• 2022-06-05
    Part 5: DictationDirections: In this section, you will hear 1 passage. The passage will be spoken THREE TIMES. Please fill the blanks.​浏览器不支持音频​The Irish New Year Festival is known as Samhain which means summer ends and is celebrated on 31 October. The festival has ______ as Halloween. This day was considered of great danger for it is when the spirits of the dead return to earth. It was believed the spirits could do harm unless ______ were taken. The Celtic priests went into the woods on New Year's Eve to gather bunches of mistletoe which they ______ to people to protect them from any harm. Also bonfires were lit to ______ evil forces. They also believed that it was safer to stay indoors as ______ were abroad on New Year's Eve. In Ireland the girls would go to bed with twigs of mistletoe, or holly and ivy leaves under their ______ so they would go to bed dreaming of their future husbands. They might also chant: "Oh, ivy green and holly red. Tell me, tell me whom I shall wed!" In West Ireland the direction of the wind blowing at New Year would indicate the ______ of politics in the coming year. If it blew from the west it would flourish; if from the east the English would have the upper hand. Also if they ate a very large New Year's Eve dinner they would have plenty of food for the coming year. One custom that was ______ on New Year's Eve was to take a large loaf of Christmas bread or cake outside the house and ______ it against the closed doors and windows. This was done so as to drive out any misfortune and ______ .