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哪个办公室没点八卦？(Gossip in the workplace: Pssst! Want to read something about rumour and innuendo?)
- Authors
八卦无处不在。根据加州大学河滨分校的梅根·罗宾斯和亚历山大·卡兰的估计，人们平均每天花52分钟谈论别人。
双语精读
Gossip in the workplace: Pssst! Want to read something about rumour and innuendo?
职场八卦：嘿！想读点关于流言蜚语的文章吗？
Gossip is everywhere. On one estimate, from Megan Robbins and Alexander Karan of University of California, Riverside, people spend 52 minutes a day on average talking about other people.
八卦无处不在。根据加州大学河滨分校的梅根·罗宾斯和亚历山大·卡兰的估计，人们平均每天花52分钟谈论别人。
Gossip pervades the workplace. You hear it in conversations among colleagues; you know who to go to for the latest round of it.
职场中到处都是八卦。你可以在同事之间的聊天中听到八卦，你知道要听最新鲜的八卦应该去找谁。
You can tell when gossip is imminent: voices suddenly lower and there may well be some theatrical looking around to check that the target is not in earshot.
你可以判断什么时候马上就要开始说八卦：声音突然变小，可能会夸张地环顾四周，确定八卦的对象不能听见自己。
Sometimes it is offered up explicitly, like a vol-au-vent at a drinks party: "Do you want to hear a bit of gossip?" And yes, you almost certainly do.
有时八卦是明确主动地提供给你，就像酒会上的酥皮馅饼小点心：“你想听点八卦吗？”当然想，你几乎肯定会听。
Its ubiquity suggests that gossip must have some benefits.
八卦的普遍性表明，八卦肯定有一些好处。
In a recent paper by Terence Dores Cruz of the University of Amsterdam and his co-authors, participants were asked whether they would share gossip about someone who was constantly slacking off and leaving others to do the work.
阿姆斯特丹大学的特伦斯·多雷斯·克鲁兹及其合著者最近发表了一篇论文，论文中的参与者被问到，如果有人经常偷懒，把工作留给别人做，他们是否会分享关于此人的八卦。
People were more likely to pass that piece of information on to a person who was going to have to work with this good-for-nothing than to one who was not.
人们更有可能将这条信息传给一个不得不与这个懒人共事的人，而不是不会和这个人共事的人。
The knowledge that reputations are partly forged through gossip can act as a deterrent to bad behaviour.
声誉在一定程度上是通过八卦塑造的，知道这一点可以对不良行为起到威慑作用。
But that reputational effect is also one reason to worry about gossip.
但这种声誉效应也是人们担心八卦的原因之一。
For sometimes incentives emerge to spread inaccurate information about other people.
因为有些时候，某些因素会激励人们传播关于其他人的不准确的信息。
Another experiment, conducted by Kim Peters and Miguel Fonseca of the University of Exeter, found, among other things, that lies cropped up twice as frequently when gossipers were told they were in competition with each other.
埃克塞特大学的金·彼得斯和米格尔·丰塞卡进行了一项实验，其中一个发现是，当八卦者被告知他们在与其他人竞争时，谎言出现的频率会变为原来的两倍。
If gossip can cause distress to its targets, it can also be bad for the people sharing information.
如果八卦会给当事人带来痛苦，那么对分享八卦的人来说八卦也可能是坏事。
One of the oddities of gossip is that everyone does it and yet it is so often frowned upon.
八卦的一个奇怪之处是，每个人都八卦，但人们通常不赞成八卦。
A recent paper by Maria Kakarika of Durham University Business School and her co-authors found that being seen as a gossipmonger is unlikely to help your career.
达勒姆大学商学院的玛丽亚·卡卡里卡及其合著者最近发表的一篇论文发现，被视为八卦提供者不太可能对你的职业生涯有帮助。
Participants were given a scenario in which someone spread negative personal gossip about a colleague.
参与者被设定了一种情景，有人散布关于同事的负面个人八卦。
They were not just disapproving; they also said they would be more likely to give the gossiper lower performance ratings and to recommend bonus reductions.
