1   Introduction

A    In America, thirteen is considered to be a superstitious number.  So some buildings don’t have the thirteenth floor, instead, they go from the twelfth to the fourteenth floor.  Some house door numbers are like that as well.
在美国，十三被认为是个迷信数字。所以一些建筑物都没有十三楼，相反，它们是从十二楼直上到十四楼。一些房子的门牌号码也是这样的。

B    When a ladder is propped against the wall, it is supposed to be bad luck to walk underneath it.
当梯子靠墙支架时，从下走过被认为是有坏运气。

C    At Halloween, people usually place a carved pumpkin with a candle inside and a scary face carved on it, outside their front doors.  It is meant to frighten off evil spirits.
万圣节前夕，人们通常把一个里面点有蜡烛、表面雕刻有鬼脸的南瓜，摆放在他们的前门。目的是想吓走阴魂鬼神。

 2    Sample Sentences

1.   Numerous devout men and women are kowtowing and praying.
     许多信男信女在磕头、祈祷。
2.   She would be interested in having her fortune told.
     她很想有人给她算命。
3.   I believe they were fated to be married.
     我相信他们命中注定了结婚的。
4.   You should go to an astrologer to have your horoscope read.
     你应该找一个占星家，让他告诉你你的星象。
5.   You can get someone to tell your fortune over the phone.
     你可以找个人在电话里跟你算命。
6.   I believe for a business to succeed, it has to pay tribute to Buddha.
     我相信一个事业要成功，就必须拜佛进贡。
7.   How much would you pay for genuine peace of mind?
你会出多少钱买个心境平和？
8.   I believe that two people sharing a pear are not good.
     我觉得两个人分梨是不好的。
9.   Are you superstitious?  I guess I am a fatalist.
     你迷信吗？我猜我是个宿命论者。
10.  While many college students felt the urge to push their beliefs on their friends, they also recognized it might not be the most helpful thing at the moment.
     在许多大学生很想把他们的信念强加给他们的朋友时，他们同时也意识到了在这个时候这样做可能并不是最有益的事。

 3    Conversations

1.   A funny story about ghosts.
Ruth:  So, Jack, do you believe in ghosts?
Jack:  No, not really.  Why do you ask?
Ruth:  Because I want to tell you about the time that I saw a ghost.
Jack:  You saw a ghost?  When?
Ruth:  It was many years ago, when I was a little child.  It was the middle of the night, and I went to get a drink of water from the kitchen.  I walked out of my room and was at the top of the stairs, when…
Jack:  So that's where you saw the ghost?  In your house?  What did it look like?  Was it hideous1?
Ruth:  It was a big, green thing that looked like a person.  It was in the kitchen, and it slowly moved towards the stairs…
Jack:  So what did you do?
Ruth:  I hid so that it couldn't see me.  Slowly it got closer and closer, until ……
Jack:  Until what?  What happened?  Did you see it clearly?  Did it attack you?
Ruth:  It moved slowly up the stairs, step by step, and I could hear its approaching2 footsteps.  When it finally got to the top of the stairs, I realized that it was my father in his green pajamas.  He had gone to get a late night snack.

【译文】
——那么，杰克，你相信鬼吗？
——不，不完全信。你为什么问这个？
——因为我想告诉你一次我看见了一个鬼。
——你看见了一个鬼？什么时候？
——那是许多年前，当我还是小孩子的时候。那晚半夜，我去厨房喝水。我走出我的房间，在楼梯的顶端，就在这时……
——那么说你就在那儿看见了鬼？在你家里？是什么样子？可怕吗？
——它是一个巨大的、绿色的东西，看上去像个人。它在厨房，慢慢向楼梯移动。
——那你怎么办？
——我躲起来以便它看不见我。慢慢地它越来越近，直到……
——直到什么？发生了什么事？你看清楚了吗？它有没有攻击你？
——它慢慢地移上了楼梯，一步一步，我能听见它越来越近的脚步声。当它最后走到楼梯顶端时，我才知道原来是我父亲穿着他的绿睡衣。他去吃了个宵夜。

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