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The Gift of Gab 八卦有益健康

課文朗讀

課文中英文講解

繁體中文譯本

“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but…..” But you love to gossip, right? We all do. In fact, studies show that gossip makes up about two thirds of normal conversation. This may not seem like a valuable way to spend your time, but gossip is more than idle chatter. It is actually beneficial to your health and to your relationships.

「我不应该跟你说这些的，但......」。但你喜欢讲八卦，对吧?我们都喜欢。事实上，研究显示，八卦约占了我们日常对话的三分之二。讲八卦或许不是值得花时间去做的事，但它可不只是无聊的谈话。它的确有益于你的健康和人际关系。

Humans are social creatures and love to talk about others. And when we do so, we relieve stress and muscle tension by stimulating the production of endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers. Imagine that. Talking about your friends, family, celebrities, or even yourself, has a lot of the same benefits as vigorous exercise.

人类是群居的生物，喜欢道人长短。而当我们这样做时会刺激身体分泌天然的止痛剂—安多芬(脑内啡)，进而舒缓压力与肌肉紧绷。试想，光谈论朋友、家人、名人、甚至你自己，就有像从事激烈运动那么多益处。

In addition to the health benefits of gossip, researchers say that it also fulfills several important social functions. When we listen to gossip, we often gain knowledge of how to deal with difficult situations before we face them personally. By participating in gossip we also learn how our group functions and how we fit in. The old adage is true: the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. The person who is never at the center of gossip is probably the loneliness person around.

除了健康方面的好处，研究人员指出八卦也达到了几项重要的社交功能。当我们听到八卦时，我们通常能够在亲身经历困境之前就学会该如何处理。藉由参与八卦讨论，我们也可得知我们所参与的团体是如何运作以及我们如何融入其中。有句老格言说的没错:「唯一一件比被人谈论更糟的事就是不被人谈论。」一个从来不曾成为八卦焦点的人或许是所有人当中最寂寞的。

Gossip is often thought of as a waste of time, or “women’s talk.” Don’t be fooled. According to studies, men participate in gossip at least as much as women, and for good reason: gossip is plainly and simply good for us.

八卦通常被视为是浪费时间，或是女人们之间的七嘴八舌。别傻了!研究显示，说八卦的男人至少跟女人一样多。有一个充分的理由是:八卦显然是对我们有益的。

Vocabulary

gossip [ˋgɑsəp] n. 闲话，聊天；流言蜚语

idle [ˋaɪd!] adj. 无益的；无聊的

relieve [rɪˋliv] v. 缓和，减轻

stimulate [ˋstɪmjə͵let] v. 刺激；激励

vigorous [ˋvɪgərəs] adj. 强有力的; 剧烈的

fulfill [fʊlˋfɪl] v. 达到（目的）；实现

More Information

gab [gæb] n.【非正式】喋喋不休﹐闲聊

make up 组成﹐构成

chatter [ˋtʃætɚ] n. 聊天﹐闲谈; 唠叨

beneficial [͵bɛnəˋfɪʃəl] adj. 有益的

endorphin [ɛnˋdɔrfən] n. 脑内啡（脑分泌的具有镇痛作用的氨基酸）

painkiller [`penˏkɪlɚ] n. 止痛药﹐袪痛药

participate [pɑrˋtɪsə͵pet] v. 参加，参与[（+in）]

fit in: 相处融洽, 适应环境 to belong

adage [ˋædɪdʒ] n. 谚语；格言

plainly [ˋplenlɪ] adv. 清楚地,明显地

Reading Questions

1. How can we benefit from gossip?

A. We can stop taking painkillers for our headaches.

B. It helps us find friends to pass the time.

C. We can get promoted in our group without doing much.

D. We can learn how to solve problems before encountering them.

2. What does the author think of gossip?

A. Gossip is nothing more than a waste of time.

B. She/He would rather exercise than gossip.

C. Gossip often does a lot of damage to social functions.

D. She/He thinks that men also like to gossip with their friends.

3. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A. The one who is never talked about is the most popular person.

B. Talking about others is immoral because humans are social creatures.

C. Gossip helps improve one’s health and build up one’s relationships.

D. Less than half of normal conversation is made up of gossip.

課文中英文講解

Gossip may have its benefits, as numerous studies have shown, but what about when it involves speaking badly of another person? Shouldn’t we ___1___ this kind of behavior? Not necessarily. Malicious gossip sometimes helps to clarify and enforce important social rules, and may even save lives.

许多研究显示八卦是有其益处的，但是当它涉及说他人坏话时又该如何呢?我们不是应当要劝阻这类行为吗?这可不一定。含有恶意的八卦有时候可以帮助厘清和执行重要的社会规范，而且甚至于拯救生命。

To give a simple example, ___2___ Helen hasn’t been contributing to a group assignment. Gossip about her starts to increase. Helen hears of the gossip and changes her behavior, ___3___ she cares about maintaining good relationships with the others. At the same time, others in the group interpret the gossip as a warning not to repeat Helen’s mistake.

举个简单的例子，海伦在分组作业中一直没有贡献，那么有关她的八卦流言就会开始增加。而当海伦听到了这些八卦，她会因为想与他人维持良好关系而改变她的行为。同时，团体中的其他人也会引以为戒，不会再犯下与海伦一样的错误。

Gossip, then, serves to warn us against acting badly. It also lets us know ___4___ is likely to act badly, or even be of harm to us. Helen was obviously no serious threat to anyone, but there are people who are genuinely ___5___. We need gossip to let us know who they are. If someone at school is carrying a knife or a gun, for example, listening to gossip can help us avoid a possible ___6___ situation.

所以，八卦可以警惕我们不要有不良行为，它也让我们知道谁最有可能行为失当，甚至是伤害我们。显然海伦不会对任何人构成严重威胁，但有些人的确是很危险的。而我们需要八卦流言来告诉我们这些人是谁。比方说，校园内要有人携带刀械或枪枝，听听八卦可以帮助我们避开可能造成生命威胁的情况。

Every social group has a set of unwritten—and even unspoken—rules that help them get ___7___ and work together. When we gossip, though most likely we are unaware of it, we are helping to keep those rules in place for the benefit of all.

每个群体都有一套不成文、甚至只是彼此默认的规定来帮助他们和睦相处及合作。虽然我们很可能没有意识到，但是当我们谈论八卦时，其实也是在帮助维持这些对群体有益的规则。

−By Amy Lovestrand

Vocabulary

clarify [ˋklærə͵faɪ] v. 澄清；阐明

enforce [ɪnˋfors] v. 实施，执行

interpret [ɪnˋtɝprɪt] v. 解释，说明，诠释

genuinely [ˋdʒɛnjʊɪnlɪ] adv. 真诚地；诚实地

More Information

malicious [məˋlɪʃəs] adj. 恶意的，怀恨的

assignment [əˋsaɪnmənt] n.（课外）作业，功课; （分派的）任务；工作

warn... against 警告不要…

be of harm to  对....有害

a set of 一套

get along 和睦相处 to be amiable with one another

keep... in place  使…保持在原来的位置

Answer