他们不仅表示不赞成，他们还表示自己更有可能给八卦者打更低的绩效评级，并建议减少奖金。
What then should managers make of gossip?
那么，管理者应该如何看待八卦呢？
Getting rid of it entirely would require a police state, and in any case deprive the organisation of a potentially useful form of self-regulating behaviour.
要想彻底禁止八卦需要有一个警察国家，并且肯定会剥夺组织中一种有实用潜力的自我约束行为。
However, managers can dampen demand for it.
但管理者们可以抑制对八卦的需求。
If there is uncertainty around a big event like lay-offs or the appointment of a new boss, gossip will flourish.
如果对裁员或任命新老板等重大事件存在不确定性，那么八卦就会泛滥。
If people think they are being treated unfairly, then they will want to vent about it to co-workers.
如果人们认为自己受到了不公正的对待，那么他们就会想要向同事倒苦水。
If workers have jobs that bore them rigid, they will alleviate the tedium with chit-chat.
如果员工们的工作让他们感到乏味至极，那么他们就会通过闲聊来缓解无聊情绪。
One cure for excess gossip is decent management.
解决八卦过多的方法之一就是良好的管理。
词汇预习
frequently [高考]
美[ˈfriːkwəntli] | 英[ˈfriːkwəntli]
adv. 频繁地；经常地
gossip [高考]
美[ˈɡɑːsɪp] | 英[ˈɡɒsɪp]
n. 流言蜚语；爱说长道短的人；闲话 vi. 散播(流言蜚语)
constantly [高考]
美[ˈkɑːnstəntli] | 英[ˈkɒnstəntli]
adv. 不断地；经常地
estimate [高考]
美[ˈestɪmət , ˈestɪmeɪt] | 英[ˈestɪmət , ˈestɪmeɪt]
n. 估价；估计 v. 估计；估价；评价
entirely [高考]
美[ɪnˈtaɪərli] | 英[ɪnˈtaɪəli]
adv. 完全地；全部地
unlikely [高考]
美[ʌnˈlaɪkli] | 英[ʌnˈlaɪkli]
adj. 不太可能的
emerge [高考]
美[iˈmɜːrdʒ] | 英[iˈmɜːdʒ]
vi. 浮现；(由某种状态)脱出；(事实)显现出来
uncertainty [高考]
美[ʌnˈsɜːrtnti] | 英[ʌnˈsɜːtnti]
n. 不确定；不可靠；易变
demand [高考]
美[dɪˈmænd] | 英[dɪˈmɑːnd]
n. 要求；需求 v. 要求；查问；需要
colleague [高考]
美[ˈkɑːliːɡ] | 英[ˈkɒliːɡ]
n. 同事
behaviour [高考]
美[bɪˈheɪvjər] | 英[bɪˈheɪvjə(r)]
n. 行为；举止；品行
target [高考]
美[ˈtɑːrɡɪt] | 英[ˈtɑːɡɪt]
n. 目标；对象；靶 vt. 把 ... 作为目标；瞄准
self [高考]
美[self] | 英[self]
n. 自己；本性；自我 pron. 我自己；你自己；他或她自己 adj.同一的；纯净的；单一的 v. 近亲繁殖；自花授粉
organisation [高考]
美[ˌɔːrɡənəˈzeɪʃn] | 英[ˌɔːɡənaɪˈzeɪʃn]
n. 组织；团体；条理
rigid [高考]
美[ˈrɪdʒɪd] | 英[ˈrɪdʒɪd]
adj. 坚硬的；严格的；固执的；僵硬的；刻板的
bonus [高考]
美[ˈboʊnəs] | 英[ˈbəʊnəs]
n. 红利；意外所得之物；奖金；【篮】追加罚篮
