“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(流言蜚语)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(批评)without conflict(冲突)，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(正确地)．“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(对比)，”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．
1.What is the purpose of the text?

A．To encourage us to spread gossip about others．

B．To prevent us from spreading gossip about others。

C．To make a comparison between good gossip and bad gossip．

D．To recognize certain positive functions of gossip．

2.According to the passage，people in general think that__________．

A．it’s a bad habit to gossip

B．nobody pays attention to gossip

C．not all the gossip you hear is worth believing

D．it’s necessary to have a nice gossip with a friend or neighbor

3.The underlined phrase “abiding by” in Paragraph 3 most probably means“________”．

A．making??? ????????????? ????????????? B．breaking??? ????????????? ????????????? C．obeying??? ????????????? D．changing

4.It could be learned from the passage that__________.

A. people under much stress enjoy gossiping about others.

B. in a way gossip helps us deal with our own problems.

C. in fact most people tend to believe gossip.

D. the more there is gossip, the stronger relationships become between people.

“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(流言蜚语)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(批评)without conflict(冲突)，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(正确地)．“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(对比)，”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．
【小题1】What is the purpose of the text?

 My good friends, if you ‘re too busy , maybe it’s time you slowed down and enjoyed a meal with a friend. Try to get away from fast food and choose slow food.

    For years, the pace(节奏)of life has increased for many people. They are too busy to cook.Luckily, there are business people who take the chance to provide a “fast ” way to deal with the problem. You can go to the supermarket and buy cooked food. All you have to do is to heat it and you can enjoy your meal in 10 minutes.

Still too slow ? OK, just go to a fast-food restaurant , order your meal and within 5 minutes it will be made for you.

    The problem is health. Fast food has much more fat, sugar,salt, oil and calories (卡路里), and far fewer vitamin's(维生素)than homemade food. And so, since people have always wanted to live longer,a small but growing population is choosing not only fresh food, but also organic(有机的)food.

    Another reason for changes in eating habits is social. Over the centuries,mealtime has been used to visit , laugh and learn. However, today most of us are having a very different lifestyle! Some people have realized it and they are looking for ways to return to that. Goodbye, McDonald’s.

    Finally, it makes you feel good to plan your meal, cook your meal and see your meal looking like the picture in your cook book. So if you’re too busy, maybe it’s time you slowed down and enjoyed a homemade meal.

1Why do many people buy cooked food in the supermarket ?

    A. It’s delicious.                  B. They think it’s a fashion to eat it.

    C. It saves them time.              D.it save them money. 

2 The writer thinks we just have to wait _____ minutes at most for our meal in a fast food restaurant.

    A. five .        B.fifteen.          C.eight.       D. fifth 

3 Fast food is low in _________ ?

    A. salt .        B.calories .        C.sugar.       D. vitamins .

4 What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 5 mean ?

A. Eating in a fast-food restaurant .

B. Visiting friends.

C. Having a different lifestyle. .

D.Enjoying slow food. 

A：Good morning．Jim! Is this your photo?

B：Yes．Thank you．

A：Oh，  1  is this boy in the photo? Is he your brother?

B：No．He is  2  uncle．

A：Does he have a guitar?

B：Yes．How do you know this?

A：Well，I can  3  a guitar in the photo．

B：My uncle likes to play the guitar．And he plays it very   4  ．

A：Is he a musician?

B：No．He is a clerk．He  5  at Mrs．White’s Clothes Store．

A：Wow, he’s great．Is he  6  ?  

B：Yes．He usually gets up at six o’clock in the morning．He brushes his teeth and has a shower. After that he has breakfast．Then he  7  the number 2 bus to the store．He cats lunch at the store．He usually gets home  8  five—thirty．After dinner he plays his guitar．At ten he goes to bed． 

A：May I know his  9  ?

B：Bill Green．Do you want to be his friend?

A：Yes．You know I like playing the guitar．I want your uncle to help me with it．

B：OK．I think he can help you．You can  10  him at 321—7621．

A：Thanks a lot．

1．A．What              B．When           C．Who               D．Why 

2．A．my                 B．her               C．your                D．his

3．A．look               B．look at          C．watch              D．see

4．A．good              B．OK               C．well               D．nice

5．A．has                B．1ikes           C．plays           D．works

6．A．busy              B．happy           C．funny             D．fine

7．A．brings           B．takes           C．sells               D．writes

8．A．in            B．at                 C．on                  D．for

9．A．address          B．job               C．name              D．phone number

10．A．call               B．help               C．join                 D．know