新世纪大学英语综合教程4(第二版)_Lecture Notes_U3

Electronic Teaching Portfolio Book Four

Unit Three: Fame and Success

Part I Get Started

Section A Discussion

▇ Sit in pairs or groups and discuss the following questions.

1 Who is the most successful person in the world in your opinion? Could you tell us something about him

or her?

2 What qualities do you think successful people have in common?

3 What do you think fame can bring to people?

▆ Answers for reference: 1 Open.

2 Some hints:

a) compassionate and concerned about the well-being of mankind

b) committed to the cause they are pursuing and refusing to give up in the face of difficulties c) modest about what they have achieved d) having team spirit

3 Some hints:

The good side: publicity, honour, reputation, power, wealth, status and glamour The bad side: burden, deprivation of freedom, privacy and even one?s identity

Section B Quotes

▇ Study the following quotes about fame and success and discuss in pairs what you can learn from them.

Benjamin Disraeli

⊙The secret of success is constancy of purpose.

— Benjamin Disraeli

Interpretation:

The key to success is that you have a goal and remain committed to it at all times.

About Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881): a British politician in the Conservative Party who was Prime Minister of the UK in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880. He also wrote several novels, including Sybil (《西比尔》).

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Francois-Marie Arouet Voltaire

◎ Fame is a heavy burden.

— Francois-Marie Arouet Voltaire

Interpretation:

Enjoying fame is not always a good thing. It may hinder you from progressing further and it brings about troubles as well.

About Francois-Marie Arouet Voltaire (1694-1778): a French writer and philosopher who was one of the leaders of the 18th-century Enlightenment (启蒙运动), and whose ideas influenced the French Revolution. He wrote essays on many subjects, and his best-known work is the satirical Candide (《老实人》) (1759).

George Santayana

◎ The highest form of vanity is love of fame.

—George Santayana

Interpretation:

Vain and shallow people seek fame — they have no character.

About George Santayana (1863-1952): an American philosopher, poet, literary and cultural critic. Born in Spain, Santayana emigrated to the United States in 1872. A graduate of Harvard (1886), he taught in the Department of Philosophy, Harvard from 1889 until 1912. After resigning from Harvard he returned to Europe, eventually settling in Italy where he lived until his death. He was a principal figure in Classical American Philosophy.

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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

◎ The talent of success is nothing more than doing well whatever you do without a thought of fame.

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Interpretation:

Some people think that being famous is everything — but in fact doing your very best in your own work without thinking about being famous is great in itself and it is the only key to success.

About Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882): a popular US poet who is known especially for his long poems about US legends. His best-known poems are The Song Of Hiawatha (《海华沙之歌》), The Courtship of Miles Standish 《迈尔斯〃(斯坦狄什的求婚》), Paul Revere’s Ride (《保罗〃里维尔的夜奔》), and The Wreck of the Hesperus (《金星号遇难》).

Thomas Edison

◎ Many of life?s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

—Thomas Edison

Interpretation:

There are many people who could have been very successful today. Unfortunately, they gave up when they encountered failure. If they had kept on, they would have been very successful. To them, failure is the end of their struggle.

About Thomas Edison (1847-1931): an American inventor. He profoundly influenced modern life through his inventions such as the light bulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture camera. During his lifetime, he acquired 1,093 patents, and marketed many of his inventions to the public.

Section C Watching and Discussion

Fame is a 2009 American musical drama film and a loose remake of the 1980 film of the same title. The movie follows NYC talents attending the New York City High School of Performing Arts, where students get specialized training that often leads to success as actors, singers, etc.

▇ Watch the following video clip “Success Is Not” and do the tasks that follow: 插入视频片段： “success is not.wmv” 1 Fill in the missing information.

1) Success is not ________. It?s not ________or ________.

Answers: Success is not fame. It?s not money or power. 2) Success is waking up in the morning excited about ________. It?s getting to work with ________.

Success is connecting with ________and making people feel. It?s finding a way to bind together

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people who have nothing in common but ________. It?s falling asleep at night knowing ________. Answers: Success is waking up in the morning excited about what you have to do. It?s getting to work with people you love. Success is connecting with the world and making people feel. It?s finding a way to bind together people who have nothing in common but a dream. It?s falling asleep at night knowing you did the best job you could. 3) Success is ________and ________and ________. And success is ________.

Answers: Success is joy and freedom and friendship. And success is love.

Discuss whether you accept the girl’s understanding of SUCCESS or not. Open.

