Does Fame Drive You Crazy?

Although being famous might sound like a dream comes true, today’s stars, 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.

21. It can be learned from the passage that stars today__________.

A. can no longer have their privacy protected          B. are often misunderstood by the public

C. spend too much on their public appearance         D. care little about how they come into fame

22. 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.

23. 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.

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

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

Assistant Professor, Musical Theatre Dance

Wichita State University seeks a full-time, 9-month assistant professor, beginning in August. Applicants are required to have a degree in dance area, teaching experience at a professional or college level, ability to direct and teach stage movement. The salary depends on qualifications and experience.

For complete information visit http://finearts.wichita.edu.

Full Professor in Theatre and Dance

The Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of California at San Diego (http://www-theatre.uscd.edu) is seeking an experienced theatre artist in lighting design. Applicants must work for us for at least one year. Significant professional experience is required. This position is expected to teach at both graduate and undergraduate levels.

A review of applications will start on June 1st. Application deadline: September 1st.

Technical Director in Performing and Fine Arts

    DeSales University’s Performing and Fine Arts Department seeks a highly skilled, professional technical director. The position is a 10-month staff position with the possibility of summer employment with the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Professional experience is required; MFA is preferred.

    Please email materials to john.bell@desales.edu. Screening of applications begins immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Assistant Director— Media Resources Center

    Maryland Institute College of Art is seeking an Assistant Director of Media Resources Center in the Academic Affairs Division.

    Qualifications for the position include a degree in Art History or related fields with knowledge of art and design history, library experience, excellent interpersonal and communication skills and familiarity with photoshop and scanning.

    A review of applications will begin immediately; job announcements will remain open until the position is filled. Applicants are required to work for us at least 11 months. They can send emails to jobs@mica.edu. The salary differs depending on your experience. Please include your desired salary in your application letter.

25. If an applicant has 9.5-month free time, he or she can pay close attention to the ad of ____.

A. Full Professor in Theatre and Dance

B. Assistant Professor, Musical Theatre Dance     

C. Technical Director in Performing and Fine Arts

D. Assistant Director— Media Resources Center

26. If you have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, you can apply to _______.

   A. Wichita State University             B. the University of California

   C. DeSales University                    D. Maryland Institute College of Art

27. According to the advertisements, we can learn that _______.

   A. all the jobs mentioned in the text require experience

   B. all the jobs mentioned above promise a good salary

   C. all the reviews of applications will begin immediately

   D. all the job announcements will remain open until the positions are filled

Music is magic! Music speaks louder than words and it is a “language” that the whole world can understand. A piece of music can produce a response in the heart and mind. Like feeling an electrical current or receiving a personal radio signal, music has a spiritual effect on a person. Different kinds of music influence people in different ways.

I have listened to music all my life. When I was twelve years old, the Beatles came to America and my whole world opened up. Maybe young people today cannot understand the influence of the Beatles when they exploded across America. Their influence changed the way we dressed, looked, acted and spoke... even our culture. The Beatles arrived in America from the UK just three months after the assassination(暗杀) of President John Kennedy, which had put America into a great depression. And the freshness and lively spirit of the Beatles was exactly what the country needed to refresh itself.

Music links the heart of the hearer with that of the composer. This means that it mixes the spirit of the composer with your spirit when you listen to it. And the music can take your spirit out of your body and transport you into another world. Music has a great way of touching people. Music can make you laugh, cry or shout. It's also a great source of inspiration.

Try this one day and notice what happens: make yourself a cup of tea, sit on your sofa and play one of your favorite songs. Close your eyes, and soon you'll find yourself creating vivid mental images-matching the music that you are listening to.

28. Music has magical power because it ________.

   A. is a kind of language

   B. can be played much louder than words

   C. receives a personal radio signal

   D. can influence a person's spirit

29. What can we learn about the Beatles from the passage?

   A. They were the biggest band in American history.

   B. They are not accepted by modern American people.

   C. They appeared at a special time in American politics.

   D. They represented the roots of American culture.

30. Music influences people in the following ways except ___________.

   A. connecting the listener and the composer mentally                             

B. transporting people from one place to another

   C. allowing people to express their emotions                    

D. touching and inspiring people

31. What does the writer suggest people do in the last paragraph?

   A. Relax and listen to their favorite music.

   B. Enjoy drinking in spare time.

C. Create vivid pictures.

D. Notice everything happening around.

After studying the daily habits of 177 self-made millionaires over the course of five years, Thomas C. Corley found that they avoid one costly habit: procrastination (拖延症).

