英语专八的练习题

Halloween’s origins date to the ancient Celtic festival __1__

of Samhain(pronounced sow-in). The Celts, which lived __2__

2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom,

and northern France, celebrated its new year on November 1.

This day marked the end of the summer and the harvest and __3__

the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was

often associated with human death. Celts believed that at the __4__

night before the new year, theboundary between the worlds

of the live and the dead became blurred. On the night of October __5__

31, they celebrated Samhain, when it believed that the ghosts __6__

of the dead returned to earth. In addiction to causing trouble and

damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the

other worldly spirits made it easier for the Druids,orCeltic Priest,

make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent __7__

on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important

source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires,

which the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices __8__

to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore

costumes, typically consisted of animal heads and skins, and __9__

attempted to assume each other’s fortunes. When the celebration __10__

was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished

earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them

during the coming winter.