閱讀理解

　　Pop idols are those stars who burn even brighter than regular stars．If a star is someone you can recognize on the street, an idol is someone who will cause an excitement at a public appearance．

　　Without fans, an idol is just an ordinary person, like you and me．As Reese Witherspoon once said while announcing the Oscar for best make-up, movie stars look just like ordinary people if you see them without make-up．

　　I was once invited to a private party where about half of the guests were stars and the other half entertainment reporters．Guess what?The good-looking ones were the reports because they tend to be young, and they shine without make-up．

　　Some idols are born; some are made．Most idols are created by a machine called the entertainment industry．They may have some charms and talent, but not enough to become famous．They are the raw material out of which a star, or even an idol is made．An army of behind-the-scenes assistants will hype(使……在媒體上出現(xiàn))or even make up their virtues(美德)and hide their shortcomings．

　　Paris Hilton is the kind of star who possesses no real talent but yet is quite well-known．This is the result of endless hype．If you are pushed into the public eye often enough, you can become an idol without having any talent．

　　Television contest shows create a much fairer and more see-through platform where young people can compete and show their talent．The soap opera is another platform for idol making．These drama series are long, giving an actor great opportunities to be known．The actors and actresses are always made up and beautifully dressed．Now all they need is some good dialogues from the screenwriter．

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閱讀理解

　　For most of us, the purpose of the holidays is to bring peace, love, and goodwill towards all．Yet, for many, the holiday season often means stress, tiredness, pressure, disappointment and loneliness．

　　These feelings, often known as the “holiday blues,” may be even more common this year, due to the emotional disorder of the past few months, not to mention the unsteady economy．Experts say even the more usual tasks of shopping, decorating, late-night parties, cooking, planning and family reunions can be holiday stressors．

　　In addition, the psychological phenomenon known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, may bring a specific type of depression related to winter's shorter days and longer nights．

　　“Certainly just because it's the holidays doesn't mean people are going to be happy,” says Dr．Doug Jacobs of Harvard University．“And this will be a particularly hard holiday for some who are dealing with a lost job, debt, or even a lost loved one．”

　　And with family reunions becoming less frequent events over the years, there is now the added pressure of getting just one chance to get it all right．“Families are much more different now,” says John Stutsman, a clinical psychologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago．The disappointment and sense of unfriendliness that often results from family gatherings, he adds, are actually a realization that “the fantasy is not met”．

　　Still, say experts, the blues should be dealt with．The most essential step, says Stutsman, is for the individual to admit their feelings and the reason for their depression．“Disagreement will only compound the stress they're feeling．”

　　Stutsman recommends people do things that are normally comforting in order to get a handle on the holiday stress．“If they're feeling a little blue, they should try to do things personally satisfying for them．Maybe this is exercise, cooking, reading a book, or massage．”

　　Stutsman also advises that sometimes “avoidance is actually not such a bad idea”．In some situations, fulfilling social obligations may be self-destructive when the best thing may be to just stay home．“The healthy choice has to do with taking care of oneself．”

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閱讀理解

　　For most of us, the purpose of the holidays is to bring peace, love, and goodwill towards all．Yet, for many, the holiday season often means stress, fatigue, pressure, disappointment and loneliness．

　　These feelings, often known as the“holiday blues”, may be even more prevalent, due to the emotional turmoil(波折)of the past few months, not to mention the unsteady economy．Experts say even the more ritual tasks of shopping, decorating, late-night parties, cooking, planning and family reunions can be holiday stressors．In addition, the psychological phenomenon known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, may bring a specific type of depression related to winter’s shorter days and longer nights．

　　“Certainly just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean people are going to be happy,”says Dr．Doug Jacobs of Harvard University．“And this will be a particularly hard holiday for some who are dealing with a lost job, debt, or even a lost loved one．”

　　And with family reunions becoming less frequent events over the years, there is now the added pressure of getting just one chance to get it all right．“Families are much more different now．The disappointment and sense of alienation that often results from family gatherings, is actually a realization that the fantasy is not met．”says John Stutesman, a clinical psychologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago．

　　Still, say experts, the blues should be addressed．The most essential step, says Stutesman, is for the individual to acknowledge their feelings and the reason for their withdrawal．“Denial will only compound the stress they’re feeling．”Stutesman recommends people do things that are normally comforting in order to get a handle on the holiday stress．“If they’re feeling a little blue, they should try to do things personally satisfying for them．Maybe this is exercise, cooking, reading a book, or massage．”Stutesman also advises that sometimes“avoidance is actually not such a bad idea．”In some situations, fulfilling social obligations may be self-destructive when the best thing may be to just stay home．The healthy choice has to do with taking care of oneself．”

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完形填空

　　A little boy asked his mother, “Why are you crying?” “Because I'm a woman,” she told him．

　　“I don't understand,” he said．His mum just hugged him and said, “And you 　　1　　 will．”

　　Later the little boy asked his father：“Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?”

　　“All women cry for no reason,” that was 　　2　　 his dad could say．

　　The little boy grew up and became a man, still 　　3　　 why women cry．Finally he　　4　　 a call to god; and when god got on the phone, he asked, “God, why do women cry so 　　5　　?”

　　God said, “ When I made the woman she had to be 　　6　　．I made her shoulders 　　7　　 to carry the weight of the world; yet, gentle enough to give 　　8　　．”

　　“I gave her an inner strength to 　　9　　 childbirth and the rejection(拒絕，拋棄)that many times comes from her children．I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else 　　10　　, and take care of her family through sickness and tiredness 　　11　　 complaining．I gave her the sensitivity to 　　12　　 her children under any and all circumstances, 　　13　　 her child has hurt her very badly．I gave her strength to carry her husband through his 　　14　　．I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never 　　15　　 his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him 　　16　　．And finally, I gave her a tear to shed．This is hers exclusively(獨有的)to use whenever it is needed．”

　　“You see：the beauty of a woman is not in the 　　17　　 she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she 　　18　　 her hair．The 　　19　　 of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because thatis the doorway to her heart and the place where love 　　20　　．”

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