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▇ Script：

There are some things success is not. It?s not fame. It?s not money or power. Success is waking up in the morning so excited about what you have to do that you literally fly out the door. It?s getting to work with people you love. Success is connecting with the world and making people feel. It?s finding a way to bind together people who have nothing in common but a dream. It?s falling asleep at night knowing you did the best job you could. Success is joy and freedom and friendship. And success is love.

Part II Listen and Respond

Section A Word Bank inconsistent a. (of ideas, opinions, etc.) not in agreement with each other or with something else （思想、意见等）不一致的 preliminary a. coming before and introducing or preparing for something more important 初步的 Section B Task One: Focusing on the Main Ideas

▇Choose the best answer to each of the following questions according to the information contained in the listening passage.

1 What should young people do in order to be successful according to the speaker?

A) They should have dreams, hopes and wishes.

B) They should have the courage to write down their intentions. C) They should have clear goals in life and go after them. D) They should make a good choice in their career.

2 What should young people do to make clear their values according to the speaker?

A) They should put health as their priority.

B) They should put financial independence as their priority. C) They should make their life healthy and comfortable.

D) They should make their goals consistent with their most important values.

3 What advice does the speaker give on writing down one?s goals?

A) You should write down your goals every day.

B) You should be specific and describe your goals in detail. C) You should have the courage to tell your friends your goals. D) You should read your goals to your friends every day.

4 What does the speaker mean by taking action?

A) He means that people must jog every day to run a marathon.

B) He means that people should have a loving marriage or happy children. C) He means that a loving marriage or happy children take too much time. D) He means that people’s daily actions must be consistent and persistent.

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Which of the following is NOT recommended by the speaker as a step to successful goal-setting? A) Be financially independent.

B) Write down the details of your goals. C) Decide what you want. D) Take action. ▇Key:

1 C 2 D 3 B 4 D 5 A

Section C Task Two: Zooming In on the Details

▇ Listen to the recording again and fill in each of the blanks according to what you have heard.

Successful people always have clear goals. Great musicians, great 1) ________, successful salespeople and 2) ________leaders know what they want in life, and they go after it. No one becomes successful by 3) ________!

Too often, people choose goals that are inconsistent with their 4) ________and daily behavior. Do you value health, or comfort? Is financial 5) ________a priority, or merely a wish?

Have the courage to put your 6) ________on paper and in your own words. Be 7) ________and describe your goals in detail.

A loving 8) ________or happy kids require your time, your attention and your love every day. Your daily actions need not be profound or 9) ________, but they must be consistent and 10) ________.

Just as an artist will make preliminary 11) ________and work out the details in his mind, so your success requires written goals, careful choices, clear 12) ________, and daily persistence.

▇ Answers: 1) athletes 2) inspiring 3) accident 4) priorities 5) independence 6) intentions 7) specific 8) marriage 9) extraordinary 10) persistent 11) sketches 12) commitments

▇ Script:

Four Steps to Successful Goal-setting

Successful people always have clear goals. Great musicians, great athletes, successful salespeople and inspiring leaders know what they want in life, and they go after it. No one becomes successful by accident!

And yet, a lot of young people that I know just live their lives with no goals at all, or with only vague dreams, hopes and wishes. No wonder they have achieved so much less than they could!

For those who have not yet experienced the joy of setting and achieving magnificent goals, here is a powerful set of principles that have worked for thousands of my clients. They will work for you, too. I call them “Four Steps to Successful Goal-Setting”:

1. Decide what you want. Choose the life you prefer! You can?t have everything in life. But you can

have anything you choose if you will focus, pay the price, and pursue it with all your heart.

2. Make clear your values. Too often, people choose goals that are inconsistent with their priorities and

daily behavior. Do you value health, or comfort? Is financial independence a priority, or merely a wish? Make sure that your goals are consistent with your most important values.

3. Write them down. Have the courage to put your intentions on paper and in your own words. Be

specific and describe your goals in detail. When will you achieve them? What will success look like? Write down the details and read your goals every day.

4. Take action. To run a marathon, you must jog every day. A loving marriage or happy kids require

your time, your attention and your love, every day. Your daily actions need not be profound or extraordinary, but they must be consistent and persistent.

Success does not “just happen”. Just as an artist will make preliminary sketches and work out the details in his mind, so your success requires written goals, careful choices, clear commitments and daily persistence. You can do this. Make something great of your life!

