Do You Feel Lucky?

For Robert Edge, a keen golfer, it started out as an 1…………….. weekend. On Saturday morning, Edge went, as usual, to his local golf course with some friends. He couldn't believe his luck when he hit a hole-in-one, and he celebrated the amazing experience with his friends after finishing the game. What made the weekend even more special was that, returning to the same golf course the following day, he hit another hole-in-one! He was undoubtedly a very lucky person.

Events like this are not 2……………, but we all experience "lucky" and "unlucky" events throughout our lives. The question is whether we can do anything to influence our luck.

Some people use lucky charms to help them avoid bad luck, and others believe very strongly in superstition and numerology. Many people associate certain objects with luck. Horseshoes, rabbits' feet and four-leaf clovers are all said to bring good fortune. The number thirteen is considered unlucky in many countries, with hotels jumping from the twelfth floor directly to the fourteenth. In parts of Asia, the number four is avoided, as the pronunciation is nearly 3…………… to that of the word for "death". Most scientists and psychologists don't believe in superstitions, or the idea that some people are luckier than others. They say that optimists 4…………… to remember good results, and therefore believe that they are lucky; pessimists typically remember bad results, and therefore believe that they are unlucky.

So, if you want to feel like a lucky person, thinking positively can help. Think and act

like an optimist, and ask yourself: do you feel lucky?

1) Read the text and complete with the missing words: identical / ordinary / tend / common.
2) Answer the questions:

• What do horseshoes, rabbits' feet, and four-leaf clovers have in common?
• According to the writer, what is the best way to feel lucky? 
• What do you think of Robert Edge's story? Was he skillful or lucky? 
  

3) Think about some moments in your life when you feel lucky. Make a comment to this entry starting like this: I feel lucky if/when... One day, I ....