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A renowned folklorist, Brunvand is considered the pre-eminent scholar on urban legends. The definition of an 
urban legend, he writes, is “a strong basic story-appeal, a foundation in actual belief, and a meaningful message or 
moral.” Most urban legends tend to offer a moral lesson, Koven agreed, that is always interpreted differently 
depending on the individual. The lessons don’t necessarily have to be of the deep, meaning-of-life, variety, he 
said. 
Urban legends are also good indicators of what’s going on in current society, said Koven. “By looking at 
what’s implied in a story, we get an insight into the fears of a group in society,” he said. Urban legends “need to 
make cultural sense,” he said, noting that some stick around for decades while others fizzle out depending on their 
relevance to the modern social order. It’s a lack of information coupled with these fears that tends to give rise to 
new legends, Koven said. “When demand exceeds supply, people will fill in the gaps with their own infor mation 
as they’ll just make it up.” The abundance of conspiracy theories and legends surrounding 9/11, the war in Iraq 
and Hurricane Katrina seems to point to distrust in the government among some groups, he said. 
But urban legends aren’t all serious life lessons and conspiracy theories, experts say, with the scariest, most 
plausible ones often framed as funny stories. Those stories can spread like wildfire in today’s Internet world, but 
they’ve been part of human culture as long as there has been culture, and Brunvand argues that legends should be 
around as long as there are inexplicable curiosities in life.   
46 What is the main idea of this passage? 
Urban legends are all nonsense that we needn’t pay attention to. 
Urban legends have many levels of concepts and they will survive. 
Urban legends are a good way to escape from government control. 
Urban legends should not spread before the source of information is confirmed. 
47 Which of the following statements is NOT a characteristic of urban legends? 
They only told stories long time ago.  They are sometimes creepy and scary. 
They sometimes have moral lessons.  They are not easy to prove true or false. 
48 According to the expert, what is people’s common attitude toward urban legends? 
They don’t believe them at first, but after verification, they do. 
They dismiss them as nonsense; they don’t believe them at all. 
They not only believe them but also spread them without consideration. 
They tend to think they are stories, or half-believe them with some details. 
49 According to the passage, which statement below is NOT true? 
The Internet helps a lot on the spreading of urban legends. 
It is easy for people to verify urban legends through the Internet. 
As long as people remain curious, the urban legends are here to stay. 
People’s fear may sometimes contribute to the generation of urban legends. 
50 What type of writing does this passage belong to? 
Narrative.  Analytical.  Descriptive.  Pedagogical.