A: Once a person becomes famous, his opponents will pay more attention to him and they will seek every opportunity to challenge or even attack him. At the same time, his everyday life is exposed to the limelight and the media may keep an eye on whatever he is doing.
Q: Make up a sentence, using the pattern “the target of… as well as of…”. A: For reference:
Launching the new policy, the government has become the target of some loyal supporters as well as of the opposition party.
4. Fame turns all the lights on and while it gives power and reputation, it takes the you out of you: you must
be what the public thinks you are, not what you really are or could be. (Para. 5) Q: What does the sentence imply? A: For reference:
The author stresses the negative side of being famous. Fame brings you all glamour, but it also exposes everything of you to the public. You have to meet the public expectations and fit in the image the public has created for you. That image may not be what you want to be or what you could have been.
Extended Questions
▇ Extended questions (Paras. 1-2)
Q: Which do you think is more important for an artist, to perform in the same style year after year to meet
public demand, or to create a new artistic style?
A: I think it is a difficult choice for the artist to make. On the one hand, if the artist performs the same
thing year after year in order to meet public demand, he or she will gradually lose artistic creativity. On the other hand, if the artist changes artistic style, he or she will risk losing popularity. Personally, I think being creative should be the primary concern for an artist to further develop his or her performing career.
▇ Extended questions (Para. 3)
Q: What is your attitude towards failure?
A: It seems to me that failure is our life?s companion. No one can avoid failure in his or her life or work.
We should take a positive and optimistic attitude towards failure. Instead of being disappointed, we should try to find out the causes of our failure and draw useful lessons. As the proverb goes, failure is the mother of success. If I fail today, I will try again tomorrow; if I fail again, I will continue trying until I succeed.
▇ Extended questions (Para. 4)
Q: What else do you know about Beethoven?
A: By the age of 27, Beethoven began to go deaf, and he knew within a few years, he would not be able
to hear at all. This almost led him to suicide, but he found that he could still ?hear? the music inside his mind. Thus, he continued composing and writing music. In his later years, he composed his only opera Fidelio (《费黛里奥》), and went on to write quartets (四重奏曲), and the Ninth Symphony and the Missa Solemnis (《庄严弥撒》). While his personal life was troubled and he never married, he became the world?s most renowned composer.
Thomas Edison was a famous inventor with over 1300 electrical inventions, including the microphone,
the record player, and equipment for the cinema. But when Thomas Edison started school, the teacher considered him dull and not teachable. Edison?s mother took him home and Edison started his education at home. Worse still, Thomas Edison began to lose his hearing. Eventually he became totally deaf in his left ear and had only 10% hearing in his right ear. Edison did not consider this a disadvantage but said he was able to concentrate on his experiments since he was not distracted by noises or chatter. One of his favorite sayings was, “Genius is one percent inspiration, and 99 percent perspiration.”
▇ Extended questions (Paras. 5-6)
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Q: What is YOUR attitude towards fame and celebrity?
A: It seems to me that seeking fame is a human nature, which is nothing to blame. The questions to be
considered are how to seek fame and how you should behave after you?ve gained it. I think that one should seek fame through one?s hard work and perseverance, and that those who have gained celebrity should make more contributions to society. I also believe that fame is a flawed measure of success. While people may be elated by momentary fame, their celebrity is very likely to enslave them.
Section C Voicing Your Views
Some people say, “Fame is like a double-edged sword.” What is your opinion? Work in pairs or groups and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being famous.
Advantages
▇ Answers for reference: Advantages wealth popularity power self-confidence sense of achievement
Disadvantages deprivation of privacy deprivation of freedom public pressure arrogance target of attack by/from the media Disadvantages Text B
Section A KEY WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
Key Words:
poll vt. rank vi.. predict vt. temptation n. transform vt. fantansize vi. temporarily ad. earnest a. cover vt. image n. acknowledge vt. intrinsic a.
poll
vt. question (people) in an attempt to find out the general opinion about sth., esp. about a political matter （在民意测验中）对…?进行调查
e. g. 1. A majority of those polled were worried about the declining economy.
2. Half the people we polled said they would pay more for environmentally-friendly food. 在我们调查的所有人中，一半人说他们愿意多花钱买“绿色”食品。 n.
1. [C] survey of public opinion by putting questions to a representative selection of people 民意测验 e. g. We?re conducting a poll among voters.
