A recent study shows that gossipis more powerful than truth. It suggests people

A recent study shows that gossip（流言蜚语）is more powerful than truth. It suggests people believe what they hear through the grapevine(小道消息) 1 they have evidence to the contrary.

Researchers, 2 students using a computer game, also found gossip played an important role when people 3 decisions. “We show that gossip has a strong 4 , even when people have 5 to the original information as well as gossip about the same information. Thus, it is 6 that gossip has a strong controlling potential,” said Ralf Sommerfeld, who led the study.

In the study, the researchers 7 the students money and allowed them to give it to others in a series of rounds. The students also wrote 8 about how others played the game that everyone could review. Students tended to give 9 money to people described as “scrooges (吝啬鬼)” and more to those described as “ 10 players”. “People only believed the gossip, not the past decisions,” Sommerfeld said in a telephone interview.

The researchers then took the game a step 11 and showed the students the actual decisions people had made. But they also supplied false gossip that contradicted that 12 . In these cases, the students 13 their decisions to award money on the gossip, 14 the hard evidence.

“If you know what the people did, you should care, but they still 15 what others said,” Sommerfeld said. Researchers have 16 used similar games to study how people cooperate and the 17 of gossip in groups. Scientists define gossip 18 social information spread about a person who is not 19 . In evolutionary terms, gossip can be an important tool for people to 20 information about others' reputations or find the way through social networks at work and in their everyday lives.

1. A. in case B. for fear that 　 C. as if　 D. even if

2. A. testing B. checking C. examining D.experimenting

3. A. drew 　 B. made C. reached 　 D. concluded

4. A. impression　 B. difference 　 C. influence D. function

5. A. access B. entrance C. charge D. communication

6. A. curious B. serious C. obvious 　 D. worth

7. A. impressed　 B. asked 　 C. showed D. gave

8. A. articles 　 B. notes 　 C. dairies 　 D. letters

9. A. less 　 B. more C. fewer D. much

10. A. general 　 B. mean C. generous 　 D. outgoing

11. A. away 　 B. forward C. ahead D. further

12. A. existence B. evidence C. confidence 　 D. dependence

13. A. based B. put　 C. focused 　 D. passed

14. A. more than　 B. less than 　 C. rather than D. other than

15. A. referred to B. listened to C. turned to D. stuck to

16. A. soon 　 B. presently C. far 　 D. long

17. A. strength 　 B. energy 　 C. effect D. force

18. A. as B. for C. to 　 D. by

19. A. absent B. present C. gone 　 D. missing

20. A. achieve 　 B. earn C. acquire 　 D. win

试题答案

1-5 DABCA 6-10 CDBAC 11-15 DBACB 16-20 DCABC