Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 31 to 35.
We all enjoy gossiping about people we know, although sometimes we might feel guilty about it afterward. However, new research shows that gossiping might be good for us. Professor McAndrew, a professor of psychology, believes that gossiping is in our genes, and we feel pleasure when we share interesting information. McAndrew says that gossiping is a social skill, and we need to learn to do it well. According to the professor, gossip can be a positive thing when people use it to build connections with other people in their social group. But it can be a negative thing when somebody gossips about another person only to make themselves feel more important in the group.
Professor McAndrew's research also showed that people were happy to pass on good news but only if it was about a friend. They also enjoyed passing on negative information about other people when it was about somebody they disliked.
Another thing that the new study showed was that men and women gossip differently. In general, the men in the study shared gossip with their wives or girlfriends, but not with their male friends. Women however, gossiped with both partners and friends.
(Adapted from American English File by Christina Latham-Koenig, Clive Oxeden and Paul Seligson)
