“Mind your own business．” we’re told．“Don’t talk about others behind their backs．”The problem with this advice is that，not only is it unrealistic，it’s also counterproductive(起反作用的)．
Common sense holds that gossip(流言蜚語)hurts people’s feelings and damages relationships．But recent research shows the opposite—that strong communities and relationships between people would be impossible without gossip．
Gossip is a way for people to let you know the limits of social behavior．“If you move into a community and your neighbor tells you how the former homeowner never dealt with his rubbish properly，his gossip is letting you in on something，”says Dr．Ralph Rosnow of Temple University．“Gossip says：these are the boundaries and you are crossing them．You’re not abiding by the rules and you’d better get back in line．” Seen this way，gossip is a way to communicate criticism(批評)without conflict(沖突)，giving you a chance to change your behavior without losing face．
On the other hand，what about ill-willed gossip，the kind that puts other people down? Gossip is hearing something we like about someone we don’t and，in nearly every country in the world，gossip magazines have huge numbers of readers．According to researchers，however，this kind of gossip also has a good side because it helps us put our own problems in perspective(正確地)．“If we read bad news about well-known people，or get the frightful details of our neighbors’ bad situation over a cup of coffee，our own problems begin to pale in comparison(對比)，”says Dr．Jack Levin of Northeastern University．
However，that doesn’t mean that gossip is necessarily a good thing，either．Researchers found that people who gossip a lot tend to feel like they’re under a lot of stress．This might be because while they’re busy talking about other people，they’re also busy thinking what other people are saying about them．
【小題1】What is the purpose of the text?

One Sunday morning the Whites went to the park．They got home very late．Father opened the front door and they all went into the house．It was very dark, so mother turned on（打開）the light．On the way to their bedroom, mother said, “Listen, John! I can hear someone in the bedroom．”They all stood quietly outside the bedroom door．They could hear the voice in the room．

“You’re right,” father said．“There are two men in it．They are talking．”Then he shouted, “Who is there?” But no one answered．Father opened the door quickly and turned on the light．The room was empty．Then father found something and laughed．The radio was on! “I forgot to turn it off this morning,” father said．

（  ） 1．The Whites got home__________．

       A．in the morning     B．in the evening    C．at noon   D．in the afternoon

（  ） 2．They stood quietly outside the bedroom because____________．

       A．they didn’t want to walk into the bedroom．

       B．they were afraid to go into the bedroom．

       C．they were listening to the music．

       D．they heard someone talking in the bedroom．

（  ） 3．Father shouted but no one answered because_________．

       A．there was no one in the bedroom      B．the men in the room couldn’t hear

       C．his voice wasn’t loud               D．father stood too far away

（  ） 4．The radio worked__________．

       A．a day     B．a night       C．two days       D．many days

（  ） 5．They went into the room and found the voice came from________．

       A．the radio  B．two men      C．themselves     D．the TV

Sometimes you may not understand your parents．One minute they’re friendly，the next minute they’re shouting and screaming loudly enough for the whole street to hear．So who makes them so 1  ? You，probably!

    Is your room untidy? Do you leave things on the floor ?You may find it hard enough to keep one room tidy．So imagine what it’s like for your mum and dad trying to keep a whole house in order．

    When you take your clothes off．remember to 2  ．Get into the habit of taking glasses and plates down to the kitchen．Before long you’ll be doing it without thinking．

    Even though you may not realize it，your parents have bought you many clothes．But they’re not buying themselves new things every week，are they ?The simple truth is that there are more  3   things to spend money on，like the electricity bill and food．

    You may hate missing a party to visit some boring old relatives．They may go on and on about what a sweet baby you were．You have no choice but to listen．Even if you 4  ，your parents won’t change their minds．Parents like to show off their family．The best thing you can do is to help entertain your relatives．Your parents will be so pleased with you afterwards that they’ll probably allow you to go to the next two 5  ．

    You might not want to eat，but think of it from the parents’ point I of view．If you cook two meals a day．It means 730 meals a year．Can you imagine how boring this can get? Imagine how your parents feel when you say you’re not really hungry．  6  ，your parents are probably worried that you aren’t eating enough．

    Eat fewer snacks and leave room for your meals．Finally，offer to  7  after the meal．Your offer may not be accepted，but your parents will be pleased．

1．A．friendly          B．lonely                 C．changeable             D．comfortable

2．A．hang them up  B．leave them alone       C．put them on            D．throw them away

3．A．interesting       B．difficult                C．important               D．surprising

4．A．agree              B．complain              C．listen                     D．win

5．A．concerts         B．meetings              C．classes                   D．parties

6．A．In addition      B．In return              C．At most                 D．At last

7．A．do the cooking B．lay the table          C．buy some snacks    D．wash the dishes