1. I. Reading for the Main Idea— Skimming Skim the reading and choose the best answer. 

2. ( ) What is the main idea of the reading? (A) Most people know that a lot of customs are based on ancient superstitions. (B) Superstitions still need historical facts to support them. (C) There is evidence that many modern people are still actively superstitious. (D) Nowadays, human societies have superstitions related to nearly every aspect of human life.  D 

3. II. Reading for Details— Scanning Scan the reading and choose the best answer to each of the following questions.  

4. ( ) 1. Why did the Toyoda family decide to name the cars they produced “Toyota” instead of “Toyoda”? (A) It was because they did not want their customers to know that the cars were made by them. (B) It was because the Japanese character for “Toyota” takes eight strokes to write, and eight is a lucky number in Japan.   B (C) It was because the name “Toyota” sounded clearer than “Toyoda” and could attract more public attention. (D) It was because the name “Toyota” enjoyed great popularity at that time.

5. ( ) 2. Which of the following is NOT true about the superstitions mentioned in the reading? (A) The number thirteen is considered unlucky because of the story of the Last Supper. (B) Eight is thought to be a lucky number in Japan. (C) Friday is a lucky day for the British sailors. (D) For British sailors, Friday was considered to be an unlucky day to start voyages.   C

6. ( ) 3. What is true about the practice of holding a house-warming party? (A) The kitchen is believed to be the home of good luck fairies. (B) People would take wood from their new houses’ fireplaces and burn it in the old ones. (C) Most people now think “warming” means “giving a nice, friendly feeling to the new house.” (D) Today, a “house-warming party” is not just a party, and many fires are specially lit to warm the house.   C

7. ( ) 4. How is the practice of cutting crosses on top of bread related to religion? (A) A cross is a symbol of Christianity and is thought to be able to fight evil. (B) In ancient times, bread was a particularly important food in the church. (C) Unrisen bread is the home of good luck fairies. (D) Ancient Europeans believed that bread had been first introduced to Europe by Jesus.   A

8. ( ) 5. According to the reading, which of the following statements is true? (A) Nowadays, people do not believe in superstitions anymore. (B) The bride and bridegroom must see each other before the wedding. (C) The ship Friday had a successful first voyage on Friday. (D) Superstitions have had a lot of influence on many customs still followed today.   D

9. III. Topics for Discussion 1. What do different superstitions have in common? 2. Does your family believe in any certain superstitions? Share your experiences with your classmates.  END