demand for [高考]
美[dɪˈmænd fɔr] | 英[diˈmɑ:nd fɔ:]
对 ... 的要求； 对 ... 的需求
cure for [高考]
美 | 英
治……的良药；解决……的方法
lower [高考]
美[ˈloʊər] | 英[ˈləʊə(r)]
adj. 低的；下级的；下层的 v. 降低；减弱；跌落
decent [高考]
美[ˈdiːsnt] | 英[ˈdiːsnt]
adj. 相当好的；体面的；适当的；正派的
flourish [高考]
美[ˈflɜːrɪʃ] | 英[ˈflʌrɪʃ]
v. 茂盛；繁荣；挥舞；活跃 n. 挥舞；花样；炫耀；华丽词藻
rumour [高考]
美[ˈruːmər] | 英[ˈruːmə(r)]
n. 谣言；传闻；传说 vt. 传闻，谣传
workplace [高考]
美[ˈwɜːrkpleɪs] | 英[ˈwɜːkpleɪs]
n. 工作场所
would [高考]
美[wʊd , wəd] | 英[wʊd , wəd]
aux. 将；可能；大概；总会；愿意；will的过去式
distress [四级]
美[dɪˈstres] | 英[dɪˈstres]
n. 不幸；危难；苦恼；痛苦 vt. 使苦恼；使痛苦
excess [四级]
美[ɪkˈses , ˈekses] | 英[ɪkˈses , ˈekses]
n. 超过；过量；过剩 adj. 过量的；额外的
deprive [四级]
美[dɪˈpraɪv] | 英[dɪˈpraɪv]
vt. 剥夺；失去；免职
dampen [四级]
美[ˈdæmpən] | 英[ˈdæmpən]
v. (使)潮湿；使沮丧；抑制
deterrent [四级]
美[dɪˈtɜːrənt] | 英[dɪˈterənt]
adj. 威慑的 n. 威慑物；妨碍物，障碍
unfairly [四级]
美[ʌnˈfɛrlɪ] | 英[ʌnˈfeəlɪ]
adv. 不公平地；不正当地
potentially [四级]
美[pə'tenʃəli] | 英[pə'tenʃəli]
adv. 潜在地
inaccurate [四级]
美[ɪnˈækjərɪt] | 英[ɪnˈækjərət]
adj. 不准确的；错误的
alleviate [四级]
美[əˈliːvieɪt] | 英[əˈliːvieɪt]
vt. 减轻；使 ... 缓和
information about [四级]
美 | 英
有关……的信息
in any case [四级]
美[ɪn ˈɛni kes] | 英[in ˈeni keis]
无论如何； 不管怎样
bore [四级]
美[bɔːr] | 英[bɔː(r)]
v. 使厌烦；开凿；钻孔；挖掘；盯着看 n. 讨厌的人；麻烦事；(管道、枪炮等的)孔；涌潮；(找水或石油的)钻孔
scenario [六级]
美[səˈnærioʊ] | 英[səˈnɑːriəʊ]
n. 剧本；情节梗概
explicitly [六级]
美[ɪk'splɪsɪtlɪ] | 英[ɪk'splɪsɪtlɪ]
adv. 明白地；明确地
imminent [专四]
美[ˈɪmɪnənt] | 英[ˈɪmɪnənt]
adj. 逼近的；即将发生的
vent [专四]
美[vent] | 英[vent]
n. 排气口；火山口；发泄；表达 v. 发泄；表达；排放
tedium [专八]
美[ˈtidiəm] | 英[ˈti:diəm]
n. 单调乏味；沉闷
重点讲解
Gossip in the workplace: Pssst! Want to read something about rumour and innuendo?
职场八卦：嘿！想读点关于流言蜚语的文章吗？
gossipn. & v.
1. 作名词
（1）传闻，流言蜚语
【例】Do you want to hear some juicy gossip?
你想听些有趣的传闻吗？
（2）闲聊，闲话
【例】Phil is having a gossip with Maggie.
菲尔在跟玛吉闲聊。
（3）爱说长道短的人（贬义）
【例】Rick’s a terrible gossip.
里克就爱说三道四。
2. 作动词：说闲话，说长道短
【例】The whole town was gossiping about them.
