當數字 13 碰上星期五‏

 

Most cultures have some superstitions about numbers or dates. In the West, there is one combination that is feared above all others—Friday the thirteenth. It appears in novels and has even given its name to an entire series of successful horror movies. The day even affects the economy since as many as 20 million Americans change their habits on this unluckiest of days. 大多數文化對數字或日期都有一些迷信。在西方，有一種組合比起其他組合都要來的令人害怕――13 號星期五。這個日子出現在小說中，甚至有一系列賣座的恐怖電影以它為名。這一天甚至能影響經濟，因為有多達兩千萬美國人在這最不吉利的一天改變他們的習慣！ 　　Both the number 13 and Friday have long been seen as unlucky. Including Judas the traitor, 13 is the same number as Jesus and his disciples. It has a similar association in Norse myths, where the trickster god Loki is usually given the number 13. Friday is also associated with bad luck because Jesus was crucified on a Friday, and many Christians believe it to be a bad omen to start journeys or new projects on Fridays. 一直以來，數字 13 和星期五都被視為不吉利。包含叛徒猶大在內，耶穌和他門徒的總數是 13。在北歐神話中，這個數字有著類似的關聯，因為奸詐之神洛基通常會和數字 13 扯上關係。星期五也和厄運有所關聯，因為耶穌被釘上十字架那天是星期五，因而許多基督徒認為在星期五踏上旅途或開始新計劃是不好的兆頭。 　　Even so, the belief that the thirteenth day of any month is especially unlucky if it falls on a Friday is far more recent than you think. The idea only became widespread in the early part of the 20th century. Some people attribute the start to a novel called Friday, the Thirteenth, which is about a banker who tricks people into believing something bad will happen on that date. Nevertheless, no one is exactly sure of its true origin. 即使如此，任何月份的第 13 日落在星期五這天特別不吉利的這個看法，其實是最近才發生的事。這個觀念在 20 世紀初才開始流行。有些人認為這是始於一本名為《13 號星期五》的小說，裡面談的是一個專門騙人說這天會有壞事發生的銀行家。話雖如此，還是沒有人能完全確定這個觀念的起源為何。 　　However it came about, the superstition has taken hold across the West. Ironically, accident figures from some countries suggest that Friday the thirteenth is safer than many other days, perhaps because fewer people are out and those that are try to be more careful. 不論這個想法是怎麼來的，這個迷信在西方廣為流行。而諷刺的是，一些國家的意外事故數字顯示，13 號星期五這天比起其他許多日子都來得安全，或許是因為這天比較少人外出，而在這天外出的人也都更小心謹慎吧。

精解字詞片語

1. superstition n. 迷信
superstitious a. 迷信的
例: My grandmother is very superstitious. She believes that it's bad luck to let a black cat cross your path.
（我奶奶很迷信。她相信走路時如果碰到黑貓就會倒楣。）
2. affect vt. 影響
effect n. 影響（其後常與介詞 on 並用）
have an effect on...　　對……有影響（力）
= have an influence on...
= have an impact on...
例: Mark's lack of sleep affected his performance at school.
（馬克睡眠不足，影響了他在學校的表現。）
例: Gary's words always have an effect on his children.
（蓋瑞的話對他的子女向來有影響力。）
3. as many as + 數字 + 複數名詞　　數目多達……
as much as + 不可數名詞　　數量多達……
例: As many as 250 people escaped the burning building.
（有多達 250 人從那棟著火的建築物中脫險。）
例: We can spend as much as NT$5,000 on Lucy's birthday present.
（我們最多可以花 5 千元買露西的生日禮物。）
注意:
NT$5,000（five thousand NT dollars）雖為複數名詞形態，但其所代表的是不可數抽象名詞 money 的概念，修飾 money 時要用 much，而非 many，故 as much as NT$5,000 為正確用法。
4. be seen as + N/adj.　　被視為……
= be viewed as + N/adj.
= be regarded as + N/adj.
= be looked upon as + N/adj.
= be thought of as + N/adj.
例: Dr. Hyde is seen as a leader in his field of medicine.
（海德醫生被視為他那個醫學領域的龍頭。）
5. association n. 關係，關聯；合作
in association with...　　與……聯合∕合作
例: We sponsored a charity event in association with the broadcasting corporation.
（我們和那家廣播公司聯合贊助一項慈善活動。）
6. be associated with...　　和……有關聯；和……聯想在一起　　
= be connected to/with...
例: Water is associated with purity and cleanliness.
（水總是和純淨聯想在一起。）
7. Even so, S + V　　縱然如此，……
例: The weather was bad. Even so, we enjoyed our trip.
（天氣很糟。縱然如此，我們這趟旅程仍然玩得很開心。）
8. fall on...　　（節日等）在∕適逢……（日期）
例: In Taiwan, Father's Day falls on August 8.
（在台灣，父親節是 8 月 8 號那天。）
9. attribute A to B　　把 A 歸因於 B
attribute vt. 歸因於
例: We attribute our success at the book fair to all our employees' hard work.
（我們把書展的成功歸因於全體同仁的努力。）
10. trick sb into + V-ing　　欺騙某人（做）……
trick sb out of sth　　從某人身上騙走某物
例: John tricked me into lending him NT$2,000.
（約翰使詭計騙我借他兩千元。）
例: The old lady was tricked out of her life savings.
（那位老太太被騙走了畢生積蓄。）
11. come about　　發生
例: Do you know how this tragedy came about?
（你知道這場悲劇是怎麼發生的嗎？）
12. take hold　　（狂熱、危機意識等）大肆掀起；盛行起來
例: A distrust of Middle Eastern people took hold in the US after the 911 attacks.
（911 攻擊事件後，對中東人的不信任席捲全美。）
13. ironically adv. 諷刺地
例: Ironically, Tina ended up losing all her money by following her advisor's suggestion.
（諷刺的是，蒂娜聽從理財顧問的建議，到頭來卻賠光所有錢。）

單字小舖

1. combination n. 組合
2. a horror movie　　恐怖片
3. traitor n. 叛徒
4. disciple n. 門徒，信徒
5. myth n. 神話
6. trickster n. 騙子；惡作劇者
7. crucify vt. 把……釘死在十字架上
8. omen n. 徵兆，預兆
9. widespread a. 普遍的
10. origin n. 起源

Grammar Tips

...the belief that the thirteenth day of any month is especially unlucky if it falls on a Friday is far more recent than you think.
注意:
可修飾比較級的副詞共有 6 個：
far, much, a lot, a great deal, still, even。
例: This Australian steak is a great deal juicier than that Canadian one.
（這種澳洲牛排比加拿大的那種還要多汁。）
例: You are good at algebra, but John is even better.
（你的代數不錯，但約翰卻更好。