1. Professor Jerald Jellison of the University of California has recently made a
2. scientific study of lying. According to his research, women are better liars than
3. men. They are especially good at telling ‘white lies’, such as when a woman at a
4. party tells another woman that she likes her dress, even though she really thinks it
5. is awful. However, this is only one side of the story. Other researchers say that men
6. are more likely to tell more serious lies, such as making a promise, which they do
7. not intend to keep. This is the kind of lie politicians and some businessmen are
8. supposed to be good at; the kind of lie they can profit from in some way.
9. Some psychologists believe that certain gestures show that one is lying. For example,
10. they may make sudden, unconscious movements when they tell a lie. This
11. suggests that they are thinking: “I wish I were not here.”
12. They may also touch their lips or rub their noses. Perhaps these gestures are
13. caused by mental stress. However, we should remember that they can tragically
14. mislead us in other ways.
15. In Miami a man was recently found guilty of murdering his wife whom he
16. suspected of having a love affair with another man. When denying this, she had
17. rubbed her nose several times. He believed this was proof that she was lying. Her
18. doctor later said that he had seen her the day before she was killed. She had come
19. to him because she was suffering from a rare skin disease. This is just one small
20. example of how gestures can deceive people, often with a tragic end.
Exercises
1. According to Paragraph 1, lines 1–8,
a) men are better liars than women
b) men are unlikely to tell serious lies
c) women are good at telling serious lies
d) men are inclined to tell more serious lies
2. The word research in line 2 is NOT synonymous to
a) study
b) expedition
c) exploration
d) investigation
3. The expression ‘white lies’ means
a) cruel lies
b) awful lies
c) innocent lies
d) serious lies
4. According to the text, some psychologists are sure that
a) liars always touch their lips
b) liars always rub their noses
c) lying is caused by mental stress
d) certain gestures may betray the liar
5. The word unconscious in line 10 may best be replaced by
a) deliberate
b) purposeful
c) unintentional
d) extraordinary
6. The word mislead in line 14 may best be replaced by
a) prove
b) show
c) deceive
d) misunderstand
7. According to Paragraph 4, lines 15–20, the woman
a) was not guilty
b) proved to have a love affair
c) had a love affair with her doctor
d) didn’t suffer from any disease
8. The example of the murdered woman implies that gestures
a) are always true
b) are always false
c) always deceive people
d) can sometimes be deceptive
9. Some gender peculiarities of lying are discussed in
a) Paragraph 1 (lines 1–8)
b) Paragraph 2 (lines 9–11)
c) Paragraph 3 (lines 12–14)
d) Paragraph 4 (lines 15–20)
10. The text is mainly about
a) a recent case of murder
b) politicians and businessmen
c) researchers and psychologists
d) a recent scientific study of lying
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