Directions: You are expected to study this section in class. Don’t preview.

1. Word Pretest

For each italicized word or phrase , choose the best meaning below.

1. Being in the theatre isn’t as glamorous as some people think.
　A. rich and comfortable
　B. exciting and charming
　C. poor and humble
2. He watched them, envious and resentful.
　A. regretful
　B. angry and bitter
　C. sad
3. John doesn’t hide his adoration for the girl.
　A. hostility
　B. strong attraction
　C. deep love
4. For the next thirty yearns Bryce was the preeminent figure in Canadian economic policy.
　A. common
　B. controversial
　C. outstanding
5. The newspaper alleges that the mayor is guilty.
　A. reports
　B. proves 
　C. claims
6. We had to ensure that no clandestine operations were under way.
　A. secret
　B. massive
　C. anti-government
7. It was ludicrous to leave the reigns of power in a single ruler.
　A. wise
　B. profitable
　C. foolish
8. She revels in meeting new friends.
　A. dreams of
　B. enjoys greatly
　C. avoids
9. Year of living alone warped his personality.
　A. shaped
　B. affected
　C. distorted
10. The success of your operation completely vindicated faith in the doctor.
　A. justified
　B. built up
　C. changed

2 Text
2.1Cultural Background

Ten Commandments: 指十诫。犹太人的基本律法。据《圣经》记载，十诫是上帝在西奈山授予摩西的。十诫提出对犹太人的一般宗教和道德要求，确定上帝与犹太人立约的条件，被形容为放诸四海皆准的原则。

MarkTwain：马克‘土温f1835—1910)，美国作家。生于密苏里州佛罗里达镇。当过排字工人，在密西西比河上当过舵手。1867年赴法国、意大利和巴勒斯坦游历，为他的《傻子国外旅行记》收集素材，这部作盛确立了他作为幽默作家的声誉。他的两部杰作《汤姆历险记》和《i哈克历险记》都取自他童年的经历，已经成为世界文学经典之作。其他受欢迎的作品还有《国外旅行》和《亚瑟王朝上的康乃狄格州美国人》。他还是一位广为人知的演讲者。拥有大批的热心听众，晚年因金融投机而破产。卒于康乃狄格州雷丁。

CharlesDickens：狄更斯(1812--1870)。英国小说家，生于朴茨茅斯附近的兰德波特。22岁时进入伦敦一家报馆。他在《月刊》杂志发表过各种文章，随即又在《晚报》发表特写和文章。1836年出版《波兹特写集》和《匹克威克外传》，同年与友人霍加斯的女儿凯瑟琳结婚。他们生了lO个孩子，于1858年分手，狄更斯工作勤奋，所写的几部成功小说都被发表，如《雾都孤儿》、《尼克拉斯＊尼克尔贝》和《老古玩店》，他此后的大部分时间在国外度过，晚年的小说有《块肉余生记》、《荒凉山庄》、《双城记》，《远大前程》和未完成的《艾德温·德鲁德之徒》。此外，他还发表谈话，举行朗诵会，写了许多小册子、剧本和书简。卒于肯特郡加德希尔。

Why All the Celebrity Worship?

