ONET Reading 4 : Superstition 63-62

​Situation: Read about a superstition.
ONET 63

Animals feature a lot in superstitions around the world. One ancient British superstition holds that if a child rides on a bear’s back, it will be protected from whooping-cough.

It is said to be unlucky if you see bats flying and hear their cries. In the middle ages it was believed that witches were closely associated with bats.

If a sparrow enters a house, it is an omen of death to one of the people who live there. In some areas it is believed that to avoid bad luck, any sparrow caught must be immediately killed, otherwise the person who caught itwill die.

In some areas black rabbits are thought to host the souls of human beings. ‘White rabbits are said to be really witches and some believe that saying ‘White Rabbit’ on the first day of each month brings luck. Furthermore, a common lucky charm is a rabbit’s foot, but not for the rabbit.

Multiple Choice

22. What is the best title for this passage?

• Omen of Disaster

• Animal Superstitions
  

• Witches in Disguise
  

• Good Luck or Bad Luck

Multiple Choice

23. Which animal is believed to bring good luck? 1. A bear

• A bear

• A bat

• A sparrow

• A white rabbit

Multiple Choice

24. According to the passage, which of the following would be a superstition in England?

• A bear can prevent whooping-cough.
  

• Witches can disguise themselves as bats or rabbits.
  

• To avoid death, a sparrow must be killed as soon as it is caught.

• Black rabbits are spirits that purify the soul of human beings.

Situation: Read the feature story.
ONET 62

Celebrated on April 1, April Fools' Day, also known as All Fools' Day, is a day for tricks, pranks and jokes. A simple example of a joke would be telling your friend that his shoelaces are undone. Then, when he bends down to do them up, you shout, ‘April Fools!”

Although April Fools” Day has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery. One theory suggests that the day comes from the change in the calendar in Europe from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. This moved the New Year from April 1 to January 1. When people forgot and still celebrated the New Year on April 1, other people played practical jokes on them.

Historians have linked April Fools’ Day to festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebrated in ancient Rome at the end of March and involved people dressing up in disguises. There is also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled pcbple with changing, unpredictable weather.

Multiple Choice

25. What is the passage mainly about?

• April Fools’ pranks

• An ancient Roman festival
  

• The background of April Fools' Day

• The change in the calendar in Europe

Multiple Choice

26. Which of the following would NOT likely be a joke played on people on April Fools' Day?

• Placing salt in a sugar bow!
  

• Covering a bar of soap in clear nail polish
  

• Untying shoelaces before taking shoes off
  

• Switching the signs for ladies’ and men’s toilet

Multiple Choice

27. What can be inferred from the passage?

• At the Hilaria Festival, Roman people dressed up in traditional costumes.

• April Fools” Day may originate from the Romans’ fondness for practical jokes.

• Practical jokes were played only on those who did not remember the New Year had been changed.

• Julian calendar was changed to Gregorian calendar because European people preferred to celebrate the New Year in winter.