英语听力精选进阶版 6477

Lady Gaga! Paris Hilton! Kim Kardashian! Err… Kim Kardashian's hairdresser! These days we have so many celebrities¹.And some are famous for being… well, just famous. So I wondered: is this obsession² with celebrities just a phenomenon of the 21st century?

But then I did a little research. First, let's consider the case of Lord Byron, an English poet who lived and worked 200 years ago. It turns out he has a few things in common with the Canadian singer Justin Bieber.

Byron was born in 1788. Some call him the world's first modern-style celeb. As with any show business sensation of today, he was flamboyant³, had a love life full of scandals, and a legion of adoring fans.

Bieber, meanwhile, has become as famous for his gaffes⁴ as for his singing. Last year he wrote a message in a guest book at the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam, hoping the Holocaust⁵ victim would have been a fan. It caused outrage⁶. The teenager has also had run-ins with the law, facing accusations⁷ of dangerous driving and vandalism.

Both Byron and Bieber rose to fame thanks to changes in society at the time. Byron's rise coincided with the rapid growth of literacy among the middle classes, especially women, in Britain. Bieber, on the other hand, was discovered via YouTube videos in 2007.

And the fans? Bieber has his 'beliebers'; Byron had his 'Byron maniacs⁸'.

Dr Corin Throsby, an expert in English literature from Cambridge University, explains that: "What marked the birth of celebrity⁹ as we know today was the conversion¹⁰ of a personality into a commodity."

"There was a sort of a secondary industry of Byron stuff", she said. "There were Byron neck ties. People wanted to look like Byron. He no longer had control of his image, things were being done with his name that he felt very uncomfortable about."

Byron gave autographs. Books he signed are still sought after by collectors. Bieber lives in the era of selfies. But in the end, it was Byron's art that made him immortal¹¹. And fame, as we know, is fickle¹². Who knows how long the stars of today will be remembered for?

Quiz 测验

1. Who was Byron?

A famous English poet born in 1788.

2. Which word means 'silly mistakes'?

Gaffes.

3. Why did Justin Bieber have to talk to the police?

He was accused of driving recklessly and damaging property.

4. According to the Cambridge University expert, when are people considered celebrities?

When their personalities¹³ become a commodity.

5. What do we call a signature of a famous person collected by a fan?

An autograph.

Glossary 词汇表

celebrity 名人

obsession 痴迷，着魔

phenomenon 现象

show business 娱乐圈，演艺界

flamboyant 过分华丽的，炫耀的

scandal 丑闻

legion 大量的，众多的

gaffe 失礼，出丑

outrage 愤慨

run-in with the law 触犯法律

vandalism 故意破坏

to rise to fame 成名

commodity 商品

autograph 亲笔签名

selfie 自拍照

immortal 永恒不朽的

fickle 反复无常的，易变的

1 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

2 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

3 flamboyant   

adj.火焰般的，华丽的，炫耀的

参考例句：

• His clothes were rather flamboyant for such a serious occasion.他的衣着在这种严肃场合太浮夸了。
• The King's flamboyant lifestyle is well known.国王的奢华生活方式是人尽皆知的。

4 gaffes   

n.失礼，出丑( gaffe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The presidential candidate made three mistakes, or gaffes, during his speech. 校长候选人在演讲中出了三次错，或失态。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• When the microphones were on, gaffes gushed from his lips. 而当电话响起，他却口无遮拦，屡屡失言。 来自互联网

5 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

6 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

7 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

8 maniacs   

n.疯子（maniac的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Hollywood films misrepresented us as drunks, maniacs and murderers. 好莱坞电影把我们歪曲成酒鬼、疯子和杀人凶手。 来自辞典例句
• They're not irrational, potentially homicidal maniacs, to start! 他们不是非理性的，或者有杀人倾向的什么人！ 来自电影对白

9 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

10 conversion   

n.转化，转换，转变

参考例句：

• He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
• Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。

11 immortal   

adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的

参考例句：

• The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。
• The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽！

12 fickle   

adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的

参考例句：

• Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public's demand.物价的波动往往是由于群众需求的不稳定而引起的。
• The weather is so fickle in summer.夏日的天气如此多变。

13 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。