Very few of us would admit putting much trust in horoscopes and the fact that the movements of astronomical bodies 1.................... to earthly occurrences affecting people's everyday lives. We all know about the zodiac signs which reflect the position of the sun, the moon, and the planets at the moment of a man's birth and about the peculiar characteristics 2.................... to them by astrologers. We say we will take these phenomena with a pinch of salt while we keep 3.................... our eyes over them in every tabloid we lay our hands-on. Most frequently, we expect horoscopes to predict the future, to 4.................... our optimistic mood with a piece of comforting information or to boost our ego by confirming the superlative features that we tend to attribute to our zodiacs. However, there's no scientific evidence to 5.................... the assumption that human existence is so closely 6.................... with the parameters of the celestial bodies. Our curiosity in horoscopes may, then, stem our sheer fascination with the unexplained or the unpredictable as well as in the enticing insight into the future that the horoscopes offer, thus establishing the sense of our 7.................... an extreme power over our own lives. An additional explanation is that humans tend to have a soft 8.................... for any form of flattery, which is the fact to which astrologers and the horoscope writers seem to attach the greatest deal of weight. 1. A. compare B. correspond C. match D. rely 2. A. associated B. identified C. incorporated D. ascribed 3. A. putting B. running C. sending D. fixing 4. A. adjust B. upgrade C. reassure D. restore 5. A. conclude B. concede C. corroborate D. confound 6. A. coalesced B. adhere C. fused D. intertwined 7. A. wielding B. committing C. effecting D. disposing 8. A. pit B. spot C. dot D. nick