Question

Does Fame Drive You Crazy?

Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s star, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.

According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities — famous people — worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villareal says, “they feel separated and alone.”

The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain (抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.

Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.

If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.

Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.

63. It can be learned from the passage that stars today ______.

A. are often misunderstood by the public

B. can no longer have their privacy protected

C. spend too much on their public appearance

D. care little about how they have come into fame

64. What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?

A. Great heroes of the past were generally admired.

B. The problem faced by celebrities has a long history.

C. Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids.

D. Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers.

65. What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?

A. Availability of modern media.

B. Inadequate social recognition.

C. Lack of favorable chances.

D. Huge population of fans.

66. What is the author’s attitude toward modern celebrity?

A. Sincere.     B. Sceptical.   C. Disapproving.    D. Sympathetic.

Answer 1

【语篇解读】这是一篇夹叙夹议的文章。作者给我们讲述了名人们光鲜背后由于备受关注而带来的烦恼，以及处理这些烦恼的方式。

段落	关键词、句	大意推测
第一部分（Para. 1-2）	feeling like zoo animals；face pressures；lose track of who they really are	名人们因过度被关注而烦恼： 感觉像动物园的动物一样；面对压力；迷失自我
第二部分（Para. 3）	the phenomenon of tracking celebrities； for ages；	关注名人自古有之： 跟踪名人的现象；很久了；
第三部分（Para. 4）	more difficult than it used to be；spread the news in minutes；keep……alive forever	今天名人的处境： 比过去更艰难；消息立即得以散布；经久不衰
第四部分（Para. 5）	stay calm；focus not on how famous……but on what they love	对待这些烦恼的方式： 保持平静；不关心多有名而关注有多热爱（自己做的事情）
第五部分（Para. 6）	complain about; are tired of being famous already	依旧存在厌倦自己目前生活的名人：抱怨；厌倦已经成名

【解析】

63.B。细节推理题。难度：较易。找到题干关键词stars today，定位第一段。根据today’s star, feeling like zoo animals（今天的明星，感觉就像动物园的动物），可知他们几乎无法保护自己的隐私。

64.B。大意推测题。难度：较易。找到题干题眼Paragraph 3，细读此段，我们可以看出首句是对整个段落的概括，下文以Alexander the Great和Charles Dickens为例进行例证。因此根据首句The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages.（跟踪名人的这一现象已经很长的年代了），锁定答案。

65.A。细节判断题。难度：较易。找到题干关键词harder和today，定位第四段。根据……, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.（总是会有网络立即散布消息而且让这些糗事经久不衰），可知，由于现代网络技术的运用，名人们的日子更不好过了。因此，正确答案A。Availability of modern media（现代媒介的可利用性）。

66.D。态度判断题。难度：较难。通读全文，可以看出，作者在文中多出使用这样的字眼：worry；complain；more difficult；troublesome；are tired of等，来描述名人们的生活状态。而且作者用Paparazzi（狗仔）来描写记者，可见作者对名人们的态度是同情的，而不是“忠诚的、怀疑的或者不赞成的”态度。