What are the meaning of the underlined words? Circle the letter of each correct answer.
1.Four was considered to be a perfect number symbolizing unity, endurance and balance.
2.The romans regaded 13 as a symbol of death, destrution, and misfortune.
3.It,s considered a bad omen for 13 people to sit at a table.
4.The thirteeth is not considered a good day on whic to begin any new enterprise.
5.Hotel owners will not usually assign the number 13 to a room.
6.In Italy, the number 13 is omitted from the lottery. 7.The belief in the magic of numbers has persisted. Complete the sentences with the correct from of the word in capital letter. You may use your dictionary
Word Building
Complete the sentences with the correct from of the word in capital letters. You may use youy dictionary.
1.Superstition
a. If you believe a broken mirror will bring misfortune, you are _______.
b. There are many ______ about the 13.
2. Luck
a. Five is a ______ number in Egypt.
b. The acient Babylonians believed that the number 13 would bring good ______.
3. Believe
a. Despite advance in science, many people still _______ in the magic of number.
b. There I a suborn ____ that the number 13 will bring misfortune.
Making Inference and Drawing Conclusions
The answer to these questions are not directly stated in the reading.
Write complete sentences.
1.What influence did Pythagoras have on the beliefs we have about numbers?
2.Why might a sevevth child be thought of special?
3.Why would a hotel owner avoid assigning the number 13 to a room?
4. What effect have science and technology had on our belief in the power of numbers?
5.Why do people still believe in superstitions?
Discussion
Discussion these questions with your classmates.
1. What superstitions do you have in your country?
2. What are lucky and unlucky numbers in your country?
3. Describe an object that is symbol. Where and how it is used?
Comprehension
Looking for the Main Ideas
Circle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Throughout the ages, people have ______.
a. Written stories about numbers
b. given meaning and importance to numbers
c. considered five a lucky number
d. used numbers to tell the future
2. Number ______.
a. have a different meaning in different cultures
b. have the same meaning everywhere
c. didn’t have much meaning I ancient times
d. don’t have much meaning now
3. The number 13 _______.
a. is omitted from the lottery in every country
b. was a good number for the ancient Romans
c. is considered lucky in some countries
d. is considered unlucky almost everywhere
Looking for Detais
Scan the reading quickly to find the answer to these questions. Write complete sentences.
1. What was special about a seventh child?
2. What do some interpreters of dreams believe about a dream repeated three times?
3. What year war believed to bring change in a person’s life?
4. Why was three a lucky number to the ancient Babylonians?
5. Where is five considered a holy and lucky number?
6. What did the number four symbolize to the ancient Greeks?
7. Where did one of earliest written stories about the number 13 appear?
8. For what is the thirteenth day of month considered unlucky?
9. What do hotel owners do to avoid assigning the number 13 to a room?
Organizing
Writing and Essay
An essay is a piece of writing that is several paragraphs long. An essy, just like a paragraph, is about one topic. Since its topic is broad, the essay is divided into paragraphs, one for each major point. To tie all the part together, an introduction is added to the beginning and a conclusion to the end.
An essay has three part:
1. An introduction
2. A body (one or more paragraphs)
3. A conclusion
The introduction has two parts: general statements and a thesis statement. The general statement give the reader background information about the topic of essay. These statement should get the reader interested in the topic. The thesis statement introduces the main idea of the essay. It is just like a topic sentence in a paragraph. It states the main topic and tells what will be said in the body paragraphs. The thesis is usually the last sentence of the introduction.
The body of the essay consists of one or more paragraphs. Each of these paragraphs has a topic sentence, supporting sentence, and sometimes a concluding sentence. The body paragraphs support whatever is stated in the thesis statement. The body paragraphs are similar to the supporting sentence of a paragraph.
The conclusion is the last paragraph of the essay. It summarizes the main points discussed in the body or restates the thesis in different words. It also leaves the reader with a final comment or thought about the topic.
Transition or linking words are used to connect the paragraphs. These are just like the transition used in paragraphs to connect ideas between sentences.