A recent study shows that gossip（流言蜚语）is more powerful than truth．It suggests people believe what they hear through the grapevine(小道消息)__36__they have evidence to the contrary．
Researchers, __37__students using a computer game, also found gossip played an important role when people __38__ decisions．"We show that gossip has a strong __39__, even when people have __40__ to the original information as well as gossip about the same information．Thus, it is __41__ that gossip has a strong controlling potential," said Ralf Sommerfeld, who led the study．
In the study, the researchers __42__ the students money and allowed them to give it to others in a series of rounds．The students also wrote __43__ about how others played the game that everyone could review．Students tended to give __44__ money to people described as “scrooges (吝啬鬼)” and more to those described as “__45__ players”．“People only believed the gossip, not the past decisions," Sommerfeld said in a telephone interview．
The researchers then took the game a step_46_and showed the students the actual decisions people had made．But they also supplied false gossip that contradicted that __47_．In these cases, the students_48_ their decisions to award money on the gossip, __49__ the hard evidence．
“If you know what the people did, you should care, but they still __50__ what others said,” Sommerfeld said．Researchers have __51__ used similar games to study how people cooperate and the __52__ of gossip in groups．Scientists define gossip __53__ social information spread about a person who is not __54__．In evolutionary terms, gossip can be an important tool for people to __55__ information about others' reputations or find the way through social networks at work and in their everyday lives．
36．A．in case B．for fear that C．as if D．even if
37．A．testing B．checking C．examining D．experimenting
38．A．draw B．make C．reach D．conclude
39．A．impression B．difference C．influence D．function
40．A．access B．entrance C．charge D．communication
41．A．curious B．serious C．obvious D．worth
42．A．impressed B．asked C．showed D．gave
43．A．articles B．notes C．dairies D．letters
44．A．less B．more C．fewer D．much
45．A．general B．mean C．generous D．outgoing
46．A．away B．forward C．ahead D．further
47．A．existence B．evidence C．confidence D．dependence
48．A．based B．put C．focused D．passed
49．A．more than B．less than C．rather than D．other than
50．A．referred to B．listened to C．turned to D．stuck to
51．A．soon B．presently C．far D．long
52．A．strength B．energy C．effect D．force
53．A．as B．for C．to D．by
54．A．absent B．present C．gone D．missing
55．A．achieve B．earn C．acquire D．win