全镇的人都在议论他们。
Gossip is everywhere. On one estimate, from Megan Robbins and Alexander Karan of University of California, Riverside, people spend 52 minutes a day on average talking about other people.
八卦无处不在。根据加州大学河滨分校的梅根·罗宾斯和亚历山大·卡兰的估计，人们平均每天花52分钟谈论别人。
gossipn. & v.
1. 作名词
（1）传闻，流言蜚语
【例】Do you want to hear some juicy gossip?
你想听些有趣的传闻吗？
（2）闲聊，闲话
【例】Phil is having a gossip with Maggie.
菲尔在跟玛吉闲聊。
（3）爱说长道短的人（贬义）
【例】Rick’s a terrible gossip.
里克就爱说三道四。
2. 作动词：说闲话，说长道短
【例】The whole town was gossiping about them.
全镇的人都在议论他们。
Gossip pervades the workplace. You hear it in conversations among colleagues; you know who to go to for the latest round of it.
职场中到处都是八卦。你可以在同事之间的聊天中听到八卦，你知道要听最新鲜的八卦应该去找谁。
gossipn. & v.
1. 作名词
（1）传闻，流言蜚语
【例】Do you want to hear some juicy gossip?
你想听些有趣的传闻吗？
（2）闲聊，闲话
【例】Phil is having a gossip with Maggie.
菲尔在跟玛吉闲聊。
（3）爱说长道短的人（贬义）
【例】Rick’s a terrible gossip.
里克就爱说三道四。
2. 作动词：说闲话，说长道短
【例】The whole town was gossiping about them.
全镇的人都在议论他们。
You can tell when gossip is imminent: voices suddenly lower and there may well be some theatrical looking around to check that the target is not in earshot.
你可以判断什么时候马上就要开始说八卦：声音突然变小，可能会夸张地环顾四周，确定八卦的对象不能听见自己。
in/within earshot 在听力范围之内
【例】Everyone within earshot soon knew her opinion of Reggie.
能听到她说话的人很快就都知道了她对雷吉的看法。
【拓展】out of earshot 在听力范围之外
【例】I waited for her to get out of earshot before laughing.
等她走远再也听不见我声音了，我才笑起来。
Sometimes it is offered up explicitly, like a vol-au-vent at a drinks party: "Do you want to hear a bit of gossip?" And yes, you almost certainly do.
有时八卦是明确主动地提供给你，就像酒会上的酥皮馅饼小点心：“你想听点八卦吗？”当然想，你几乎肯定会听。
in/within earshot 在听力范围之内
【例】Everyone within earshot soon knew her opinion of Reggie.
能听到她说话的人很快就都知道了她对雷吉的看法。
【拓展】out of earshot 在听力范围之外
【例】I waited for her to get out of earshot before laughing.
等她走远再也听不见我声音了，我才笑起来。
Its ubiquity suggests that gossip must have some benefits.
八卦的普遍性表明，八卦肯定有一些好处。
slack a. & n. & v.
1.作形容词
（1）松弛的；（生意）冷清的
【例】The rope suddenly went slack.
绳子突然松了。
（2）懈怠的；不用心的
【例】He's been very slack in his work lately.
近来他工作很不认真。
2. 作名词：（绳索的）松弛部分；（组织中人员、资金等的）富余部分，闲置部分
【例】There's very little slack in the budget.
预算中没有多少剩余款项。
【搭配】cut/give sb. some slack 放某人一马，饶了某人
【例】Hey, cut me some slack, man. I’m only a few bucks short.
嘿，饶了我吧，老兄，我就差了几块钱嘛。
3. 作动词：懈怠；磨洋工
【例】Don't slack off in your studies.
不要荒费学业。
In a recent paper by Terence Dores Cruz of the University of Amsterdam and his co-authors, participants were asked whether they would share gossip about someone who was constantly slacking off and leaving others to do the work.
阿姆斯特丹大学的特伦斯·多雷斯·克鲁兹及其合著者最近发表了一篇论文，论文中的参与者被问到，如果有人经常偷懒，把工作留给别人做，他们是否会分享关于此人的八卦。
slack a. & n. & v.