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Part III Read and Explore

Text A

Section A Discovering the Main Ideas

Exercise 1 Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text A. 1 2 3 4 5 6

What is the main idea of the essay? What is the author?s attitude towards fame?

What does an artist have to do to stay famous according to the author? What excuses do people give to defend failures? Why do people chase fame according to the author?

Can a person be famous and remain true to himself at the same time according to the author?

▇ Answers for reference:

1 In this essay, the author talks about the issue of fame. The main idea is that most people want fame

because fame can bring them celebrity, high regard, admiration, etc. However, the author emphasizes that there are few people who can really capture fame and that fame is usually short-lived. Fame can affect and sometimes even destroy one?s life.

2 The author takes an objective attitude towards fame with an emphasis on its negative side. He believes

that fame rewards one with money, power and popularity, but it may also enslave him and destroy his life. 3 According to the author, to stay famous, an artist has to perform in the style that the public wants and

enjoys, no matter how bored he is of performing in the same style year after year. Any attempt to change the style may result in the loss of his popularity among his fans.

4 To find excuses for the failures, people tend to claim that they are too sensitive, that they are not

interested in money, that they are not interested in the power that fame brings and that they are not interested in the loss of privacy it demands, etc.

5 According to the author, people chase fame because they want to demonstrate excellence in some field; to

gain the admiration and love of many others; to be the one everyone talks about; to show family and friends that they are more than their family and friends thought they were.

6 Probably not. According to the author, fame takes “the you out of you”, which means that once a person

becomes famous, he must be what the public thinks he is, not what he really is or could be. Fame enslaves him with what the public wants, instead of helping him maintain and develop his own identity or his true self.

Exercise 2 Text A can be divided into four parts with the paragraph number(s) of each part provided as follows. Write down the main idea of each part.

Part Paragraph(s) Main Idea One 1-2 Two 3-4 Three 5 Four 6 6

▇ Answers for reference: Part Paragraph(s) One 1-2 Two Three Four

3-4 5 6 Main Ideas Fame enslaves the person who pursues it because when he becomes famous, he will not only attract the public?s attention, but also has to work and live in line with the public?s expectations. He then becomes the slave of his own success. For those who look for fame, failure is not necessarily a bad thing, especially for those who fail to perform well enough, because people tend to be more tolerant towards and sympathetic with them. Though fame brings disadvantages to those who achieve it, people still seek fame for various reasons. It is better to take a critical attitude towards fame. Section B In-depth Study

We may all desire to be famous and yearn for the publicity, wealth and power that accompany fame. Few of us, however, realize that fame also has its negative side and, sometimes, it may even destroy one’s life. Read the following text and you will get to know more about the adverse impact fame can have on one’s life.

Fame

Melvin Howards

1 Fame is very much like an animal chasing his own tail who, when he captures it, does not know what else to do but to continue chasing it. Fame and the publicity that accompanies it, force the famous person to participate in his or her own destruction. Ironic, isn?t it?

2 Those who gain fame most often gain it as a result of possessing a single talent or skill: singing, dancing, painting, or writing, etc. The successful performer develops a style that gains some popularity, and it is this popularity that usually convinces the performer to continue performing in the same style, since that is what the public seems to want and to enjoy. But in time, the performer becomes bored singing the same songs in the same way year after year, or the painter becomes bored painting similar scenes or portraits, or the actor is tired of playing the same character repeatedly. The artist becomes the slave of his or her own success because of the public demands. If the artist attempts to change his or her style of writing or dancing or singing, etc., the audience may turn away and look to give the momentary fame to another and then, in time, to another, and so on and so on.

3 Fame brings celebrity and high regard from loyal fans in each field. A performer can easily come to believe that he or she is as good as his or her press. But most people, most artists do not gain fame and fortune. What about those performers who fail, or anyone who fails? Curiously enough, failure often serves as its own reward for many people. It brings sympathy from others who are delighted not to be you, and it allows family and friends to lower their expectations of you so that you need not compete with those who have more talent and who succeed. And they find excuses and explanations for your inability to succeed and become famous: you are too sensitive, you are not interested in money, you are not interested in the power that fame brings and you are not interested in the loss of privacy it demands, etc. — all excuses, but comforting to those who fail and those who pretend not to notice the failure.

