专题5 阅读理解_27

（2016·浙江）阅读理解。
 
“Did you hear what happened to Adam Last Friday?”Lindsey whipers 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 Freedmam,I can tell you that what 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 Higt 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 ofen 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?Tht answer 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 do’s 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,thing about why you want to gossip and what effects your “juicy story”might have.
 
【小题1】The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passage to .A．introduce a topicB．present an argumentC．describe the charactersD．clarify his writing purpose【小题2】An important negative effects of gossip is that it.A．breaks up relationshipsB．embarrasses the listenerC．spreads information aroundD．causes unpleasant experiences【小题3】In the auther’s opinion,many people like to gossip because it.A．gives them a feeling of pleasureB．helpl them to make more friendsC．makes them better at telling storiesD．enables them to meet important people【小题4】Professor David Wilson think that gossip can .A．provide students with written rulesB．help people watch their own behaviorsC．force school to impove student handbooksD．attract the police’s attention to group behaviors【小题5】What advice does the author give in the passage?A．Never become a gossiperB．Stay away from gossipersC．Don’t let gossip turn into liesD．Think twice before you gossip.【语篇解读】本文是一篇议论文。文章讨论了传言的危害和人们为什么喜欢传闲话。