Question

People turn to magic(魔力)chiefly as a form of insurance--that is, they use it along with actions that actually bring results. For example, hunters may use a hunting charm(咒語). But they also use their hunting skills and knowledge of animals. The charm may give hunters the extra confidence they need to hunt even more successfully than they would without it. If they shoot a lot of game(獵物), they credit the charm for their success. Many events happen naturally without magic. Crops grow without it, and sick people get well without it. But if people use magic to bring a good harvest or to cure a patient, they may believe the magic was responsible. 

People also tend to forget magic's failures and to be impressed by its surface successes. They may consider magic successful if it appears to work only 10 per cent of the time. Even when magic fails, people often explain the failure without doubting the power of the magic. They may say that the magician made a mistake in reciting the spell or that another magician cast a more powerful spell against the magician.

Many anthropologists(人類學家) believe that people have faith in magic because they feel a need to believe in it. People may turn to magic to reduce their fear and uncertainty if they feel they have no control over the outcome of a situation. For example, farmers use knowledge and skill when they plant their fields. But they know that weather, insects, or diseases might ruin the crops. So farmers in some societies may also plant a charm or perform a magic rite to ensure a good harvest.

From the passage, we can learn that the writer of the passage may be _______.

A. a hunter     B. a farmer     C. a magician    D. an anthropologist

Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A. Magic and Hunting.          B. Magic and Farming.

C. Why Magic Works?          D. Why People Believe in Magic?

The underlined word “spell”(Paragraph 2) most likely means______.

A. magic words.    B. magic events.    C. words or expressions     D. magicians.

Answer 1

【小題1】D

【小題2】D

【小題3】A

【小題4】C

解析:

【小題1】本題考查把握作者態度的能力。有些人為什么相信魔法咒語呢？魔法咒語真的靈驗嗎？這些人相信魔法咒語是因為他們缺乏自信。作者以人類學家的科學眼光分析了這種社會現象。

【小題2】本題考查概括文章主旨大意的能力。全文主要介紹了人們為什么相信咒語。

【小題3】本題考查根據上下文猜測詞義的能力。同形異義詞需要根據上下文語境確定其具體意義，不可受原先熟悉詞義的約束。文中第二段的“spell”與“拼寫”無關而是指“咒語”,相當于上文的charm。

【小題4】細節理解題。根據第三段第二句話，人們相信魔法咒語是因為人們需要相信它。當人們無法控制情況的后果時，就可能轉向尋求魔法咒語來減輕自己的恐懼或不安,也就是人們缺乏自信。