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Surely there are quite a
few things we wish they changed for the better, but maybe the time is not ripe
to see them come true, or – if truth be told – perhaps it is part of the human
nature to expect a lot more from the others, when in fact we should begin by
remodelling our inner selves.
We all expect to be told
the truth – always definite, always ‘the one and only’ (while we could tell a
lie, or lies), even more so from the media. We do want to be well informed,
even if the ebb and flow of our existence prevents us more often than not form
streaming facts and becoming aware of events in all their development; if this
were systematic, we would easily be entitled to draw conclusions which clearly
separate fact from fiction, or fiction (=lies) from non-fiction.
A journalist’s job is
therefore, by definition, to inform; indeed, tens of thousands of reporters
worldwide testify to this challenging profession and strive to keep the public
updated on the developments of issues that may have just emerged, or other,
older conflicts that have gathered momentum.
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Something along these
lines must have happened to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two reporters
who, while relying heavily on anonymous sources, uncovered information
suggesting knowledge of the break-in at the headquarters of the Watergate
office complex, and of the attempts on behalf of the president’s men to
cover-up the latter’s implication: the reporters’ dedication led deep into the
Justice Department, the FBI, the CIA, and the White House and finally to the
president’s compliance to step down.
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One of the photos that
went round the world some thirty years ago, it’s true: but then again it is no
simple matter, for he was the only US president to resign in almost two hundred
and fifty years of history.
Here is a first set of
questions for reflection:
What expressions, or
gestures, tell you what the people are thinking?
Can you think of a
situation when it might not be a good idea to say exactly what you think?
What kind of people
could be described as dishonest?
Does Honesty Always Pay?
[adapted
from Success at First Certificate, by Robert O’Neill, Michael Duckworth &
Kathy Gude]
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 debts and
you don't want to hurt his feelings by reminding him of this. Is this really a
lie?
Professor Jerald
Jellison of the University of Southern California has made a scientific study
of lying. 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 intention
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.
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Research has also been
done into the way people's behaviour 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 pressure makes it itch.
Another gesture which
gives liars away is what the writer Desmond Morris in his book Manwatching calls ‘the mouth cover’. 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 interpreted as an unconscious
attempt on the part of the liar to stop him or herself from lying.
Of course, such gestures
as rubbing the nose or covering the mouth, or squirming 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.
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Choose the best answer.
(1)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 gain
some advantage.
(2)Research suggests
that women
A are better at telling
less serious lies than men are.
B generally lie far more
than men do.
C make promises they
intend to break more often than men do.
D lie at parties more
often than men do.
(3)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.
(4)It would appear from
the passage that
A there is no simple way
of finding out if someone is lying.
B certain gestures are
proof that the speaker is lying.
C certain gestures are
proof of lying only if they are repeated frequently.
D people lie in some
situations more often than in others.
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