Презентация к уроку «Суеверия в Великобритании» (8 класс, английский язык)

The Superstitions in Britain.     Выполнила: учитель английского языка  Михайлова Е.В.,  г. Советский, ХМАО­Югра.

Do you know anything about   superstitions in Britain?                 Questions:      1.    Are there many superstitions in Britain? 2.    What is the most widely­held superstition? 3.    Is number 13 unlucky for people in Britain? 4.    Why is it dangerous to break a mirror? 5.    Why do British people touch wood?

An umbrella    One of the most widely-held is that it is unlucky to open an umbrella in the house. It will either bring misfortune to the person that opened it or to the household. The person who opens an umbrella in fine weather is very unpopular.

A ladder     It is very unlucky to walk under a ladder. If you must pass under a ladder you can avoid bad luck by crossing your finger and keeping them crossed until you have seen a dog.

The number 13 is said to be unlucky for some. And when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday, many of the people prefer to stay at home.

Mirrors The worst misfortune that can befall you is breaking a mirror. That will bring you seven years of bad luck. This superstition is supposed to have originated in ancient times, because mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods.

Touching wood And at last there is a superstition of touching wood for luck. This measure is most often taken if you have said or done something wrong or stupid.

Black cats     And black cats in Great Britain are connected with good luck in spite of the fact that them refer to witches and sorcery (колдовство). The animal of the Witch is a black cat. If the black cat crosses over the road there will be a success. But in America this superstition is a unlucky.

Magpies Magpies have different superstitions based on how many you see, as this 18th century poem explains:  One for sorrow (печаль), Two for joy  Three for a girl, Four for a boy,  Five for silver, Six for gold  Seven for a secret, never to be told. This relates to the number of magpies you see. Most people know at least the  first two lines of the rhyme.

Keep your shoes off the furniture   And not just because they’re dirty! According to one UK superstition, putting shoes on the table is bad luck. Some people even avoid putting shoes on chairs or footstools. One explanation is that in coal mining communities, particularly in north England in the 19th century, a miner’s shoes would be placed on the table if he was killed in an accident. The gesture then became a symbol of death.

A rabbit’s foot   Rabbits are supposed to be good luck. For some reason keeping a rabbit’s foot will bring you luck. Some people have one in their pocket or attached to their key ring. That’s right – an actual dead rabbit’s foot. Just the foot. You can get fake ones now apparently. Weird isn’t it.  Saying the words ‘white rabbit’ are also supposed to bring good luck, especially at the beginning of the month.

Do you know anything about   superstitions in Britain?              Questions:     1.    Are there many superstitions in Britain? 2.    What is the most widely­held superstition? 3.    Is number 13 unlucky for people in Britain? 4.    Why is it dangerous to break a mirror? 5.    Why do British people touch wood?