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Authorities in Binalonan, a small Filipino town about 200 kilometers north of Manila, have made gossiping illegal under a new local law aimed at preventing rumors from spreading within the community.

Trash talking someone in Binalonan could see offenders literally picking up trash under a new local law designed to make people take responsibility for the things they say. First-time gossipers risk a fine of 200 pesos and three hours of collecting garbage in the streets, while repeat offenders would have to pay up to $20 and put in eight hours of community service. The law is not very clear on what qualifies as gossip, but mayor Ramon Guico cited peddling rumors of residents’ relationships or financial situations as examples of punishable offences.

The crackdown on gossip and rumor spreading is being rolled out just in time for summer, which is reportedly the worst time of the year for such behavior, as heat forces locals to gather in the shade and talk about all sorts of things, like who’s been cheating on their spouse, or who has been racking up debt. “It’s such a waste of time,” Mayor Guico said. “You’d think people would have something better to do. Banning gossip is our way of improving the quality of life in our town.”

The 44-year-old mayor told the local press that the new law does not infringe on freedom of speech, insisting that it aims to protect members of the community from slander.

1.If a person is in gossip, what kind of punishment will he face?

A He will be in jail.

B He will be killed.

C He will be picking up rubbish.

D He will apologize to the victim for his mistake.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据第二段First-time gossipers risk a fine of 200 pesos and three hours of collecting garbage in the streets, while repeat offenders would have to pay up to $20 and put in eight hours of community service可知违反者要被罚款、捡垃圾和强制社区服务，故选C。

2.What does the underlined word “peddling” mean in Chinese?

A 停止.

B 散播.

C 禁止.

D 解释.

解析：选B。词义猜测题。“散播居民恋爱关系的绯闻或经济状况的流言将会受到处罚，peddling和spreading同义，意为“散播”，故选B。

3.Which of the following is not the reason for making the new law according to the passage？

A Rumors can cause social panic and instability.

B Gossiping is a waste of time and people should do something meaningful.

C Banning gossip is a way of improving the quality of life in town.

D Banning gossip can protect members of the community from slander.

解析：选A。细节理解题。根据全文可知，选项B、C、D是文中所提及的，是新法令颁布的目的和意义。而A项文中并没有提及，且不具有普遍性，新法令只是地方性的法令，故选A。

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A A Filipino town made gossiping illegal under a new local law.

B Banning gossip does not infringe on freedom of speech.

C People should take responsibility for the things they say.

D Gossiping in the Filipino town should be fined 200 pesos.

解析：选A。主旨大意题。本文主要讲述了菲律宾一个小镇近日通过了一项地方性反八卦法令，故选A。