lies & gossip

   Lies are fascinating because there are so many possibilities for invention and elaboration. In a liar's mouth, facts are no longer boring and predictable, but interesting and surprising. The sense of unlimited possibility is what lies have in common with another vice that most people find irresistible: gossip. Gossip is interesting because what we hear and pass on to others may be the truth, but it could also be a wild fantasy; we are captivated by the very uncertainty of what we hear.

１．liesとgossipの共通点と相違点をまとめてみましょう。

２．fascinating, boring, interesting, surprisingに共通する点がわかりますか。

   In spite of the proverb, the truth is seldom as strange or interesting as fiction. Most of us don't want to know the painful facts about other people's lives. I often feel burdened when friends confide in me about their marriage problems, childhood traumas, or job dissatisfactions. Even though I try my best to console and reassure, I can't help wishing that my friends had told someone else.
(2001京都府立)

１．ここでのthe proverbとはどういうものか。

２．my friends had told someone elseはどんな気持ちの表れか。文法的な問題を踏まえて考えてみよう。

なお、「うそ」について英文は、ときどき出題されます。日本大学(2005)など。