4 History has sufficiently proven that some failure for some people at certain times in their lives does indeed motivate them to strive even harder to succeed and to continue believing in themselves. Thomas Wolfe, the American novelist, had his first novel Look Homeward, Angel rejected 39 times before it was finally published and launched his career and created his fame. Beethoven overcame his cruel and harsh father and grudging acceptance as a musician to become the greatest, most famous musician in the world, and Thomas Edison was thrown out of school in fourth grade, at about age 10, because he seemed to the teacher to be quite dull and ill-behaved. Many other cases may be found of people who failed and used the failure to motivate them to achieve, to succeed, and to become famous. But, unfortunately, for most people failure is the end of their

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struggle, not the beginning. There are few, if any, famous failures.

5 Well then, why does anyone want fame? Do you? Do you want to be known to many people and admired by them? Do you want the money that usually comes with fame? Do you want the media to notice everything you do or say both in public and in private? In some areas it is very obvious that to be famous is to be the target of everyone who disagrees with you as well as of the media. 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. But why does anyone want fame? Several reasons come to mind: to demonstrate excellence in some field; to gain the admiration and love of many others; to be the one everyone talks about; to show family and friends you are more than they thought you were. Probably you can list some other reasons, but I think these are reasonably common.

6 I say to those who desperately seek fame and fortune, celebrity: good luck. But what will you do when you have caught your tail, your success, your fame? Keep chasing it? If you do catch it, hang on for dear life. See you soon famous and almost famous!

旧课文不需新配图

▇ 课文参考译文

声誉

梅尔文〃霍华兹

1 声誉极像一个追逐自己尾巴的动物，抓住了以后除继续穷追不舍外，再也不知道还能做什么。声誉以及随之而来的名气迫使名人陷入穷途末路。真有点讽刺意味，不是吗？

2 名人有名多因有一技之长，如唱歌、跳舞、绘画、写作等等。成功的表演者展示出一种风格，获得声誉。而且这种声誉常常使这位表演者确信，必须把这种风格发扬光大，因为这就是大众所需要和喜爱的。可是随着时间的推移，如果歌手年复一年地用老调唱老歌，画师画千篇一律的风景或画像，演员反复饰演同一角色，他们势必都会感到厌烦。由于公众的要求，艺人竟变成了自己功名的奴隶。倘若他或她想改变笔调、舞步、唱腔的话，大众就会弃他而去，转而把那飘忽不定的声誉赐予他人，一段时间后再转给他人，这样不停地转下去。

3 一个人有了名誉，就有了名气，就能赢得忠实的追捧者的高度关注，在任何领域都是这样。一个表演者很容易相信，自己的成就当真和新闻报道的一样大。可是大多数人、大多数艺人并没有得到美誉和财富。那些失败的表演者又如何呢？其他任何一个失败者会又如何呢？奇怪的是，对许多人而言，失败往往就是对失败的回报！有些人对你表示怜悯，他们庆幸自己不是你。你的亲朋好友也会降低对你的期望，使你不必去和那些比你有天赋并获得成功的人较量。他们会找出种种借口来解释你不能功成名就的原因：你太敏感了呀；你对金钱没有兴趣呀；你对声誉所能带来的权利不感兴趣呀；因为声望要使你丧失隐私，所以你不感兴趣呀；等等。所有这些都是借口，但对失败者或假装不在意自己失败的人来说，却是安慰。

4 历史充分证明，有些人在一生的某个时刻遭遇失败，的确能激发他们更加努力地追求成功，继续对自己充满信心。美国小说家托马斯〃沃尔夫的第一部小说《安琪儿，往家里看吧！》被退稿39次才得以出版，才使他开始了他的写作生涯并赢得了声誉。贝多芬不屈服于他残暴、专横的父亲，还忍气吞声当过乐师，但终于克服一切，成为世界上最伟大、最著名的音乐家。托马斯〃爱迪生10岁左右，还在上四年级的时候就被赶出教室，因为在老师的眼里，他脑子笨，又不乖。以失败为动力，奋发有为，成名成家的例子还有很多。但遗憾的是，对大多数人来说，失败就是奋斗的结束，而不是开始。成名的失败事例即使有，也不多见。 5 那么，人们为什么要追求声誉呢？你追求声誉吗？你希望许多人都知道你、赞赏你吗？你想得到那些往往伴随声誉而来的金钱吗？你想要媒体注意你台上台下的一言一行吗？显而易见，在某些领域，出了名就意味着要成为那些不赞同你的人和诸多媒体的抨击目标。声誉把你置于所有的灯光下，一边给你权利和威望，一边把你变得不像你：你必须成为大众心目中的你，而不能是那个真实的你或你可能成为的那个人。但是，为什么人人都追求声誉呢？我想到了以下几个理由：为了在某些方面展示才华；为了赢得他人的敬仰和爱慕；为了成为人人谈论的人物；为了让亲朋好友看到你比他们想象得还要优秀。也

