What exactly is a lie? Is it anything we say which we know is untrue? Or is it something more than that? For example, suppose a friend wants to borrow some money from you. You say "I wish I could help you but I’m short of money myself." In fact, you are not short of money but your friend is in the habit of not paying his debt and you don’t want to hurt his feelings by reminding him of this. Is this rally a lie?

Professor Jerald Jellison of the University of Southern California has made a scientific study of lying. (76.According to him, women are better liars than men, particularly when telling a "white lie", such as when a woman at a party tells another woman that she likes her dress when she really thinks it looks awful. However, this is only one side of the story. Other researchers say that men are more likely to tell more serious lies, such as making a promise which they have no intension of fulfilling. This is the kind of lie politicians and businessmen are supposed to be particularly skilled at: the lie from which the liar hopes to profit or gain in some way.

Research has also been done into the way people’s behavior changes in a number of small, apparently unimportant ways when they lie. It has been found that if they are sitting down at the time, they tend to move about in their chairs more than usual. To the trained observer they are saying "I wish I were somewhere else now." They also tend to touch certain parts of the face more often, in particular the nose: One explanation of this may be that lying causes a slight increase in blood pressure. The tip of the nose is very sensitive to such changes and the increased pressures make it itch.

Another gesture which gives liars away is what the writer Desmond Morris in his book Manwatching calls "the mouth cover". (77. He says there are several typical forms of this, such as covering part of the mouth with the fingers, touching the upper—lip or putting a finger of the hand at one side of the mouth. Such a gesture can be understood as an unconscious attempt on the part of the liar to stop himself or herself from lying.

Of course, such gestures as rubbing the nose or covering the mouth, or moving about in a chair cannot be taken as proof that the speaker is lying. They simply tend to occur more frequently in this situation. It is not one gesture alone that gives the liar away but a whole number of things, and in particular the context in which the lie is told.

21. Researchers find that when a person tells lies ______

A his blood pressure increases measurably

B he looks very serious

C he tends to make some small changes in his behavior

D he uses his unconscious mind

答案:C

本题考查的也是考生对细节的把握，答案对应于第三段句：Research has also been done into the way people’s behavior changes in a number of small，apparently unimportant ways when they lie同样有研究侧重于当人们说谎时他们行为的一些细小的，明显的不重要的改变，很容易看出答案C与该句符合。

22. The tone of this passage tells us that the writer ______

A hates to lie

B enjoys lying

C often tells a lie

D tries to analyze lying

答案:D

此题考查的是考生对整篇短文的观点的理解。文章首先讲到男人女人说谎的不同，而后又分析说谎时人们行为方式的变化等等，所以说文章是在分析说谎。其他选项错误。

23. According to the passage, a "white lie" seems to be a lie ______

A that other people believe

B that other people don’t believe

C told in order to avoid offending someone

D told in order to take advantage of someone

答案:C

本题考查的是考生对细节的把握，答案对应于文章、二段。段中“you don’t want to hurt his feelings by re minding him of this.”，第二段又用举例的方法解释了white lie 的含义。这个例子就是"such as when a woman at a party tells an other woman that she likes her dress when she really think it looks awful.”

24. One reason people sometimes rub their noses when they lie is that______

A they wish they were somewhere else

B the nose is sensitive to physical changes caused by lying

C they want to cover their mouths

D they are trying to stop themselves from telling lies

答案:B

本题考查的也是考生对细节的把握，答案对应于第三段后一句：The tip of the nose is very sensitive to such changes and the increased pressures make it itch.鼻尖对这样的变化非常敏感，血压的增加使得它发痒，即与B选项吻合。

25. Research suggests that women ______

A are better at telling less serious lies than men are

B generally lie far more than men do

C lie at parties more often than men do

D often make promises they intend to break

答案:A

本题考查的也是考生对细节的把握，答案对应文章的第二段。该段比较了男人和女人说谎的不同，而且男人更可能说更严重的谎言。参见第二段中句子“Other researchers say that men are more likely to tell more serious lies，……”这里的比较就是与前一句中女人撒谎相比。

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