over the years we`ve become quite expert (…) dealing (…) these sorts (…) problems. 10. They found themselves (…) a difficult situation. 11. I used to share this flat (…) five other people. 12. She was quite philosophical (…) failing her driving test. 13. Soldiers arrived to watch (…) the city and maintain peace. 14. The man was rescued (…) drowning (…) a passer-by. 15. Alec was knocked (…) by a bus yesterday. 16. The car swerved (…) the road and ploughed (…) the tree, fortunately, the driver managed to jump (…) (…) the car. 17. I didn`t realize that so much work was involved (…) putting on the play. 18. A button came (…) as I was climbing (…) the wall.

EX.87 Translate into Russian.

1. The flood was a terrible disaster; hundreds of people died. 2. Everything was going well, and then suddenly disaster struck. 3. The door shut with a bang. 4. It was fortunate for her that her husband arrived at that moment. 5. I was late in getting to the station, but fortunately for me, the train was late too. 6. That diamond necklace she was wearing must be worth a fortune. 7. Few buildings survived the fire. 8. He survived in the desert for a week on biscuits and water.