Chiyoko Osaki
married a man after a fortuneteller said he was a good match. The marriage
soon fell apart.
She initially turned
to her parents and friends for advice on building a solid future and career,
but she soon found herself returning to the soothsayer.
Although counselling is available from both
public and private organizations, many people in these unpredictable economic times are looking to divination for solutions to their problems, as well as specific
advice for marriage, work and future plans.
As could be
expected, the number of problems concerning fortunetelling has also risen
Many people become addicted to fortunetelling because
they have been exposed to it through TV shows and magazines since they were
very young, said Hiroshi Watanabe, a lawyer. He has handled cases involving
fortunetelling and fraudulent
sales of goods or services claimed to bring supernatural benefits to the purchaser.
Fortune tellers have
long been working on the streets of Japan. But with the nation’s economy
still sputtering along, the
Internet has become inundated with
sites providing fortunetelling services over the phone or through e-mail.
|
VOCABULARY
1.
Soothsayer
- someone who is believed
to be able to say what will happen in the future
2.
Counselling
- advice and
support given by a counsellor to someone with problems, usually after talking
to them
3.
Unpredictable
- changing a lot so it is
impossible to know what will happen:
4.
Divination
- the ability to say what
will happen in the future, or the act of doing this
5.
Addicted
- liking
something so much that you do not want to stop doing it or having it
6.
Fraudulent
- intended
to deceive people in an illegal way, in order to gain money, power etc:
7.
Supernatural
- impossible
to explain by natural causes, and therefore seeming to involve the powers of
gods or magic:
8.
Sputtering
- to make loud sounds like explosions
9.
Inundated
- to
receive so much of something that you cannot easily deal with it all
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
Have you ever been to a fortune teller? Tell
about your experience.
2.
Do you believe in supernatural powers or
divination?
3.
How do you define “luck”? Destiny? Fate?
4.
Share your beliefs about being lucky and unlucky
in life.
