2016年高考英语浙江卷(6月) - 阅读理解A

“Did you hear what happened to Adam last Friday？”Lindsey whispers to Tori.
“听说亚当上周五出事了吗？”林赛低声对托里说。

With her eyes shining, Tori brags. “You bet I did. Sean told me two days ago.”
托里眼睛闪闪发光，大声喊：“当然是我说的。肖恩两天前告诉我的。”

Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about? It just happens 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. 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.
林赛和托里在说谁？恰好就是我，亚当·弗里德曼。我可以告诉你，他们说的就是并不令人愉快，甚至不是真的。尽管如此，林赛和托里与林顿高中的大多数学生（包括我）没有太大区别。我们的许多对话都是八卦。我注意到了八卦的三个影响：它会伤害人，会给八卦者一种奇怪的满足感，还会给群体带来社会压力。

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.
八卦的一个重要的负面影响是，它会伤害被谈论的人。通常，八卦会传播关于某个话题的信息——分手、家事，甚至是一个人应当保守秘密的离经叛道。这个秘密越尴尬或丢脸，它就越能引起轰动。最糟糕的八卦可能是绝对的谎言。人们通常认为八卦者无害，但残酷的谎言会造成痛苦。

If we know that gossip can be harmful，then why do so many of us do it? The answer lies in another effect of gossip：the satisfaction it gives us. Sharing the latest rumor 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.
我们知道八卦是有害的，那么为什么我们这么多人会这样做呢？答案在于八卦的另一个影响：它给我们的满足感。分享最新的传言可以让一个人感到重要，因为他或她知道别人不知道的事情。同样，听到最新的传言会让一个人感觉自己是“团队中的一员”。换句话说，八卦之所以令人满意，是因为它给人一种归属感，甚至是优越感。

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.
八卦还可能产生第三种效果：它强化了人们行为中不成文的、不言而喻的规则。大卫·威尔逊教授解释说，八卦在监督一个群体的行为中很重要。用高中的话来说，这意味着，如果和你在一起的每个人都在嘲笑约翰的穿着或简说的话，那么你可以打赌，穿着或说类似的话会给你同样的负面关注。通过八卦传达的注意事项永远不会出现在任何学生手册中。

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.
八卦的影响因情况而异。下次你有传播最新消息的冲动时，想想你为什么要八卦，以及你的“有趣故事”可能会产生什么影响。