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许你还能列出其他理由，但我觉得以上这些理由是相当普遍存在的。 6 对那些拼命追求声誉、财富和名望的人们，我想说：祝你们好运。但是当你已经抓住了自己的尾巴，即成功和声誉之后，你打算怎么做呢？一直追逐下去吗？你若确已抓住了尾巴，那就舍命也不要松手。我盼你们不久都功成名就，或近乎功成名就吧！

Good Usage (Para. 1) participate in

Good Usage (Para. 2) gain fame as a result of

gains some popularity convinces … to in time

year after year is tired of turn away and so on

Good Usage (Para. 3)

brings celebrity and high regard from loyal fans curiously enough serves as

brings sympathy from others compete with

Good Usage (Para. 4)

motivate them to strive even harder to succeed launched his career

was thrown out of school

Good Usage (Para.5)

Fame turns all the lights on. it takes the you out of you

to demonstrate excellence in some field

to gain the admiration and love of many others

Good Usage (Para.6)

desperately seek fame and fortune, celebrity hang on for dear life

Key Words and Expressions for Text A

chase vt.

follow rapidly in order to catch 追赶，追逐；追捕

e. g. 1. If strangers should venture into that field, the bull will chase them. 2. She was chasing (after) a man who had snatched her bag. 她当时正在追那个抢走了了她包的男子。 Phrasal verbs:

chase about / around 向某方向急奔 chase sb. away / off / out 赶走; 驱逐

chase sb. up 向某人追讨或索要（尤指钱或信息） chase sth. up 追查或催促某事物

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publicity n.

1. [U] public notice or attention 公众的注意，众人周知；张扬 e. g. 1. The film star?s third marriage got a lot of publicity.

2. Standards in education have received much publicity over the last few years.

2. (business of) providing information in order to attract public attention; advertising 宣传（业务）；广告 e. g. The publicity for the book was poor and sales were low.

该书宣传工作没有做好，所以销量不大。

accompany vt.

1. exist or appear at the same time or same place as 带有，配有，伴随 e. g. 1. Earthquakes commonly accompany volcanic activity. 2. The disease is accompanied by sneezing and fever. 这个疾病同时伴有打喷嚏和发烧。

2. walk or travel with (sb.) as a companion or helper; escort 伴随或跟随（某人）；陪伴

e. g. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. 14岁以下儿童必须有成人陪同。

3. provide sth. in addition to sth. else; supplement sth. 兼带；附有

e. g. Each application should be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. 每份申请书均须附回邮信封、贴上邮票、写好地址。

style n.

[C; U] a general manner of doing sth. which is typical or representative of a person or group, a time in history, etc. 风格，作风

e. g. 1. Some people have criticized the Prime Minister?s style of leadership.

2. Picasso?s style of painting changed and developed over the years. 那些年里毕加索的绘画风格不断改变、发展。

popularity n.

[U] the quality of being well liked, approved of, or admired 普及，流行，受欢迎，声望 e. g. 1. Our new product enjoys popularity throughout the world. 2. His books have grown in popularity recently. 他的书近来大受欢迎。 Adjective: popular

bored a.

[(with)] tired and uninterested [常与with连用]厌烦的，不感兴趣的 e. g. 1. I was bored to death by their trivial conversation.

2. He was getting bored with / of doing the same thing every day. 每天都做同样的事他烦死了。

Usage:

bored stiff / to tears / to death / out of one?s mind 非常厌烦

be tired of

have lost interest or patience in 对…?厌烦，厌倦 e. g. 1. She is tired of her unchanging office chores.

2. If you are tired of life in the city, you can always come back home. 如果你厌烦了城里的生活，你永远都可以回家来。

audience n.

[C] the people listening to or watching a performance, speech, television show, etc. 听众；观众

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e. g. 1. The audience applauded loudly at the end of the concert.

2. His book reached an even wider audience when it was filmed for television.

他的书拍成电视以后，使读者范围扩大到更广大的观众了。

Usage:

target audience 目标观众 / 听众

turn away

refuse to give one?s sympathy, help, or support to 拒绝给…?援助，拒绝支持

e. g. 1. It was shameless of him to turn away the old man who was badly in need of help. 2. Consumers are turning away from credit cards. 消费者正在对信用卡失去兴趣。

and so on

and other things of that kind 等等

e. g. 1. We have to study English, history, architecture and so on.