　　People think what I do here is so glamorous, because I get to interview stars. And I have to admit that when I first started working at Sassy in 1987 I was really keen on that part of my job. For the first couple of months, anyway. Then I noticed how celebrities would jerk me around for months, rescheduling our interviews or completely backing out at the last minute. I could never get enough time with a celebrity to find out anything interesting, and some acted just plain rude to my face. I started getting resentful over the way I was treated, and really disappointed to see that these people I had sort of worshipped from afar were pretty ordinary. So instead of perpetuating their myths, I decided I would just tell the truth. If the celeb was a jerk, I would say so. If he or she was different in person than what their press implied, I would say so. If I thought anyone was stupid, a no-talent, I did not hold back that information.
　　I thought readers would appreciate that kind of honesty. Instead, many of them hated me for it. I have gotten so many attacks on my character, like the over one-thousand-letter bombardment of hate mail following my negative New Kids on the Block article almost three years ago, that I’ve become sort of immune to it by now. This brings me to the point of this article: Why do people get so passionate over celebrities that they will not tolerate anything but wide-eyed, uncritical adoration? I did a little scholarly research to find out.
　　A lot of time, fans will talk about Luke Perry or Roberts being their hero. But celebrities are not the same thing as heroes. Heroes existed way before celebrities even did, even though celebrities now outshine heroes in the public consciousness. The traditional definition of a hero is someone who sacrifices him or herself for a higher purpose: to save other people or to support an idea. They are usually the founder of a new religion, nation, or way of life. Moses is the preeminent Judeo-Christian hero, because he took a journey up the mountain, and came back with the Ten Commandments. Jesus is the Christian hero, because he died for the redemption of humankind. Thomas Jefferson is an American hero, because he helped found a new order. Now, what has Luke Perry done to redeem humanity? At press time, nothing. Still, he is widely adored.
　　One of the little lessons I have learned in my job is that worshipping celebrities leaves you with a distinctly empty feeling. Experts say it’s because celeb worship doesn’t teach that you have to make sacrifices if you want to achieve anything worthwhile. But adulation of true heroes can inspire people to make sacrifices, both to help themselves and society at large. Now in case you still doubt that celebrities are not heroes, let me convince you that achievement or even talent has little to do with celebrity. Even though talented people occasionally become celebrities, the easiest way to become one is to be marketed correctly. My friends New Kids on the Block are a perfect example: Impressario Maurice Starr created the group to make lot of money off teenage girls. He found these five young guys, gave them singing and dancing lessons, wrote them some songs and got them a record deal. Publicists then set up interviews with lots of teen magazines, videos were made, promoters convinced radio stations to play the singles, and MTV to play the videos, and a phenomenon was created. They made a lot of money for themselves, Starr, and their record company, and they provided thousands of Sassy readers with a safe and distant focus for their longings.
　　So, no-talents become celebrities all the time. The result is that no one in any walk of life seems to care about achievement or talent — the objective is fame. Everyone wants to be famous, because in our society you are not really considered a success unless you are famous, no matter what your career.
　　Further proof that celebrities are not heroes: People who have been involved in some scandal or crime are treated like celebrities. Iron-contra flunky Oliver North was made of something of national hero for his alleged involvement in clandestine activities that are violations of our Constitution. Alleged mafia boss John Gotti has kisses media butt so successfully that at his recent trial he was treated like a movie star rather than the criminal he is.
　　Let us briefly trace the history of the phenomenon of celebrity worship. Before there was TV, before even newspapers, people loved gossip—it is human nature to do this. At first it was confined to family, other people in their towns, and royalty. Then in the 1850s, printing innovations resulted in the first magazines. They published stories by people like Mark Twain and Charles Dickens, who became celebrities by virtue of reaching a big audience. Then when silent movies started in the 1890s, the first film actors became stars. Up on the screen, so much larger than life, these people seemed almost mythical, and audiences became fascinated by these projections of seeming perfection. People wanted to know all about them, and fanzines were started to satisfy that demand. One TV started, the whole celeb-creation and –worship thing got out of control, because information could come out instantly right into people’s houses all over the world. TV gives you the false impression that celebrities are talking right to you, and you feel like they’re your friends.
　　So, in effect, the media created celebrities to satisfy our primal need for gossip. Over time, talking about people we have never met and are never likely to meet became an obsession. It’s gotten to the point where some people are more interested in the personal lives of the starts than with the live of their family and friends. No joke. That is why it is so ridiculous when a celeb wants to discuss only his or her work in an interview—like we care! We want the dirt on their personal lives. Some people get off on all this attention. Madonna revels in exposure, is an absolute exhibitionist with her personal life. She knows we don’t give a gosh darn about her “work,” and she keeps us happy with plenty of gossip.
　　Besides the huge media machine in which I am but a cog, there’s another reason we worship celebrities. As a whole, our society is not as religious as it once was, I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but it seems like people need something to fulfill them the way organized religion once did — spirituality, art, some kind of life. Celebrity worship exists as a warped and unfulfilling substitute. True heroes often die for their people or their cause. That might be why we only feel vindicated when a celebrity dies, particularly if it’s from self-destructive practices like drug or alcohol abuse. We made them stars, but then fame made us feel insignificant — and we truly feel better about ourselves when they die. I am a part of this whole process. No wonder I feel soiled at the end of my workday.

Total Words: 1216
Total Reading Time: ____

The text is based on “Why all the celebrity Worship” by Christina Kelly in Sassy June 1992.

◆Reading Comprehension
Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. After month’s interviewing celebrities, the author found that ______.
　A. celebrities were easy to approach
　B. celebrities were pretty ordinary
　C. celebrities were really great
2. The author’s honesty about celebrities _______.
　A. was appreciated by readers
　B. was tolerated by readers
　C. was hated by readers
3. According to the author, which of the following qualities is not associated with heroes?
　A. Self-sacrifice
　B. Redemption of mankind
　C. Fame
4. It can be inferred that adoration of true heroes ______.
　A. improves people’s social status
　B. improves people’s spirituality
　C. improves people’s financial state
5. The author uses the example of New Kids on the Block to illustrate that ____.
　A. talented people occasionally become celebrities
　B. celebrities are heroes
　C. the easiest way to become celebrities is to be marketed correctly
6. With which of the following statements would the author most likely agree?
　A. All celebrities are not heroes
　B. All celebrities are no-talents
　C. Criminals could become celebrities
7. Which is not true of the following statements concerning celebrity worship?
　A. Celebrity worship satisfies our basic need for gossip
　B. Celebrity worship providers a distorted and unfulfilling substitute for religion.
　C. Celebrity worship makes people feel important.
8. The author’s attitude toward celebrities can be best described as one of ______.
　A. admiration
　B. sympathy
　C. disparagement

Key

1. Vocabulary Building

ŒDefinition
Define the following terms in your own words.
hero
celebrity
individualism
the middle class
sociology