1.作形容词
（1）松弛的；（生意）冷清的
【例】The rope suddenly went slack.
绳子突然松了。
（2）懈怠的；不用心的
【例】He's been very slack in his work lately.
近来他工作很不认真。
2. 作名词：（绳索的）松弛部分；（组织中人员、资金等的）富余部分，闲置部分
【例】There's very little slack in the budget.
预算中没有多少剩余款项。
【搭配】cut/give sb. some slack 放某人一马，饶了某人
【例】Hey, cut me some slack, man. I’m only a few bucks short.
嘿，饶了我吧，老兄，我就差了几块钱嘛。
3. 作动词：懈怠；磨洋工
【例】Don't slack off in your studies.
不要荒费学业。
People were more likely to pass that piece of information on to a person who was going to have to work with this good-for-nothing than to one who was not.
人们更有可能将这条信息传给一个不得不与这个懒人共事的人，而不是不会和这个人共事的人。
forge v.
1. 形成，缔造（尤指与其他人、团体或国家形成牢固的关系）
【例】In 1776 the United States forged an alliance with France.
1776年美国与法国结盟。
2. 伪造，假冒（尤指文书、笔迹等）
【例】Someone stole my credit card and forged my signature.
有人偷了我的信用卡，并假冒我的签名。
3. 锻造；制作
【例】swords forged from steel用钢锻造的刀剑
The knowledge that reputations are partly forged through gossip can act as a deterrent to bad behaviour.
声誉在一定程度上是通过八卦塑造的，知道这一点可以对不良行为起到威慑作用。
forge v.
1. 形成，缔造（尤指与其他人、团体或国家形成牢固的关系）
【例】In 1776 the United States forged an alliance with France.
1776年美国与法国结盟。
2. 伪造，假冒（尤指文书、笔迹等）
【例】Someone stole my credit card and forged my signature.
有人偷了我的信用卡，并假冒我的签名。
3. 锻造；制作
【例】swords forged from steel用钢锻造的刀剑
But that reputational effect is also one reason to worry about gossip.
但这种声誉效应也是人们担心八卦的原因之一。
crop up （尤指意外地）出现，发生
【例】I'll be late—something's cropped up at home.
我要晚一点来，家里突然出了点事。
【同义短语】come up 发生
For sometimes incentives emerge to spread inaccurate information about other people.
因为有些时候，某些因素会激励人们传播关于其他人的不准确的信息。
crop up （尤指意外地）出现，发生
【例】I'll be late—something's cropped up at home.
我要晚一点来，家里突然出了点事。
【同义短语】come up 发生
Another experiment, conducted by Kim Peters and Miguel Fonseca of the University of Exeter, found, among other things, that lies cropped up twice as frequently when gossipers were told they were in competition with each other.
埃克塞特大学的金·彼得斯和米格尔·丰塞卡进行了一项实验，其中一个发现是，当八卦者被告知他们在与其他人竞争时，谎言出现的频率会变为原来的两倍。
crop up （尤指意外地）出现，发生
【例】I'll be late—something's cropped up at home.
我要晚一点来，家里突然出了点事。
【同义短语】come up 发生
If gossip can cause distress to its targets, it can also be bad for the people sharing information.
如果八卦会给当事人带来痛苦，那么对分享八卦的人来说八卦也可能是坏事。
frown upon/on 不赞成；不同意
【例】In her family, any expression of feeling was frowned upon.
她家里对任何感情的流露都不以为然。
-monger (后缀) 商人，贩子
【例】a fishmonger 鱼贩子
【拓展】rumourmonger/gloom-monger/doom-monger
传播谣言的人/散布悲观论调的人/散布末日论的人
【例】The rumourmongers have been busy again.喜欢造谣的人又在忙了。
One of the oddities of gossip is that everyone does it and yet it is so often frowned upon.
