Pedro: ...  one last question, Mrs. Jones. Are the British superstitious? 

Mrs. Jones: Of course, they are. I’ll give you some examples to get an idea. 
First of all, they believe that walking under a ladder brings bad luck. 
If they have to pass under a ladder, they cross their fingers and keep them crossed until they 
see a dog. 
Isn’t that strange? Opening an umbrella in the house is also unlucky. 
It brings bad luck to the person who opened it or to the whole family who lives in this house. 
What’s more, they believe that opening their umbrellas in fine weather brings rain!
Breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck! You know what they do for luck? They touch 
wood. 
They say for example: ‘I’ve never had problems with my car – touch wood!’
One last thing I want to tell you is about black cats. The British think that black cats are 
lucky. 
Seeing a black cat in the morning while you’re going to school or to work means you’re really 
lucky and you’ll have a great day! 
So, if you’re superstitious and you visit England, don’t pass under a ladder, 
don’t open your umbrella when the weather is sunny, don’t carry mirrors because they might 
break and look for black cats. 
You’ll have all the luck you need! 