Idiom
Complete the following sentences with the appropriate idiomatic expressions which are related to the idea of HAPPINESS. Make sure it fits the blanks.
　　　　be down in the dumps   　　　　feel blue
　　　　be in seventh heaven  　　　　be on of the world
　　　　be on cloud nine  　　　　　　walk on air
　　　　be out of sorts   　　　　　　　be tickled pink

1. Steve was accepted at all the universities he applied to. He _____.
2. Jan failed her math exam. She _____.
3. Bob’s parents gave him a trip to Europe for a graduation present. He _____.
4. Sue does not feel well today. She _____.
5. Karen likes her new car very much. In fact, she ____　with it.
6. John lost his dog the other day. He　____.
7. Gene found the travelers checks he had lost. He ____.
8. Mary came in first in a ten-mile race. She ____.

ŽGeneral Vocabulary Exercise
Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence.

1. On the way to the church yesterday the road was blocked by a fallen tree, so we had to make a ____.
　A. digression   B. detour
　C. departure    D. deviation
2. Because of the strong sun the curtains have _____ from dark green to grey.
　A. paled    B. faded
　C. fainted   D. bleached
3. Helen was so ____ on her work that she didn’t hear Jack come in.
　A. engrossed    B. absorbed
　C. intent       D. involved
4. Being given a M.A. degree marked a ___in her career.
　A. milestone    B. millstone
　C. signpost     D. yardstick
5. If we continue to consume our fossil fuel supply without restraint, some day it will be _____.
　A. exterminated   B. replenished
　C. extinguished   D. exhausted
6. The speaker used so much jargon that I hadn’t a ____ what he was talking about.
　A. hint     B. clue
　C. query    D. thought
7. Mike ____ with the captain to abandon the ship before it was too late.
　A. claimed   B. pleaded
　C. appealed   D. begged
8. When his parents died, he ____ of the house an all its contents.
　A. discarded   B. dispelled
　C. disposed    D. discharged
9. In order to be an successful engineer, he had to become _____ at mathematics.
　A. prominent    B. proficient
　C. outstanding   D. experienced
10. He was such a ____ businessman that he never lost money in any transaction.
　A. wealthy    B. shrewd
　C. mature     D. admirable

Key

Analogies
Select the lettered pair that best expresses a relationship similar to that expressed in the original pair.

1. POEM: METAPHOR
　A. garden: flower   B. sonata: arpeggio
　C. boat: sail     D. concert: musician
2. MOLECULE: ATOM
　A. tissue: cells    B. office: furniture
　C. body: limbs    D. family: brothers
3. AMBIGUOUS: CLEAR:
　A. many: few    B. ambivalent: dexterity
　C. singular: plural   D. indefinite: definite
4. PERJURY: TRUTH:
　A. attorney: client   B. treason: loyalty
　C. courage: cowardice   D. patience: indecision
5. FACE: EXPRESSION:
　A. music: tone    B. painting: canvas
　C. scowl: anger   D. voice: whisper
6. SANCTUARY: CHURCH:
　A. lobby: theater   B. door: building
　C. stage: auditorium   D. boudoir: house
7. MUSIC: GUITAR:
　A. stamping: noise   B. water: ocean
　C. windows: house   D. words: typewriter
8. DISCOVERY: SEARCH:
　A. scalpel: operation   B. decision: trial
　C. heat: oven    D. fly: bird

Key

◆Cloze
Read through the following passage and then decide of the choices given below would correctly complete the passage if inserted in the corresponding blanks.

　　The positive image of individualism has emphasized the American as pioneer, moves out into wilderness and among savages, and   1   his way alone, with rifle and axe. It emphasized his indifference as pioneer to governmental controls,   2   on occasion meant taking the law into his own hands to impose a minimal order   3   frontier society. It emphasized his insistence on his rights as an American — his   4   to challenge government in the courts, through organization and electoral activity.
　　Much of American society and landscape is   5   by this individualism: the pattern of agricultural settlement,   6  its farm dwelling set alone in the midst of extensive acreage, the nearest neighbor a mile   7  , the nearest town a day’s journey back and forth, so strikingly different from the agricultural villages of Europe. Individualism, too, marked the cities,   8   with checkerboard patterns so that each individual could select a standard plot, and do   9   it what he wished. Or, in more recent decades, it has been seen it a pattern of disorderly growth, in which each entrepreneur,   10   individual, managed to acquire some land and, laid out, indifferent to any larger image of urban design, his own development, and sold to anyone who could afford houses.

1. A. make         B. making       C. to make      D. made
2. A. which        B. when         C. so           D. thus
3. A. into          B. with          C. at           D. on
4. A. right         B. insistence      C. way         D. courage
5. A. emphasized    B. shocked       C. marked      D. tempted
6. A. and          B. when         C. though       D. with
7. A. away         B. far           C. long         D. visible
8. A. created       B. creating       C. creates       D. to create
9. A. in           B. on           C. with         D. to
10. A. for          B. as            C. be          D. an

key