There are many superstitions in Britain, but one of the most (31) ______held is that it is unlucky to walk under a ladder — even if it means (32) ______the pavement into a busy street ! ( 33 ) ______you must pass under a ladder you can (34) ______bad luck by crossing your fingers and ( 35 ) ______them crossed until you have seen a dog. (36) ______,you may lick your finger and ( 37 ) ______a cross on the toe of your shoe, and not look again at the shoe until the (38 )______ has dried. Another common (39)______is that it is unlucky to open an umbrella in the house — it will either bring (40) ______ to the person who opened it or to the whole (41 )______. Anyone opening an umbrella in fine weather is (42)______,as it inevitably brings rain! The number 13 is said to be unlucky for some, and when the 13th day of the month (43)_______on a Friday, anyone wishing to avoid a bad event had better stay (44)______. The worst misfortune that can happen to a person is caused by breaking a mirror, (45)______it brings seven years of bad luck! The superstition is supposed to (46)______in ancient times, when mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods.
Black cats are generally considered lucky in Britain, even though they are ( 47 )______witchcraft. It is (48 )______lucky if a black cat crosses your path — although in America the exact opposite belief prevails. Finally, a commonly held superstition is that of touching wood (49)______luck. This measure is most often taken if you think you have said something that is tempting fate, such as "my car has never (50)______,touch wood"