Question

【题目】“Did you hear what happened to Adam Last Friday?” Lindsey whispers to Tori.

With her eyes shining, Tori brags, “You bet I did, Sean told me two days ago.”

Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about? It just happened to be yours truly, Adam Freedman. I can tell you that what they are saying is (a) not nice and (b) not even true. Still, Lindsey and Tori aren’t very different from most students here at Linton High School, including me. Many of our conversations are gossip(闲话). I have noticed three effects of gossip: it can hurt people, it can give gossipers a strange kind of satisfaction, and it can cause social pressures in a group.

An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about. Usually, gossip spreads information about a topic-breakups, trouble at home, even dropping out-that a person would rather keep secret. The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is, the juicier the gossip it makes. Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie. People often think of gossipers as harmless, but cruel lies can cause pain.

If we know that gossip can be harmful, then why do so many of us do it? Theanswer lies in another effect of gossip: the satisfaction it gives us. Sharing the latest rumor(传言) can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don’t. Similarly, hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the “in group.” In other words, gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority(优越感).

Gossip also can have a third effect: it strengthens unwritten, unspoken rules about how people should act. Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group. Translated into high school terms, this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said, then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention. The dos and don’ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.

The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation. The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news, think about why you want to gossip and what effects your “juicy story” might have.

【1】The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passage to .

A. introduce a topic B. present an argument

C. describe the characters D. clarify his writing purpose

【2】Professor David Wilson thinks that gossip can .

A. provide students with written rules

B. help people watch their own behaviors

C. force schools to improve student handbooks

D. attract the police’s attention to group behaviors

【3】What advice does the author give in the passage?

A. Never become a gossiper

B. Stay away from gossipers

C. Don’t let gossip turn into lies

D. Think twice before you gossip.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】B

【3】D

【解析】古有谚语“谣言止于智者”，本文用一则对话引出“八卦”这一话题，并深入分析了“八卦”所带来的既有消极方面，也有积极方面的影响，建议人们想要传播最新的新闻时，要知道你为什么想要八卦，以及你的“蜜汁故事”可能会带来什么影响，要三思而后行。

【1】A 推理判断题。该题考察文章的写作技巧。作者开篇引用一则对话作为一个实例，用来引出“闲话”这一话题。第三段第五句“Many of our conversations are gossip.”,其中，conversations为关键词，因为作者引用的就是一个conversation。因此，选A。

【2】B 推理判断题。第六段第二句Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group，police在此处的意思是“监督”，和B项中的watch有语义上的联系。另外根据该段后半部分的解释可以知道，所八卦别人的事情，也正是自己力求避免的东西。因此可以推断出团体中的人自觉地根据自己的观察来自律自己的行为。A项错在written一词；C项说法没有依据；D项中police一词属于对动名词policing的曲解。

【3】D 细节理解题。根据文章第七段，八卦的影响因情况而异。作者认为，下次当你想要传播最新的新闻时，要知道你为什么想要八卦，以及你的“蜜汁故事”可能会有什么影响，要三思而后行。故选D。