Презентация к уроку английского языка в 10 классе "Are Black Cats Actually Bad Luck?"

Valeriia Tikhonova 11A GIMNASIUM FEFU, Vladivostok

Among superstitions, one of the oldest and most enduring is that crossing paths with a black cat will bring on bad luck. The dark-colored felines have also been folded into modern Halloween symbol, giving them the (unearned) reputation of being spooky.

In ancient Egypt….
 In Ancient Egypt, things were still looking up for black cats. They were worshipped, just like their more colourful buddies. The Ancient Egyptian god of cats, called Bastet, was often portrayed as a woman with the head of a black cat, so our black felines had nothing to fear.
things are looking up – все налаживается, дела идут в гору, дела идут на лад, дела идут на подъем, жизнь налаживается, положение улучшается

In Celtic mythology, a legend existed about a creature called the Cat Sìth. The Cat Sìth was said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its chest. Legend has it that the Cat Sìth could steal a person’s soul before the gods could claim it, by passing over a corpse before the burial. Therefore, watches were organised to keep the mythical creature away from the corpses.
However….
corpse – труп, мертвец, мёртвое тело

In the Middle Ages in Europe, black cats were often associated with witches. In the 1560s in Lincolnshire, England, on a moonless night, a father and son were travelling when a black cat crossed their path. They pelted the cat with rocks until the poor animal fled into the home of a woman who at the time was being accused of being a witch. The next day, the father and son saw the woman who lived in the house. She was limping and bruised, so they assumed witches could turn into black cats at night to roam around unobserved. This belief spread to the USA with the first settlers and was held firmly during the Salem witch trials.
Cat = witch? ….
Lincolnshire in modern days
To roam – бродить, скитаться, странствовать

Is it a modern belief?….
Even today many people think black cats bring bad luck. Around Halloween for example, black cats are portrayed on all sorts of decorative items, often accompanied by witches.

Is there a problem arising?….
Coat Color and Cat Outcomes in an Urban U.S. Shelter
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Black cats had the lowest rate of adoption (10.0%) of any color
The website catit.co.uk even has the link on its page !

Upload a picture of your furry friend on our Black Cat Wall web page 

Facts!
Some shelters do not allow the adoption of black cats during the month of October, due to fear of intentional violence against the cat

In some cultures black cats are considered lucky (for example Japan)

Sources used for this presentation:

https://thetinytabby.tumblr.com/
https://ru.pinterest.com/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
https://wooordhunt.ru/
https://catit.co.uk/
https://www.history.com/