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 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.
1.It can be learned from the passage that stars today ________.
A.are often misunderstood by the public B.care little about how they have come into fame
C.spend too much on their public appearance D.can no longer have their privacy protected
2.What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
A.Great heroes of the past were generally admired.
B.Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids.
C.The problem faced by celebrities has a long history.
D.Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers.
3.What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?
A.Lack of favorable chances. B.Not enough social recognition.
C.Availability of modern media. D.Huge population of fans.
4.What is the author's attitude toward modern celebrity?
A.Sincere. B.Sympathetic.
C.Disapproving. D.Unbelieving.
The first breath-taking pictures of the Earth taken from space showed it as a solid ball covered by brown land masses and blue-green oceans. We had never seen the Earth from that distance before. To us, it appeared as though the Earth had always looked that way and always would. Scientists now know, however, that the surface of the Earth is not as permanent (永久的) as we had thought.
Scientists explain that the surface of our planet is always moving. Continents moves about the Earth like huge ships at sea. They float on pieces of the Earth's outer skin. New outer skin is created as melted rock pushed up from below the ocean floor. Old outer skin is destroyed as it rolls down into the hot area and melts again.
Only since the 1960s have scientists really began to understand that the planet Earth is a great living machine. Some experts have said this new understanding is one of the most important revolutions in scientific thought. The revolution is based on the work of scientists who study the movement of the continents－a science called plate tectonics.
The modern story of plate tectonics begins with the German scientist Alfred Wegener. Before World War One, Wegener argued that the continents had moved and were still moving. He said the idea first occurred to him when he observed that the coastlines of South America and Africa could fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. He proposed that the two continents might have been one and then split apart.
Wegener was not the first person to wonder about the shape of the continents. About 500 years ago, explorers thought about it when they made the first maps of Americas. The explorers noted the east coast of North America and South America would fit almost exactly into the west coast of Europe and south Africa. What the explorers did not do, but Wegener did, was to investigate the idea that the continents move.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The coastline of India and Africa fit together.
B.Our ancient thought that the surface of the earth is still.
C.Alfred Wegener was not the first person to investigate the idea that the continents move.
D.We didn't see the Earth from far away until we saw the picture taken in the space.
2.The last word of the third paragraph "tectonics" means" "______".
A.study of building B.study of the earth structure
C.study of the earth surface D.study of designing
3.What did the explorers find?
A.The east coastlines of North America and the west coast of Europe could fit together.
B.The coastlines of North America and Africa could fit together.
C.The coastlines of South America and Africa could fit together.
D.The coastlines of North America and India could fit together.
The Sixth Time I Went to the Principal’s Office
When I was in the seventh grade, I had problems behaving. My heart was in the right place, but I
couldn’t always follow the rules. I played many tricks on my schoolmates. Once, I even pulled a girl’s hair
on the school bus to get her attention. As a result, I was repeatedly sent to the office of the principal（校长）.
Although I hated going there, I did not hate the principal, Mr. Ratcliff.
Mr. Ratcliff was a kind, elderly man. When he spanked（ 打屁股） me for putting some ants into a
classmate’s pencil box, it didn’t hurt at all, but it did hurt my feelings. I thought so much of him and
moments like that seemed to prove I was hopelessly bad.
When I got called to Mr. Ratcliff’s office for the sixth time, I had no idea what I had done. I felt
disappointed as I walked down there. I went into his office, sat down, and looked at the floor. Then he said
the last thing I expected to hear:” Kevin, I’ve heard you’ve been behaving really well lately. I want you to
know how proud I am of you, and I just called you down to my office to give you a peppermint.”
“Really?” I was surprised.
“Yes. Now you can take that peppermint and go back to class.”
I carried the peppermint with me as if it was a gold coin. When I got into my classroom, I bragged （ 吹嘘） to my classmates about my turnaround,excitedly. I wasn’t so bad after all.
Mr. Ratcliff was really kind. He made me realize that I was just a kid who had problems with behavior.He bought some peppermints and took the time to notice me when I got something-anything-right. Mr.Ratcliff gave me some hope by giving me some love. I will just remember him for the rest of my life.
1.In his seventh grade, the writer __________.