“It prevents even the most talented individuals from realizing success in life,” he writes in his upcoming book, “Change Your Habits, Change Your Life.”

This goes hand-in-hand with author Napoleon Hill’s claim that the wealthiest people are also the most decisive people.

Out of the 500 millionaires Hill studied in the early 20^th century, “Every one of them had the habit of reaching decisions quickly,” Hill wrote in his 1937 classic, “Think and Grow Rich.”

One of the major causes of procrastination is lack of passion, Corley emphasizes: “We simply like to do the things we like to do and we put off the things we do not like to do.”

“According to Gallup, only 13% of employees are ‘engaged’ in their jobs, or emotionally invested in their work,” Corley writes.

“Whether you realize it or not, procrastination is a big reason why you are struggling financially in life. It damages your credibility with employers and fellow colleagues at work. It also affects the quality of your work and this affects the business you or your employer receive from customers, clients, and business relationships.”

The good news is that anyone can overcome procrastination – and it’s simpler than you may think. He also notes that “the voice of procrastination screams just as loud and clear in the minds of those who excel in life as it does in the minds of those who do not.”

How do they silence it? They rely on “to-do” lists to get things done. They create firm deadlines, and they meet with “accountability partners” to ensure they’re sticking to their goals and deadlines, Corley says.

Nearly everyone is susceptible to procrastination – but fighting against it can make all the difference.

32. According to the passage, millionaires______.

A. usually succeed through their own efforts

B. are only passionate about making money

C. don’t hesitate when making decisions

D. create both long-term and short-term goals

33. What can people do to overcome procrastination?

A. Do whatever they like to do.

B. Avoid things they are unwilling to do.

C. Be fully prepared for emergencies.

D. Accomplish things on schedule.

34. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “excel”?

A. struggle      B. stand out      C. think               D. work hard

35. What might be the best title for the passage?

A. Fighting procrastination.      B. How to become a millionaire.

  C. Research on a bad habit       D. The importance of making “to-do” lists.

Planking: a brief history

The rules are simple: you must lie face down, palms(手掌) flat against your sides, with your feet together and pointing at the ground. Points are awarded for an original location and for the number of onlookers and participants involved.    36    Without a photo, you’re just a person lying down. This is planking, described variously as a global participatory art project, a “meaningless internet craze”.

It began 14 years ago with a pair of bored kids. Gary Clarkson, then 15, and his friend Christian Langdon, 12, would perform the plank in public places, amusing one another and puzzling onlookers.    37    The game was a pointless way for the boys to pass the time. As Clarkson puts it: “It was just a really stupid, random thing to do.”

For its first 10 years planking spread very slowly, from Clarkson and Langdon to their friends at school and, after a while, on to other kids from the neighborhood.    38    Soon, they had a few thousand followers. Photographs of plankers came in from all over the world: American plankers on top of their televisions, British plankers in trees, and Europeans on country roads and steep riverbanks.

Then things got really interesting. A few days later, a mass gathering of plankers attracted more than 100 people. The planking in the photos posted to Facebook became riskier and stranger. One brave airport worker performed the plank in the engine fan of a jet plane.

   39    Some people have linked the practice to the 1995 video for the Radiohead song, “Just”. In the video, a man lies down on a busy London road and a crowd of strangers gather to try to understand and help him. He refuses to move, or to tell them why he's lying there. He tells them – but not us, the viewers – and all we see is that now the entire crowd is lying down on the pavement as well.    40    “People generally think you’re mad,” as creator Gary Clarkson puts it. “That’s sort of the point.”

A. You must, of course, have somebody take a photo.

B. Many people believe planking is a good way to pass the time.

C. At that time, it was known simply as the Lying Down Game.

D. We can read about planking all of the time on internet websites.

E. Whether the video is the inspiration or not, it helps us understand the spirit of planking.

F. Then, in 2007, when the pair created a Facebook group for their game, the pace accelerated.

G. It’s not clear – and Clarkson and Langdon don’t remember – where exactly the idea for planking came from.