礼节美语 Business Etiquette 125 Superstitions Etiquette (2)

　　来自中国的雇员Sue¹跟男同事Pete和女同事Julie一起去吃饭。三个人谈到了东西方的迷信。Sue说，
S: What about walking under a ladder? What's wrong with that?
J: You know, I'm not really sure! But it's probably a good idea to avoid it...something might fall on your head!
P: That makes sense!
S: So many of your superstitions³ don't really have a specific origin?
J: Many of them might be related to religious issues...but the origin kind of gets lost in history.
Julie说，西方很多迷信都不知道是从哪来的了。The origin kind of gets lost in history. 比如说，从梯子下面走会带来坏运气，可为什么呢？或许是上面会掉东西下来砸到你吧。
P: Oh! I can think of one superstition² that's related to religion. Many Western people say "Bless you!" to a person if they sneeze.
J: Right. That's because around 500 years ago, people thought saying "God Bless You" could help heal the person and stop the spread of disease.
P: Still today, many people say, "Bless you" after someone sneezes. It's now considered polite.
S: I think that's a sweet thing to say. Tell me some more Western superstitions!
不过，不少迷信跟宗教有关。 Pete举例说，有人打喷嚏，旁边的人说"Bless You" 就起源于宗教。 Julie说，大约五百年前，人们觉得说上帝保佑你God Bless You能防治疾病，但是今天，别人打喷嚏，你说Bless You已经变成一种礼貌了。
P: Well, if you see a black cat walking in front of you...bad luck might be coming very soon!
S: A black cat is kind of evil, huh? I guess that's why a witch always has a black cat!
J: Yeah...but I have a black cat at home and he's not evil at all. He's a sweet little cat.
P: I'd say many Western people don't take these things very seriously, but they are still a part of our culture.
J: I know one! Breaking a mirror is seven years of bad luck! Back in ancient times, a mirror was said to be a window to your soul, so breaking one was very bad!
在西方，如果你前面有一只黑猫，那可糟了，意味着厄运临头。可Julie就养了只黑猫，可爱极了。看来西方人也并不真信，They don't take these things very seriously. 另外，打碎镜子代表七年的坏运气，因为古代人觉得镜子是通向心灵的窗口。
S: Do you have superstitions about where things are built?
J: You mean like Feng-Shui?
S: Yes! Exactly! How do you know about that?
P: Feng-Shui is becoming quite popular in the West. Some people now do try to follow some of the rules if they can.
S: Wow! It seems we are starting to share traditions!
P: Sure! Why not?
J: Yes...I think it's good to get to know each other's culture better.
风水在西方越来越流行，这也算是文化互通吧。

1 sue   

vt.控告，起诉；vi.请求，追求，起诉

参考例句：

• If you don't pay me the money,I'll sue you.如果你不付给我钱，我就告你。
• The war criminals sue for peace.战犯求和。

2 superstition   

n.迷信，迷信行为

参考例句：

• It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
• Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。

3 superstitions   

迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Old superstitions seem incredible to educated people. 旧的迷信对于受过教育的人来说是不可思议的。
• Do away with all fetishes and superstitions. 破除一切盲目崇拜和迷信。