A.hated the principal B.had problems behaving
C.always followed the rules D.often helped his classmates
2.How did the writer feel when he went to the principal’s office for the sixth time?
A.Lonely. B.Excited. C.Confident. D.Disappointed.
3.The sixth time the writer went to the principal’s office, he got __________.
A.a peppermint B.a model bus C.a pencil box D.a coin
4.The writer will always remember Mr. Ratcliff, because the principal __________.
A.talked with him in the office B.played games with him
C.expected him to be a teacher D.gave him some hope and love
J&M Music Store ★Rock, pop and country music ★Buy CDs new or used ★Listen before you buy ★Guitar lessons offered | Peth Market ★Fresh fruit and vegetables ★Open Friday to Sunday mornings ★Free ice cream for children under 12 |
Times Coffee Shop ★The best coffee in town ★Sandwiches, cakes, pies ★Open 10:00 a.m.－11:00 p.m. daily ★Jazz music: Wednesday to Sunday | Macon's B&B ★Feel like home when you're away from home ★We have different kinds of rooms ★Delicious homemade breakfast ★Guitar lessons offered |
1.You can _________ at J&M Music Store.
A.have guitar lessons B.borrow new or used CDs
C.have homemade breakfast D.buy all kinds of music books
2.You can enjoy the best coffee _________.
A.in J&M Music Store B.in Peth Market
C.at Times Coffee Shop D.at Macon's B&B
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.There is no breakfast at Macon's B&
B. You can't listen to the CD before you buy it.
C.Times Coffee Shop offers Jazz music every day.
D.Kids under 12 can get free ice cream in Peth Market.
Hannah Taylor is a schoolgirl from Manitoba, Canada. One day, when she was five years old, she was walking with her mother in downtown Winnipeg. They saw a man eating out of a garbage can. She asked her mother why he did that, and her mother said that the man was homeless and hungry. Hannah was very _______. She couldn't understand why some people had to live their lives without shelter or enough food. Hannah started to think about how she could ________, but of course, there is not a lot one five-year-old can do to solve the problem of homelessness.
Later, when Hannah attended school, she saw another homeless person. It was a woman _______ an old shopping trolley (购物车) which was piled with bags. It seemed that everything the woman owned was in them. This made Hannah very sad, and even more ______ to do something. She had been talking to her mother about the lives of homeless people since they first saw the homeless man. Her mother told her that if she did something to change the problem that made her sad, she wouldn't feel as bad.
Hannah began to speak out about the homelessness in Manitoba and then in other provinces. She hoped to _______ her message of hope and awareness. She started the Ladybug Foundation, an organization aiming at getting rid of homelessness. She began to host "Big Bosses" lunches where she would try to persuade local business leaders to _______ to the cause. She also organized a fund raising drive in "Ladybug Jars" to collect everyone's spare change during "Make Change" month. More recently, the foundation began another activity called National Red Scarf Day—a day when people donate $20 and wear red scarves in support of Canada's hungry and homeless.
There is an emergency shelter in Winnipeg called "Hannah's Place", something that she is very ______ of. Hannah Places is divided into several areas, providing shelter for people when it's so cold that sleeping outdoors can mean death. In the more than five years since Hannah began her activities, she has received a lot of ________. For example, she received the 2007 BRICK Award recognizing the _______ of young people to change the world. But through all this, Hannah still has the life of a Winnipeg school girl, except that she pays regular visits to homeless people.
Hannah is one of many examples of young people who are making a ______ in the world. You can, too!
1.A.annoyed B.nervous C.ashamed D.upset
2.A.behave B.manage C.help D.work
3.A.pushing B.carrying C.buying D.holding
4.A.excited B.determined C.energetic D.grateful
5.A.exchange B.leave C.keep D.spread
6.A.contribute B.lead C.apply D.agree
7.A.aware B.afraid C.proud D.sure
8.A.praises B.invitations C.replies D.appointments
9.A.needs B.interests C.dreams D.efforts
10.A.choice B.profit C.judgement D.difference
－ Do you know __________ for vacation? －Next month.
A.when she will leave B.when she left
C.when will she leave D.when did she leave
