Question

[1]Hocus-pocus sounds magical, doesn't it? And the word comes from the world of magic playing in Medieval (中世紀(jì)) Europe. In the dictionary Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, hocus-pocus is explained this way: a method or belief that you think is based on false ideas, e.g. He thinks psychology is a lot of hocus-pocus.

[2]I'm afraid this explanation isn't as interesting as the sounding of the word itself. But then again, the dictionary I mentioned is a dictionary for beginners. One can't expect much from it when it comes to such an interesting word as hocus-pocus. The Merriam-Webster dictionary online, on the other hand, gives a more detailed explanation: (1) sleight of hand; (2) nonsense or sham used especially to cloak deception. And it gives the origin of the word: probably from hocus pocus, imitation of a Latin phrase used by magicians.

[3]This explanation gets to the basic nature of hocus-pocus―exotic (外來的) but meaningless talk by the magician to fool the audience. Watch any magician at work and we'll notice that he sometimes talks constantly while performing tricks, using hocus-pocus, such as ear-catching words, eye-catching hand or body movements, to distract(分散) our attention while he gets a trick done.

[4]Hocus pocus reveals the nonsensical nature of the magician's talk on stage. And it was introduced into the English language probably just on the strength of the rhyming sound of it. Hocus-pocus, lovely.

[5]Well, knowing its origin which is from performing magicians in Europe, I'm sure you will find hocus pocus easier to remember. You'll also learn where to put it into use.

 

76. What is the passage mainly about? (Please answer within 10 words.)

77. Please list some examples of using “hocus pocus” mentioned in the passage. (Please answer within 10 words.)

① __________________ ② _______________ ③ _______________

78. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?

Hocus pocus shows magicians’ completely ridiculous and pointless words while performing.

79. Translate the underlined sentence in the passage into Chinese.

80. In what situations do you think we can use hocus-pocus? (Please answer within 30 words.)

Answer 1

 76. It is mainly about the origination of Hocus pocus / Hocus-pocus/The origin of Hocus pocus.

77. ① ear-catching words ② eye-catching hand movement’s ③ eye-catching body movements

78. Hocus pocus reveals the nonsensical nature of the magician's talk on stage.

79. 它之所以被英語吸收，大概是因為其發(fā)音押韻的緣故吧。

80. The students’ answers may vary. (In my opinion, we can use it in certain performances, making people laugh or enjoy what you are doing. However, we can’t use it to deceive others.)