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(咒语). 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(猎物), 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(人类学家) 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

【小题1】D

【小题2】D

【小题3】A

【小题4】C

解析:

【小题1】本题考查把握作者态度的能力。有些人为什么相信魔法咒语呢？魔法咒语真的灵验吗？这些人相信魔法咒语是因为他们缺乏自信。作者以人类学家的科学眼光分析了这种社会现象。

【小题2】本题考查概括文章主旨大意的能力。全文主要介绍了人们为什么相信咒语。

【小题3】本题考查根据上下文猜测词义的能力。同形异义词需要根据上下文语境确定其具体意义，不可受原先熟悉词义的约束。文中第二段的“spell”与“拼写”无关而是指“咒语”,相当于上文的charm。

【小题4】细节理解题。根据第三段第二句话，人们相信魔法咒语是因为人们需要相信它。当人们无法控制情况的后果时，就可能转向寻求魔法咒语来减轻自己的恐惧或不安,也就是人们缺乏自信。