Russian Superstitions
Between People
It is bad luck to talk or shake ______ in doorways. You should always completely enter the room before
you greet someone or begin a _______.
2)
If you accidentally step on another person's ______, you should let him or her lightly step on your
______. Apparently, it will help avoid future ______.
3)
You mustn’t step over people's ______or other body parts. They say that it will prevent the person from
______. It is better to find a way around the person.
4)
If someone ______ while talking, or while someone else is speaking, it means they are telling the ______.
1)
a) foot
b) truth
c) sneezes
d) conflicts
e) hands f) growing
g) conversation
h) legs
Love and Marriage
1)
Unmarried people should not sit___________. Otherwise they will not marry.
a) on the table
b) on the park bench
c) at the corner of the table
d) on the leather sofa
2)
Lucky in ____, unlucky in _____.
a)
b)
c)
d)
computer games
love
life
cards
Travelling
1)
After someone has left on a long______, their ______ should not be cleaned up until they have
arrived home.
2)
It’s bad luck to return home for ______ things. It is better to leave what was forgotten behind. If
you must return, you should look in the ______ before leaving again.
3)
If it's ______ when you begin a journey, it is ______ luck.
4)
If you leave something ______, it means you are coming ______.
5)
Before ______ on a long trip, ______ quietly for two minutes.
a) raining
b) forgotten
c) room
d) good
e) back
f) journey
g) leaving h) mirror i) behind j) sit
Gifts
1) It’s taboo to give _____ objects as gifts. Make the other person pay a _____ amount of money for them
and they won’t bring you bad luck.
2) It is bad luck to _____ the money to the _____. You should instead place it on a table.
3) If you give a purse or wallet as a gift put _____money there. Otherwise it will bring _____.
Find the antonyms to the words given below and fill in the gaps:
a)blunt b)huge
c)grab d)people
e)a lot f)wealth
Luck and Omens
Replace the words in italics by their antonyms:
1) If you whistle outdoors, your family will find all their money.
2) Talking about future failures is bad luck. It’s better to be silent, or even optimistic, until the success
becomes a reality.
3) A woman with full water buckets coming away from you is a bad omen.
4) If a cow poops on you, it's bad luck.
Birth and Birthdays
1) Celebrate birthday parties on or _____ one's birthday, not _____.
2) You should _____ things (such as clothes, toys, furniture, etc.) for a new born baby ____ the baby is
born. This is usually done in a big ____.
3) A mother shall not ____ her baby to anyone except for the immediate family for 40 days ____ the baby
was born.
At the Table
1) If a fork or spoon falls on the ground, expect a female guest. If a knife falls, expect a male guest.
2) Never hand salt to another person. Place it near them on the table, and allow them to pick it up.
Match the synonyms to the words in italics:
a) man
b) masculine c) wait for d) let e) feminine
In Common
Match the sentences in the first column with the sentences in the second one:
1) If a black cat crosses your path, it's bad luck.
a) It will bring you bad luck.
2) It’s bad luck to spill salt.
b)You must spit three times over your left shoulder and knock on
wood to keep your good fortune.
c) Wait for someone else to walk there first.
3) Never light a cigarette from a candle.
4) Be careful if someone gives good wishes, or d) Throw three pinches over your left shoulder immediately or
draw a cross on the spilled salt to remedy this.
you talk about your good fortune.