英语听力—环球英语 1180 Friday the 13th

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹, I’m Liz Waid.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Friday the 13th. Are you frightened when I say these words? If the words “Friday the 13th” frighten you, you are like millions of other people. They share the same fear. They believe that Friday the 13th is an extremely unlucky and even dangerous day! But is Friday the 13th an unlucky day? Is something bad more likely to happen to a person on Friday the 13th? Today’s Spotlight is on Friday the 13th.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Many years ago, humans needed a way to organize time. They made a system of days, weeks, months and years. In Western cultures there are 12 months in a year. And there are about 30 days in each month. Each week has seven days. About two times every year, the 13th day of the month will be a Friday. Some people say that each Friday the 13th is very unlucky. They fear this day.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Fear of Friday the 13th is mostly a Western tradition. It is even a part of popular culture. For example, there are some horror² films called Friday the 13th. They are very violent and frightening. Many people watch them because they enjoy being frightened. In some of these movies, the violence begins on the day Friday the 13th.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Where does this fear come from? Experts believe that the fear of Friday the 13th comes from two separate fears that come together. They are the fear of the number 13, and the fear of the day Friday. Many people believe each separate thing is already unlucky. But when you combine them, they are even more unlucky!

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　There are many stories about where the fear of Friday the 13th came from. Donald Dossey is a folklore³ historian⁴. He studies ancient stories from many different cultures. Dossey tells National Geographic⁵ Magazine about the beginning of the fear of the number 13. He says the first writing about the fear of the number 13 comes from an ancient Norse story.  Adam Navis tells this story:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“The great hero Balder was having a special party. There were 12 people at the party. Then, Loki came to the party. He had not been invited. When he came, there were 13 people. Loki liked to play tricks. He told another person to shoot an arrow at Balder. Balder died and the whole Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned. It was a bad, unlucky day.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In some traditions people refuse to serve a meal to exactly 13 people. They believe it is very bad luck. In France, there used to be people called “fourteeners.” People having a dinner party did not want to have 13 guests. So they would invite one more person to be at the table - a fourteener.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Some people also believe the number 13 is bad because of a story from the Christian⁶ Bible⁷. 13 was the number of people at Jesus’ last meal before he died. His follower⁸, Judas, was the 13th person to arrive at the meal. Judas was the one who betrayed⁹ Jesus.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　These things made people mistrust the number 13. Many high-rise apartment buildings and hotels do not even have a 13th floor. Most of these buildings go from floor 12 to floor 14. Or they use a different letter or number for the 13th floor. Many airports also do not have a 13th gate. Hospitals and hotels often have no room number 13.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But this fear of the number 13 is only one half of the fear of Friday the 13th. The other half of fearing Friday the 13th is a fear of the day Friday. The fear of Friday also comes from stories in history. Jesus was killed on a Friday. In the Christian Bible, and in other religious books, there is a story of a great flood that destroyed the earth. Some people say the flood rains started on Friday. Long ago, some people refused to start new projects on a Friday because of these stories.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Sailors were especially worried about Fridays. They would often refuse to set sail on a Friday. Rena Dam tells an old story about sailors and Friday the 13th.

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　“The British Navy¹⁰ wanted to stop sailors’ fear of Friday. They wanted to show them there was nothing to be worried about. So, they planned a new trip. They chose the sailors on a Friday. They launched¹¹ the ship on a Friday. They named the ship the H.M.S. Friday. They even chose a man named James Friday to lead the trip as the Captain. Then, one Friday morning, the ship set sail for its first trip. It was never seen or heard from again.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　No one knows if this story is true or not. But it may have made people even more afraid to do important things on a Friday.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Even today, fear of Friday the 13th is common in Western cultures. Some research shows that more people go to the hospital on Friday the 13th. Some people refuse to even go to work. Some people try not to plan an important event like a wedding for Friday the 13th.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Donald Dossey estimates¹² that businesses lose about $800,000,000 each Friday the 13th. People will not fly on an airplane on Friday the 13th. They do not do all the business they would normally¹³ do.  Many of these people may not even know the stories about the history of Friday the 13th. They have a superstitious¹⁴ fear of the day. That is, they fear it for no good reason.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Superstitious fears are common in many cultures around the world. But they can be very unhealthy. They may stop people from living normal lives because they are so afraid. But people do not need to be afraid! Richard Wiseman is a psychologist from the University of Hertfordshire. He has some wise words for people who fear Friday the 13th:

 

　　Voice 5

 

　　“People need to remember that they can create much of their own good and bad luck. And they should concentrate on being lucky by, for example, looking at the positive events in their lives. They can remember all the good things that have happened. And most of all, they can be prepared to take control of their future.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　It is true that bad things can happen on Friday the 13th. But bad things can happen every day. And so can good things! Christians¹⁵ believe that the world is ordered by a loving God, not by luck. They know that they do not have to be afraid - not even on Friday the 13th.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this program was Sara De Koster. The producer was Liz Waid. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called "Friday the 13th".

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at radio @ radioenglish . net. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 horror   

n.惊骇，恐怖，惨事，极端厌恶

参考例句：

• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation.公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。
• The thought of working nights fills me with abject horror.一想到要夜间工作我就觉得惨兮兮的。

3 folklore   

n.民间信仰，民间传说，民俗

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• In Chinese folklore the bat is an emblem of good fortune.在中国的民间传说中蝙蝠是好运的象征。

4 historian   

n.历史学家，编史家

参考例句：

• As a historian,he was most typical of the times in which he lived.作为历史学家，他是他所处时代最有代表性的人物。
• He calls himself a historian,but his books are a mere journalism.他自称为历史学家，但是他的书都是些肤浅的通俗作品。

5 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

8 follower   

n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒

参考例句：

• He is a faithful follower of his home football team.他是他家乡足球队的忠实拥护者。
• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。

9 betrayed   

对…不忠( betray的过去式和过去分词 )； 背叛； 出卖； 泄露

参考例句：

• The shakes of the speaker's hands betrayed his nervousness. 发言者双手颤抖，可见他很紧张。
• He betrayed all his friends on his own account. 他为自己的利益出卖了所有的朋友。

10 navy   

n.海军，海军人员，海军军力，藏青色

参考例句：

• My brother is in the navy.我兄弟在海军服役。
• He has transferred from the army to the navy.他从陆军转到海军。

11 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

12 estimates   

估计

参考例句：

• Unofficial estimates put the figure at over two million. 非官方的估计数字为200万以上。
• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

14 superstitious   

adj.迷信的

参考例句：

• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。
• These superstitious practices should be abolished as soon as possible.这些迷信做法应尽早取消。

15 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。