常春藤生活英语【77】Friday the 13th

For some people, Friday the 13th is no typical day. It is a day that might bring bad luck. People who believe this is true try to be careful on Friday the 13th. They might not plan big trips or try something risky¹. But why are they worried?

"Friday the 13th" is one of the world's most well-known superstitions². However, there are different versions³ of it worldwide. In several countries, it is on Tuesday the 13th that people should be cautious⁴. In Italy, Friday the 17th is the day to watch out for. In the end, though, Friday the 13th is the most common.

There seem to be two main reasons why Friday the 13th is regarded as an unlucky day. To begin with, the number 13 itself is considered unlucky. This belief might have come from numerology1, in which 12 is the number of completeness2. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs in the zodiac, and other "12" things. The number 13, which is one more than 12, is seen as a number that is too much or not right.

So why would Friday be the unlucky day instead of any other day? One possible explanation3 has to do with Christianity, because Jesus died on a Friday. However, this is just a possible explanation. When something is thought to bring bad luck, it is often hard to say precisely⁵ why. The only answer to this question may be: Who knows?

对某些人来说，十三号星期五可不是一般的日子。这是个可能会招来厄运的一天。相信此事为真的人，都会试着在十三号星期五这天小心谨慎。他们可能都不会出远门，或是试图做有风险的事。但他们为何要这么担忧呢？

『十三号星期五』是世上最广为人知的迷信之一。然而世界各地的版本不尽相同。在一些国家，人们在十三号星期二要小心行事。在意大利则是十七号星期五这天要特别注意。不过说到底，最普遍流传的还是十三号星期五。

十三号星期五之所以被视为一个不幸的日子，似乎有两个主因。首先，十三这个数字本身就被认为是不祥的。这种想法可能是来自命理学，在命理学当中，十二是代表『完整』的数字。一年有十二个月、星座有十二个，还有其它『十二』的东西。十三这个数字则比十二多了个一，因此被视为太多或是不对劲。

那为什么不吉利的是星期五，而不是其它天呢？其中一个可能的解释和基督教有关，因为耶稣受难的那天正好是星期五。然而这只是一个可能的解释。当某些事物被视为不祥时，通常很难准确地断定原因。这个疑问的唯一答案或许是：谁知道？

Building Your Vocabulary

1.typical　a. 典型的，有代表性的
A typical British winter is wet and cold.
典型的英国冬季既湿又冷。
2.risky　a. 冒险的，非常危险的
It is risky to drive that old car around.
开着那台老爷车四处跑还挺危险的。
3.worldwide　adv. 遍及全世界地
People celebrate the New Year worldwide.
世界各地的人都会庆祝新年。
4.cautious　a. 小心的，慎重的
You should always be cautious about making investments⁶.
你在做投资时总是应该小心翼翼。
5. precisely　adv. 精确地，准确地
I can't tell you precisely what happened.
我无法确切地告诉你发生了什么事。

Phrases⁷ for Learning⁸

To begin with, 主词 + 动词　　首先……
To begin with, Ronnie should make a list so that he won't forget what to do next.
首先，朗尼应该列张清单，才不会忘记接下来要做些什么。

参考字词

1. numerology　n. 命理学
2. completeness　n. 完整，全部
3. explanation　n. 解释

Tips In Use

They might not plan big trips or try something risky..
（他们可能都不会出远门，或是试图做有风险的事。）
用形容词修饰 something, nothing, anything, everything 等不定代名词时，须使用后位修饰，而不能将形容词置于名词前面。例：
I don't think there is anything interesting for me to watch on TV tonight.
（我想今晚没有什么有趣的电视节目可以看。）
Nothing special happened to us last summer vacation.
（去年暑假我们没有发生什么特别的事。）

1 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

2 superstitions   

迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Old superstitions seem incredible to educated people. 旧的迷信对于受过教育的人来说是不可思议的。
• Do away with all fetishes and superstitions. 破除一切盲目崇拜和迷信。

3 versions   

n.译本( version的名词复数 )；版本；（个人对事件的）描述；（原物的）变体

参考例句：

• There are two versions of the game, a long one and a short one. 这游戏有两个版本，一长一短。
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 cautious   

adj.十分小心的，谨慎的

参考例句：

• We should not only be bold,but also be cautious.我们不仅要大胆，而且要谨慎。
• He was cautious about his work.他对工作非常谨慎。

5 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

6 investments   

n.投资( investment的名词复数 )；投资额；（时间、精力的）投入；值得买的东西

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile, investments are at great risk. 由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All their money was tied up in long-term investments. 他们所有的钱都搁死在长线投资上了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 phrases   

n.短语( phrase的名词复数 )；成语；说法；乐句

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。