Lesson70 Rumour and Gossip
You hear a juicy story from a friend， who heard it from another friend，who heard it from a person in the hall， who read it on a note passed inmath class， which was written by somebody who probably just made it up．Chances are， rumours and gossip are always floating around your school orcommunity． That's totally normal． After all， everyone gossips...evenparents， celebrities， and politicians． It's part of how we communicateand stay connected with other people's lives． But what is the differencebetween a rumour and gossip?
A rumour is a piece of information or a story that has not been verified，meaning that the person telling it doesn't know if it's true or false． Itmight be true， it might be partially true and partially made up， or itmight be totally made up．Gossip， on the other hand， is a little different． Gossip is talk that issomehow “juicy，” meaning it deals with subjects that are shocking orpersonal． Gossip is usually about things like love and relationships， orprivate things that people don't talk openly about． When a piece of gossipis known to be false， it's a lie， plain and simple． If a piece of gossipabout somebody is true， it can still be very hurtful because thatinformation may be private and personal．Sometimes， rumours and gossip are harmless， but at other times they can bevery hurtful to individuals， friendships， and whole groups of people． Didyou know that spreading rumours and gossip about someone is a form ofbullying? Yes．
juicy ? 有趣的
rumour ? 流言
gossip ? 闲话
connect ? 连接
verify ? 证实
partially ? 部分地
shocking ? 骇人听闻的
流言和闲话
你从一个朋友那里听说了一个有趣的故事，你的朋友是从另一个朋友那里听说的，你朋友的朋友又是从大厅里的一个人那里听说的，大厅里的那人是从数学课上传来的一张纸条上知道了这件事，纸条可能是某个人刚编造出来的。
流言和闲话很有可能充满着你的学校或社区。这是非常正常的。毕竟，每个人都会扯闲话，甚至是父母、名人、政治家。它是我们与他人交流、与他人生活保持联系的一部分。但是流言和闲话有什么区别呢？
流言是一条未经证实的消息或故事，也就是说，说这条消息或故事的人不知道它是真是假。它可能是真的，也有可能部分是真的部分是编造的，或者完全是编造的。
而闲话就有些不同了。闲话是一些“有趣”的谈话，也就是说，它涉及骇人听闻或私人的话题。闲话经常谈论一些诸如爱情、关系的事或人们不在公众场合谈论的隐私。当一条闲话被证实是假的，很简单，这就是谎言。如果有关某人的一条闲话是真的，那它仍旧会伤害到别人因为这些信息是私人的、隐秘的。
有时候，流言和闲话是无害的，但是有时候它们可能对个人、友情和整个一群人造成伤害。你知道吗？散布流言闲话其实就是欺负当事人。 |