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 inpiduals， 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了解了这件事，纸条可能是某个人刚编造出来的。
流言和闲话大概充满着你的学校或社区。这是很正常的。毕竟，每一个人都会扯闲话，甚至是爸爸妈妈、名人、政治家。它是大家与别人交流、与别人生活维持联系的一部分。但流言和闲话的不同之处呢？
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了解它是真是假。它可能是真的，也大概部分是真的部分是编造的，或者完全是编造的。
而闲话就有的不同了。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。闲话常常谈论一些诸如爱情、关系的事或大家不在公众场所谈论的隐私。当一条闲话被证实是假的，非常简单，这就是谎话。假如有关某人的一条闲话是真的，那它仍旧会伤害到其他人由于这类信息是私人的、隐秘的。
有时，流言和闲话是无害的，但有时它们可能对个人、友情和整个一群人导致伤害。你知不知道？散布流言闲话其实就是欺负当事人。
