四、閱讀測驗【請在下列各題中選出最適當的答案】
 第一篇：         In today’s workplace, gossip is as common as ever. Rumors, half-truths, and lies fly from desk to desk and fromemployee to employee. Thanks to modern technology, gossip can spread through an entire company within minutes.Though it’s hard to stop completely, it needs to be kept in check. Otherwise, it can cause trouble for one’s colleagues oreven harm the company.
         Office workers tend to gossip about two main areas. The first is a company’s general goings-on, such as hiring andfiring news, yearly bonuses, and so on. As one U.S. survey revealed, nearly two-thirds of office workers are involved inthis type of gossip. Some experts believe that, in small doses, that’s actually a good thing for it gives employees a senseof what management is planning as company news are passed on. And hearing something on the grapevine helpsmanagers know better about the employees’ reaction and morale level.
         The second type of gossip concerns one’s coworkers. An estimated 40% people love to talk about their colleagues’romantic interests, career goals, and private lives. Again, some analysts suggest that a small amount of such personalgossip helps build group relationships as it shows people’s care about and attention on their colleagues. However, whenspread with malicious intentions, it can hurt people’s feelings, job performance, and even their health.
         Gossip is often passed around in employees’ break rooms and around desks. Instant messaging apps are also amajor channel for gossiping. A recent study in England found that some 80% of employees use these convenient tools ontheir smartphones to chat about other employees behind their backs. E-mail, once a widely used method a decade ago,has become a much less welcome choice, as many companies keep records of e-mails and their internal messagingsystems.
         Most people strongly dislike being gossiped about. According to another large-scale questionnaire done in Europe,60% of workers viewed gossip as the biggest office-related problem. Victims of gossip may even sue a company for notdoing enough to stop this pain in the neck in workplace. Consequently, more and more companies now have policies thatlimit or forbid office gossip.
【題組】41. Which of the following aspects of office gossip is NOT mentioned in this article?
(A) Types of office gossip
(B) Topics of office gossip
(C) Positive influence of office gossip
(D) A famous real case of office gossip