八卦的一个奇怪之处是，每个人都八卦，但人们通常不赞成八卦。
frown upon/on 不赞成；不同意
【例】In her family, any expression of feeling was frowned upon.
她家里对任何感情的流露都不以为然。
-monger (后缀) 商人，贩子
【例】a fishmonger 鱼贩子
【拓展】rumourmonger/gloom-monger/doom-monger
传播谣言的人/散布悲观论调的人/散布末日论的人
【例】The rumourmongers have been busy again.喜欢造谣的人又在忙了。
A recent paper by Maria Kakarika of Durham University Business School and her co-authors found that being seen as a gossipmonger is unlikely to help your career.
达勒姆大学商学院的玛丽亚·卡卡里卡及其合著者最近发表的一篇论文发现，被视为八卦提供者不太可能对你的职业生涯有帮助。
frown upon/on 不赞成；不同意
【例】In her family, any expression of feeling was frowned upon.
她家里对任何感情的流露都不以为然。
-monger (后缀) 商人，贩子
【例】a fishmonger 鱼贩子
【拓展】rumourmonger/gloom-monger/doom-monger
传播谣言的人/散布悲观论调的人/散布末日论的人
【例】The rumourmongers have been busy again.喜欢造谣的人又在忙了。
Participants were given a scenario in which someone spread negative personal gossip about a colleague.
参与者被设定了一种情景，有人散布关于同事的负面个人八卦。
make of 理解；看待
【例】What do you make of the idea?
你对这个主意有什么看法？
deprive v. 剥夺
【例】Why should you deprive yourself of such simple pleasures?
你为什么连这种简单的乐事也不让自己享受一下呢？
They were not just disapproving; they also said they would be more likely to give the gossiper lower performance ratings and to recommend bonus reductions.
他们不仅表示不赞成，他们还表示自己更有可能给八卦者打更低的绩效评级，并建议减少奖金。
make of 理解；看待
【例】What do you make of the idea?
你对这个主意有什么看法？
deprive v. 剥夺
【例】Why should you deprive yourself of such simple pleasures?
你为什么连这种简单的乐事也不让自己享受一下呢？
What then should managers make of gossip?
那么，管理者应该如何看待八卦呢？
make of 理解；看待
【例】What do you make of the idea?
你对这个主意有什么看法？
deprive v. 剥夺
【例】Why should you deprive yourself of such simple pleasures?
你为什么连这种简单的乐事也不让自己享受一下呢？
Getting rid of it entirely would require a police state, and in any case deprive the organisation of a potentially useful form of self-regulating behaviour.
要想彻底禁止八卦需要有一个警察国家，并且肯定会剥夺组织中一种有实用潜力的自我约束行为。
make of 理解；看待
【例】What do you make of the idea?
你对这个主意有什么看法？
deprive v. 剥夺
【例】Why should you deprive yourself of such simple pleasures?
你为什么连这种简单的乐事也不让自己享受一下呢？
However, managers can dampen demand for it.
但管理者们可以抑制对八卦的需求。
make of 理解；看待
【例】What do you make of the idea?
你对这个主意有什么看法？
deprive v. 剥夺
【例】Why should you deprive yourself of such simple pleasures?
你为什么连这种简单的乐事也不让自己享受一下呢？
If there is uncertainty around a big event like lay-offs or the appointment of a new boss, gossip will flourish.
如果对裁员或任命新老板等重大事件存在不确定性，那么八卦就会泛滥。
flourish v. & n.
1. 作动词
（1）繁荣；兴旺
【例】Few businesses are flourishing in the present economic climate.
在目前的经济气候下，很少有企业兴旺发达。
（2）茁壮成长
【例】Most plants will flourish in the rich deep soils here.
大多数植物在此处肥厚的土壤里都能茁壮成长。
【近义词】thrive v. 兴旺发达；茁壮成长
2. 作名词
（1）（为引起注意的）夸张动作
【例】He opened his wallet with a flourish and took out a handful of notes.
他夸张地打开皮夹，拿出一把钞票。
（2）给人深刻印象的行动；令人难忘的方式
【例】They finished the season with a flourish, winning their last three matches.
