Why are black cats bad? November 17 is a

题目：

Why are black cats bad?

November 17 is an important day for black cats in Italy. An animal rights group has named that day “Black Cat Day” to stop the killing of thousands of the cats. Why do people     the animal so much? It is because people believe black cats bring bad luck if they walk across your path.

The black cat is just one of the     of superstition(迷信）.You may already know that Western people don’t like the number 13. They also believe that walking under a ladder, opening an umbrella indoors and      a mirror can also bring bad luck.

According to Andrew Macaskill, who works for Times , British people believe it is    to see one magpie(喜鹊). But two bring good luck. “In Britain, people like to have a horseshoes over the door. They believe it can bring good luck,” Macaskill said. “But the horseshoe needs to be the right way up. The luck     if it is upside down.”

In the US, people usually spit on a new baseball bat before using it for the first time. They think this can bring good luck. Also, it is believed that good spirits live in trees. So by knocking on anything made from wood, people can call upon those spirits for protection against misfortune. People in the US also believe there are evil（邪恶的） spirits in blooms（扫帚）. So     lean a broom against a bed. The evil spirits will cast a spell on the bed.