20．Witchcraft（巫术）was not made a capital offence in Britain until 1563though it was disapproved by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484．From 1484until around 1750，some 200，000witches（女巫）were burnt or hanged in Western Europe．
Most supposed witches were usually old women，and always poor．Any who were unfortunate enough to be an old woman with broken teeth，sunken cheeks and sockets and a hairy lip were assumed to possess the"Evil Eye"．It was more the case if they also had a cat．Many unfortunate women were taken away on this sort of evidence and hanged．
Witch fever held East Anglia for 14terrible months between 1645-1646．A man called Matthew Hopkins，an unsuccessful lawyer，contributed a lot!He became known as the"Witchfinder General"．He had 68people put to death in Bury St．Edmunds alone，and 19hanged at Chelmsfor in a single day．After Chelmsford he set off for other countries．Much of Matthew Hopkins theories of telling a witch were based on Devil's Marks．He took a small mark to be a Devil's Mark and he used his"needle"to see if these marks were insensitive to pain．His"needle"was basically a trick so the unfortunate women never felt any pain．
There were other tests for witches．Mary Sutton of Bedford was put to the swimming test．With her thumbs tied to opposite big toes she was thrown into the river．If she floated she was guilty； if she sank，innocent．Poor Mary floated!
Though many of the acts againsts witchcraft were put to an end in 1736，witch hunting still went on．In 1863，a suspected male witch was drowned in a pond in Headingham，Essex and 1945the body of an elderly farm laborer was found near the village of Meon Hill in Warwickshire．His throat had been cut and his body was pinned to the earth．The murder remains unsolved； however，the man was said，locally，to be a male witch．It seems that belief in witchcraft has not entirely died out．
12．A female witch was often found to beC
A．a young lady
B．a lucky woman
C．an ugly woman
D．a blind girl
13．Matthew Hopkins can be best described asB
A．kind and smart
B．tricky and merciless
C．successful and nice
D．famous and fortunate
14．Why did people throw Mary into the river？B
A．To take her life．
B．To tell if she was a witch
C．To test her swimming skills．
D．To prove that she was guilty
15．What's the main idea of the last paragraph？D
A．Witches are still badly treated all over the world．
B．Witches were terribly treated in the European history．
C．Some people still have been using magic in daily lives．
D．There have always been people believing in witchcraft．
分析 本文讲述了西方巫术的发展以及巫师的迫害．
解答 CBBD
12．C 细节题．根据第二段Most supposed witches were usually old women，and always poor可知，大多数女巫又老又丑，故选C．
13．B细节题．根据第三段He had 68people put to death in Bury St．Edmunds alone，and 19hanged at Chelmsfor in a single day可知，Matthew Hopkins处死了68个人，19个人被绞死，所以他既狡猾又残忍，故选B．
14．B 细节题．该段的主题句为There were other tests for witches．，即关于巫师有很多其他的测试．接着举例子Mary 被扔到河里，If she floated she was guilty； if she sank，innocent如果她漂浮就 有罪，如果下沉就是无辜的，故选B．
15．D 主旨题．根据最后 一段的最后一句话It seems that belief in witchcraft has not entirely died out．可知，似乎相信巫师还没有完全消失，即告诉我们还是有人相信巫师，所以该句是本段的主旨句，故答案为D．
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