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2. [C usu. sing ] voting at an election; counting of votes ?通常作单数?选举投票；计票 e. g. The result of the poll has now been declared. 选举结果已经公布。
rank vi. have or regard as having a certain rank or relative position （被认为）具有…?等级（地位） e. g. 1. Heart disease has long ranked the number one cause of death globally. 2. She is currently the highest ranked player in the world. Usage:
rank as / among... 位列…?
rank with / alongside... 与…?同等重要 rank high / low 排名高 / 低
rank in order of difficulty / size 按照难度 / 大小等排列 rank second / third 位列第二 / 第三 top-ranked players 高排位选手
predict vt. see or describe (a future happening) in advance, as a result of knowledge, experience, thought, etc. 预言，预告，预见
e. g. 1. He predicted that war would break out in the next few years. 2. Sales were five percent lower than predicted.
temptation n. sth. very attractive, a thing or situation that tempts one 很有诱惑力的东西；吸引人的场面 e. g. 1. Will they be able to resist the temptation to buy a new car?
2. I finally gave in to the temptation and had a cigarette.
transform vt. [(into)] change completely in form, appearance, or nature [常与into连用]改变，使转化，使改观
e. g. 1. A little paint will soon transform this old car.
2. Whenever a camera was pointed at her, Marilyn would instantly transform herself into a radiant star. 只要有相机对准玛丽莲，她即刻使自己变为光彩熠熠的明星。
Noun:
transformation
fantasize vi. [(about)] form strange or wonderful ideas in the mind [常与about连用]想象，幻想 e. g. 1. He liked to fantasize about winning a gold medal in the national games.
2. There?s nothing wrong with fantasizing, as long as you don?t lose touch with reality.
幻想并无害，只要你不要脱离现实。
temporarily ad. in a way that lasts only for a limited time 暂时地，临时地，短时间地 e. g. 1. The peace agreement has at least temporarily halted the civil war. 2. Due to a small fire, the office will be closed temporarily.
earnest a. determined and serious, esp. too serious 郑重其事的，非常认真的
e. g. 1. Despite their earnest efforts, they still failed to win the support from their opponent party. 2. When I looked over, he was in earnest conversation with his father.
cover vt. report the details of (an event) for a newspaper, TV station, etc. 报道
e. g. 1. Over a hundred newspaper reporters from all over the country gathered at the town to cover the trial. 2. The BBC will cover all the major games of the tournament.
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image n. the general opinion about a person, organization, etc., that has been formed or intentionally created in people?s minds （人、社团等在人们心目中的）形象，印象
e. g. 1. Because of his good public image he has successfully remained in office. 2. The advertisements are intended to improve the company?s image.
acknowledge vt.
1. accept or admit (as); recognize the fact or existence (of) 承认；供认 e. g. 1. He acknowledged having been defeated in the election. 2. Stephen acknowledged Henry as his heir.
斯蒂芬接受亨利为自己的继承人。
2. report that one has received (sth.) 告知已收到（某物）
e. g. I would be grateful if you would acknowledge receipt of this letter.
3. express thanks for (sth.) 为（某事物）表示感谢
e. g. His services to the country were never officially acknowledged.
他对国家所作的贡献从未受到过正式的表彰。
4. show that one has noticed or recognized (sb.) by a smile, nod of the head, greeting, etc. 以微笑、点头、 打招呼等表示注意到或认出（某人）
e. g. I was standing right next to her, but she didn?t even acknowledge me / my presence.
我就站在她旁边, 可是她连个招呼都不跟我打。
intrinsic a. [(to)] being part of the nature or character of sb. or sth.; inherent [常与to连用]固有的；本质的；内在的
e. g. 1. The face value of the coin is a pound, but its intrinsic value is just a few pence.
2. Diamonds have little intrinsic value and their price depends almost entirely on their scarcity. Antonym: extrinsic
Expressions: set one’s sights on in sb’s presence louse up / mess up live with plot out nothing but tire of for good pass into set out what if set sb. up
set one’s sights on aim at; direct one?s efforts towards 志在…?，力求
e. g. 1. When he was at high school, Ralph already set his sights on a law degree from Stanford.
2. I?ve set my sights on winning the championship.
in sb’s presence when sb. is there 在某人的面前
e. g. 1. Try not to mention this matter in his presence; he would get annoyed. 2. The document was signed in the presence of two witnesses.
louse up / mess up make worse rather than better 〖美，俚〗弄乱，搞糟，搞坏 e. g. 1. The rain has loused up / messed up my holiday plans.
2. It took me ages to get this right — I don?t want some idiot to mess it up.
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