Telling Tales
“Here’s a nice bit of gossip!” Do I have your attention? Probably. We listen, but 41______ we often feel terrible with ourselves. That’s the problem with gossip: it’s something that as a social species we are primed to enjoy, but it can also be 42______ and harmful. 
Not all gossip is bad. Small talk establishes relationships and 43______ the other person that our intentions are friendly. So gossip, in the sense of exchanging bits and pieces of news about ourselves and others, can be perfectly 44______. If I say to you, “Let’s meet for coffee and have a bit of a gossip,” I’m inviting you to a social 45______ in which two people chew the fat. There is nothing wrong with that: life would be very dull if we were unable to talk about what goes on around us. 
But it’s not that simple. If we say that somebody is a gossip, we do not mean that he or she enjoys gentle social chat: it carries a crueler 46______. A true gossip enjoys spreading stories about other people --- stories in which others do not usually come out 47______. The gossip is one who spreads bad gossip; good gossip is still fine, but it’s not what gossips spread. The distinction between good and bad gossip is not always clear. It would be easy if we could 48______ the two by saying that bad gossip is just about people; but innocent gossip may be about people too. The best way to tell the difference is to look at the intention behind the remarks. Bad gossip 49______ itself in its desire to make the 50______ of the story look foolish. It also intrudes on their privacy. So we all know the difference. 
Now then, did you hear about ...

III. Reading Comprehension
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passages there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
“What are you going to be when you grow up?” is a question that you may have been asked. You may not even know there are a variety of geography-related jobs. 
The Association of American Geographers lists nearly 150 different geography jobs. So, if you are interested in people, places, and environments, consider a job in geography. Your work will not be limited to maps—it might range from    51    data to planning projects, or making decisions about the environment.
Processing Geographic Data 
A geographer’s main activity is analyzing geographic information to answer geographic questions. Jobs processing geographic data begin, of course, with collecting the information. One on-the-ground job in data collection is that of a surveyor. Surveyors    52   and measure the land directly. They may mark boundaries, study the shape of the land, or even help find sewer(下水道) and water systems beneath the Earth. High-tech information-gathering jobs include working with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data. Some examples of these jobs include remote sensing specialists and GIS analysts. Data analysis jobs require the ability to think    53   , high-level computer skills, and a college education.
Once data have been processed, a geographer may study the information to use in planning projects such as a new urban area, a(n)    54    evacuation(撤退) plan, or the placement of a new highway. Planners can also help determine how to make a neighborhood a better place to live. These jobs, too, require good critical thinking, writing, and computer skills, as well as a college education. Planners are    55    to the success of a community.
Advising Businesses and Government 
About half of jobs using geography are in business and government. All kinds of businesses use geographic information to help build and    56    their operations. A location analyst studies an area to find the best location for a client. The client might be a large retail store chain that wants to know which location would be best for opening a new store. The location analyst can study GIS reports on such elements as transportation networks or population in an area and give the business owners the positive and    57    points about a location being considered.
In 1967, the Mexican government was looking for a location to create a new international tourist resort. They used location analysts to find an area that had good beaches and was easy to reach from the United States. The    58    was Cancún, today one of the world’s most desirable vacation sites. 
Businesses connected with natural    59    such as forests also rely on geographers. Geographers help them understand the relationship between their business and the environment where their business is located. 
In 1967, Cancún was a small island on Mexico’s Caribbean coast. It had white sand beaches, many birds and mangrove(紅樹) trees, but few people. After it was selected as a resort site, it was quickly    60   . Today, Cancún has more than 100 hotels and 500,000 permanent residents. Many work in the tourist industry that serves the millions of visitors who come each year from all over the world.

Physical and Human Geography
Physical geographers are sometimes called earth scientists. Some study such topics as geomorphology (地形學(xué)), that is, the study of how the shape of the Earth    61    . Others study weather and climate. Still others study water, the oceans, soils, or ecology. Jobs in these fields require    62    scientific training.
Some geographers study economic, political, and    63    issues as they relate to place or region. Human geographers are usually hired by government agencies to analyze a specific problem. These geographers work    64    with political scientists, economists, and sociologists. 
Together, they provide possible solutions to problems from many different aspects of life in an area. And, of course, geographers teach the subject at all levels of    65   , from elementary schools to universities. But no matter what geography jobs people might hold, they are always trying to answer the basic geographic questions: “Where are things located?” and “Why are they there?”

51. A. performing    B. analyzing   C. appreciating  D. downloading
52. A. map         B. mine    C. shape     D. honour
53. A. creatively   B. critically     C. wildly    D. moderately 
54. A. disaster    B. radioactivity  C. excursion   D. vacation
55. A. qualified   B. determined   C. valuable   D. feasible 
56. A. survive    B. expand   C. manage   D. boom 
57. A. negative      B. effective   C. depressive   D. profitable 
58. A. scenery    B. destination   C. result    D. foundation 
59. A. potentials   B. histories    C. resources   D. sciences 
60. A. specialized   B. polluted   C. governed   D. transformed 
61. A. proceeds   B. stretches    C. extends   D. changes 
62. A. peculiar   B. special    C. reasonable   D. enthusiastic 
63. A. psychological  B. contemporary  C. religious   D. social   
64. A. closely     B. peacefully   C. loyally    D. sensitively 
65. A. demonstration  B. revolution   C. examination  D. education 
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