2. Ethnic minorities living in this country should have the right to their own religion, traditions and so

on and so forth.

居住在这个国家的少数民族应该享有维护自己的宗教，传统等等权利。

regard n.

[U] usu. fml respect; esteem 〖一般正式〗尊敬，敬重

e. g. 1. I hold him in low regard since he?s so mean to his friends. 2. We have a great regard for Mrs. James? judgment. 我们极为尊重詹姆斯夫人的判断。 Usage:

hold sb. in high / low regard 尊重 / 不尊重某人

sufficiently ad.

rather fml in the way that is enough, or as much as is needed for a purpose 〖较正式〗足够地，充足地 e. g. 1. Don?t worry; food is sufficiently provided for you all and free of charge.

2. Politicians have ignored this problem because they do not consider it sufficiently important. 政治家们已经不理会这个问题了，认为这问题不是那么重要。 Antonym: insufficiently

launch vt.

begin (an activity, plan, way of life, etc.) 开办；创办；出版；将…?投放市场 e. g. 1. He launched a fierce attack on his political opponents.

2. The company hopes to launch the new drug by next October. 公司希望在明年十月之前将新药投放市场。

throw out

force sb. to leave a place; refuse to accept 解雇；拒绝接受

e. g. 1. The manager threw out the man who had been absent for three consecutive days. 2. The bill was passed in the House but thrown out by the Senate. 该议案在众议院得到通过，但却被参议员否决了。

dull a.

slow in thinking, learning, and understanding 迟钝的；愚蠢的，笨的 e. g. 1. He could manage — he isn?t that dull.

2. If you don?t understand then you?re duller than I thought. 如果你不懂，那么你比我原来认为的还要笨。

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Synonym: stupid

target

n. [(of)] a person or thing that is made the object of unfavorable remarks, jokes, etc. [常与of连用]（批评、开玩笑等的）对象；笑柄

e. g. 1. I?m sure that this plan will be the target of a great deal of criticism. 2. The embassy is an obvious target for terrorist attacks.

很明显，大使馆是恐怖分子的攻击目标。

vt. [usu passive] [(at / on)] aim sth [通常用于被动语态] [常与at / on连用]瞄准某物 e. g. 1. The missiles are targeted at several key military sites.

2. The programme is targeted at improving the health of women of all ages.

hang on

1. keep hold of sth. 紧紧抓住

e. g. 1. My child hung on to my apron, and would not let go.

2. The rope was dangling over the edge of the roof and I was hanging on with both hands. 绳子在悬崖边摇晃着，我用双手紧紧抓住绳子。 2. wait for a short time 稍等

e. g. Hang on a minute. I?ll be with you in a moment!

for dear life

with the greatest possible effort, especially in order to avoid harm 拼命地，尽最大努力地（尤指为了免受伤害）

e. g. 1. He was swimming for dear life toward the sea shore.

2. She grasped the side of the boat and hung on for dear life. 她抓住船边，尽全力吊在那里。 Usage:

run, swim, pull, shout, argue for dear life 拚命地跑、游、拉、喊、争论

Difficult Sentences for Text A

1. Fame and the publicity that accompanies it, force the famous person to participate in his or her own

destruction. (Para. 1)

Q: How can the famous person “participate in his or her own destruction”?

A: When a person becomes famous, he or she will not only attract the public attention, but also work and live in line with the public expectations. It seems that the public rather than you decides your fate. This may put an end to his or her talent.

Q: What else, apart from “fame and the publicity”, can make or force a person participate in his or her own destruction?

A: For example, pride, self-despise, etc.

Q: Please translate this sentence into Chinese.

A: 声誉以及随之而来的名气迫使名人陷入穷途末路。

2. The artist becomes the slave of his or her own success because of the public demands. (Para. 2)

Q: Can you understand how the artist becomes “the slave” of his own success?

A: In order to meet the needs of the public, the artist is no longer the master of himself or herself. That?s why they have to perform in the same style year after year, no matter how bored they become. In this sense, they become “the slave” of their own success.

3. In some areas it is very obvious that to be famous is to be the target of everyone who disagrees with you

as well as of the media. (Para. 5)

Q: Why do famous people become “the target”?

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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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