評論
打印
Passage Two
Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
According to some individuals, if your house is built in the right position, this may affect your success in life, which seems strange to many people. However, to believers in Feng-Shui, or the art of geomancy, not only the position but also the choice of decorations and even the color of your home can mean the difference between good fortune and disaster. This art has been practiced for centuries in China and is still used all over South East Asia. Even the huge Hong Kong banks call in a geomant if they are planning to build new offices. They have such faith in his knowledge that if he advises them to move, they will alter their plans for even their biggest buildings.
Like many Oriental beliefs the geomant's skill depends on the idea of harmony in nature. If there is no imbalance between the opposing forces of Yin and Yang, the building will bring luck to its inhabitants. This means that the house must be built on the right spot as well as facing the right direction, and also be painted an auspicious color. For instance, if there are mountains to the north, this will protect them from evil influences. If the house is painted red, this will bring happiness to the occupants while green symbolizes youth and will bring long life. Other factors, such as the owner's time and date of birth, are taken into account, too. The geomant believes that unless all these are considered when choosing a site for construction, the fortune of the people using it will be at risk.
Indeed, to ignore the geomant's advice can have fatal results. The death of the internationally famous Kung-Fu star, Brucee Lee, has been used as an example. It is said that when Lee found out that the house he was living in was an unlucky one, he followed a geomant's advice and installed an eight-sided mirror outside his front door to bring him luck. Unfortunately, a storm damaged the mirror and the house was left unprotected from harmful influences. Soon afterwards Lee died in mysterious circumstances.
Not only is Feng-Shui still used in South East Asia, but it has also spread right across the world. Even in modern New York a successful commercial artist called Milton Glaser has found it useful. He was so desperate after his office was broken into six times that he consulted a geomant. He was told to install a fish tank with six black fish and fix a red clock to the ceiling. Since then he has not been burglarized once. It may seem an incredible story, but no other suitable explanation has been offered.
57. From the passage we can infer that Feng-Shui is NOT used in ______.
A) Hong Kong
B) the United States
C) Japan
D) Thailand
58. Geomants believe that ______.
A) houses must only be painted red
B) houses must face mountains
C) nature and life should be in harmony
D) green is an unlucky color
59. Geomants think that the reason for Bruce Lee's death is that ______.
A) he didn't follow the geomants' advice
B) he installed an eight-sided mirror
C) he misunderstood the geomant's advice
D) a storm damaged the protection for his house
60. The story of Milton Glaser shows that ______.
A) colors are not important in geomancy
B) geomancy is used by artists
C) geomancy is used in the West
D) the fight against crime is being won
61. Which of the following best describes geomancy?
A) It is a style of Oriental decoration.
B) It is a type of painting.
C) it is an ancient Chinese belief called Feng-Shui.
D) It is an architectural design.