他们拿下最后的三场比赛，辉煌地结束了这个赛季。
vent n. & v.
1. 作名词
（1）（供气体或液体流通的）孔口；通风孔；排气道
【例】a blocked air vent 堵塞的通风口
（2）发泄，宣泄
【例】She gave full vent to her feelings in a violent outburst.
她大发脾气以宣泄情绪。
2. 作动词：表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）
【例】If he’s had a bad day, Paul vents his anger on the family.
要是哪天过得不顺心，保罗就会在家人身上出气。
If people think they are being treated unfairly, then they will want to vent about it to co-workers.
如果人们认为自己受到了不公正的对待，那么他们就会想要向同事倒苦水。
flourish v. & n.
1. 作动词
（1）繁荣；兴旺
【例】Few businesses are flourishing in the present economic climate.
在目前的经济气候下，很少有企业兴旺发达。
（2）茁壮成长
【例】Most plants will flourish in the rich deep soils here.
大多数植物在此处肥厚的土壤里都能茁壮成长。
【近义词】thrive v. 兴旺发达；茁壮成长
2. 作名词
（1）（为引起注意的）夸张动作
【例】He opened his wallet with a flourish and took out a handful of notes.
他夸张地打开皮夹，拿出一把钞票。
（2）给人深刻印象的行动；令人难忘的方式
【例】They finished the season with a flourish, winning their last three matches.
他们拿下最后的三场比赛，辉煌地结束了这个赛季。
vent n. & v.
1. 作名词
（1）（供气体或液体流通的）孔口；通风孔；排气道
【例】a blocked air vent 堵塞的通风口
（2）发泄，宣泄
【例】She gave full vent to her feelings in a violent outburst.
她大发脾气以宣泄情绪。
2. 作动词：表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）
【例】If he’s had a bad day, Paul vents his anger on the family.
要是哪天过得不顺心，保罗就会在家人身上出气。
If workers have jobs that bore them rigid, they will alleviate the tedium with chit-chat.
如果员工们的工作让他们感到乏味至极，那么他们就会通过闲聊来缓解无聊情绪。
decent a.
1. 像样的；相当不错的
【例】a decent meal/job 相当不错的饭菜／工作
2. （人或行为举止）正派的；合乎礼节的
【例】ordinary, decent, hard-working people 勤劳、正派的普通人
3. 得体的；适当的
【例】That dress isn't decent.
那件连衣裙不够雅观。
One cure for excess gossip is decent management.
解决八卦过多的方法之一就是良好的管理。
decent a.
1. 像样的；相当不错的
【例】a decent meal/job 相当不错的饭菜／工作
2. （人或行为举止）正派的；合乎礼节的
【例】ordinary, decent, hard-working people 勤劳、正派的普通人
3. 得体的；适当的
【例】That dress isn't decent.
那件连衣裙不够雅观。
课后练习
Which of the following is true about gossip?
A. It is very common in the workplace.
B. It is strictly prohibited in most workplaces.
C. It is a cause of potential conflicts among colleagues.
D. It is an activity that most people try to avoid at social events.
What does the study by Terence Dores Cruz and his co-authors suggest about the function of gossip?
A. It is an effective tool for spreading false information about others.
B. It encourages people to work harder and help their team members.
C. It facilitates the communication and bonding among team members.
D. It can prevent people from slacking off by influencing their reputations.
What concern does the text raise about the impact of gossip?
A. Gossip can foster distrust among team members in workplaces.
B. Gossip can lead to the spread of lies as a way to win the competition.
C. Gossip is likely to distract people from their responsibilities at work.
D. Gossip may lower the performance rating of the whole team.
What strategy does the text suggest for managers to reduce gossip in the workplace?
A. Implementing strict policies to completely eliminate gossip.
B. Ignoring gossip as it has certain benefits for the employees.
C. Encouraging more gossip to ensure all employees are well-informed.
D. Creating a more transparent and fair environment to reduce uncertainty.