Does Fame Drive You Crazy?

Although being famous might sound like a dream come 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 (狗仔隊) camp outside their homes, cameras ready.Tabloids (小報) 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 pyschologist Christina Villarreal, 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，” Villarreal 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.

1.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

2.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.

3.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.

4.What is the author's attitude toward modern celebrity?

A．Sincere. B．Sceptical.

C．Disapproving. D．Sympathetic.

Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family，and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck.I'm not going to say luck，talent，and circumstances don't come into play because they do.Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence，and that's just the reality of how life is.

However，to succeed in life，one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical.And，in addition to that，in order to get really good at something，one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practising.To become great at certain things，it'll require even more time，time that most people won't put in.

However，to succeed in life，one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical.And，in addition to that，in order to get really good at something，one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practising.To become great at certain things，it'll require even more time，time that most people won't put in.

This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don't enjoy what you do，it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.

This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don't enjoy what you do，it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.

When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success，you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost.It's sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent，but thinking that way does you no good，and there's a huge chance that you're wrong anyway.

Whatever you do，if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out，almost to the point of addiction，and over a long period of time.If you're not willing to put in the time and work，don't expect to receive any rewards.Consistent, hard work won't guarantee you the level of success you may want, but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.

1.Paragraph 1 mainly talks about ________.

A．the reasons for success

B．the meaning of success

C．the standards of success

D．the importance of success

2.Successful people suggest doing what one loves because ________.

A．work makes one feel pain

B．one tends to enjoy his work

C．one gives up his work easily

D．it takes a lot of time to succeed

3.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．Successful people like to show their great skills.

B．People sometimes succeed without luck or talent.

C．People need to achieve success at the cost of life.

D．It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success.

4.What is the main theme of the passage?

A．Having a goal is vital to success.

B．Being good is different from being great.

C．One cannot succeed without time and practice.

D．Luck，talent and family help to achieve success.

(2013·福建，21)The “Chinese Dream” is ________ dream to improve people's well－being and ________ dream of harmony，peace and development.

A．the；a B．a；a C．a；the D．the；the

(2013·江西，32) Animals are obviously ________ lower form of life than ________ man.

A．a；/ B．the；the C．a；the D．/；/

(2013·山東，22)It was________cold winter night and the moon was shining brightly across________night sky.

A．/；a B．a；the C．the；a D．the；/

(2013·江西，19)Marco Polo is said to have sailed on ________ Pacific Ocean on his way to Java in ________ thirteenth century.

A．the；a B．a；/ C．/； the D．the；the

(2013·浙江，15)People develop ________ preference for a particular style of learning at ________ early age and these preferences affect learning.

A．a；an B．a；/ C．/；the D．the；an

(2013·重慶，32)The parents were shocked by ________ news that their son needed ________ operation on his knee.

A．a；/ B．the; / C．the; an D．a; an

(2012·新課標(biāo)全國)Sarah looked at ________ finished painting with ________ satisfaction.

A．/；a B．a；the C．the；/ D．the；a

(2012·安徽)Carl is studying ________ food science at college and hopes to open up ________ meat processing factory of his own one day.

A．/；a B．/；the C．the；a D．the；the