自考综合英语1-02

Lesson TwoHeroes and Cultural IconsGary Gosggarian 1 If you were asked to list ten American heroes and heroines, you would probably name some or all of the following: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Boone, Martin Luther King Jr., Amelia Earhart, Susan B. Anthony, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Helen Keller, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Rosa Parks. If next you were asked to list people who are generally admired by society, who somehow seem bigger than life, you might come up with an entirely different list. You might, in fact, name people who are celebrated for their wealth and glamour rather than their achievements and moral strength of character. And you would not be alone, because pollsters have found that people today do not choose political leaders who shape history for their Most Admired list, but rather movie and television celebrities, fashion models, professional athletes, and even comic book and cartoon characters 0910:31. In short media icons. 2 By definition, heroes and heroines are men and women distinguished by uncommon courage, achievements, and self-sacrifice made most often for the benefit of others they are people against whom we measure others.0310:41; 1004:31 They are men and women recognized for shaping our nations consciousness and development as well as the lives of those who admire them. Yet, some people say that ours is an age where true heroes and heroines are hard to come by 1107:31, where the very ideal of heroism is something beyond us - an artifact of the past. 0810:31; 1204:32 Some maintain that because the Cold War is over and because America is at peace our age is essentially an unheroic one. Furthermore, the overall crime rate is down, poverty has been eased by a strong and growing economy, and advances continue to be made in medical science. Consequently, bereft of cultural heroes, we have latched onto cultural icons media superstars such as actors, actresses, sports celebrities, television personalities, and people who are simply famous for being famous. 3 Cultural icons are harder to define, but we know them when we see them. They are people who manage to transcend celebrity, who are legendary, who somehow manage to become mythic. But what makes some figures icons and others mere celebrities? 0604:42 Thats hard to answer. In part, their lives have the quality of a story. For instance, the beautiful young Diana Spencer who at 19 married a prince, bore a king, renounced marriage and the throne, and died at the moment she found true love. Good looks certainly help. So does a special indefinable charisma, with the help of the media. But nothing be comes an icon more than a tragic and early death such as Martin Luther King Jr. , John F. Kennedy, and Princess Diana. 0504:42 Being SomebodyDonna Wool folk Cross4 One hundred years ago, people became famous for what they had achieved. Men like J.P. Morgan, E. H. Harriman and Jay Gould were all notable achievers. So were Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, and Susan B. Anthony.5 Their accomplishments are still evident in our own day. Todays celebrities, however, often do not become known for any enduring achievement. The people we most admire today are usually those who are most highly publicized by the media. 6 In 1981, a Gallup poll revealed that Nancy Reagan was the nations most admired woman. The year before, that distinction went to President Carters wife, Rosalynn. In fact, the wife of the current president is always one of the nations most admired women. Todays celebrities, as the writer Daniel Boorstin says, are people well-known for their well-knownness. 7 To become such a celebrity, one needs luck, not accomplishment. As Boorstin says, The hero was distinguished by his accomplishment; the celebrity by his image or trademark. The hero created himself; the celebrity is created by the media.1007:39; 1201:31 The hero was a big man; the celebrity is a big name.0704:43 8 There is another distinction: heroes inspire respect; celebrities inspire envy. Few of us believe we could be another Jonas Salk or Eleanor Roosevelt, but we could be another TV star like Telly Savalas or Suzanne Somers. Except for the attention they get from the media, these people are exactly like us. 9 The shift from hero-worship to celebrity-worship occurred around the turn of the century. It was closely tied to the rise of new forms of media first photography, and later moving pictures, radio and television. For the first time, Americans could see and recognize their heroes. Previously, men like Gould and Harriman, whose names everyone knew, could easily have passed through a crowd without being recognized. The reproduction of photos in newspapers turned famous people into celebrities whose dress, appearance, and personal habits were widely commented upon. Slowly, the focus of public attention began to shift away from knowing what such people did to knowing what they looked like. 10 The shift was accelerated by the arrival of moving pictures. Between 1901 and 1914, 74 percent of the magazine articles about famous people were about political leaders, inventors, professionals, and businessmen. After 1922, however, most articles were about movie stars.11 With the arrival of television, the faces of the stars became as familiar as those we saw across the breakfast table. We came to know more about the lives of the celebrities than we did about most of the people we know personally. Less than seventy years after the appearance of the first moving pictures, the shift from hero-worship to celebrity-worship was complete. 12 Today an appearance on a television talk show is the ultimate proof of making it in America. Actually, the term talk show is misleading. Celebrities do not appear on such a program because of an actual desire or ability to talk, but simply to gain recognition, and prove, merely by showing up, that they are somebody. 13 Being a guest on a talk show does not require qualities of wit, eloquence, brilliance, insight, or intelligence. A former talent coordinator for the Tonight Show, says that when he would ask a scheduled guest, What would you like to talk to the host about?the reply he got most often was, Have him ask me anything.This, he says, usually meant, I am a typical Hollywood actor, so I have never had an original thought and I have nothing to say of any interest to anyone anywhere. 14 Most hosts are grateful just to get someone who will fill the room with sound.1010:36 One talk show coordinator comments, We look for the guest who is sure to talk no matter what. Ten seconds of silence appears very awkward on television; thirty seconds is disastrous. A guest whos got to stop to think about everything he says before he opens his mouth is a ratings nightmare. 15 This kind of attitude rewards smooth, insincere talk, and makes hesitancy look like stupidity.16 We wouldnt have used George Washington on our show, says one talent coordinator. He might have been first in the hearts of his countrymen, but today hed be dragging his bottom in the ratings. 第二课 偶像英雄与文化偶像 加里高西加里安1 如果让你列举10位美国的英雄人物，下列人物极有可能榜上有名：乔治华盛顿、亚伯拉罕林肯、丹尼尔布恩、马丁路德金、埃米利亚埃尔哈特、苏珊B安东尼、杰奎林肯尼迪奥纳西、海伦凯勒、伊丽莎白卡迪斯坦顿、以及罗莎帕克斯。如果再让你列举一些在社会上受到普遍欣赏、貌似非凡的人，恐怕你会开列一份全然不同的名单。事实上，这些人只是因其巨额财富和外在魅力而受到赞赏，而并非由于他们的显著成就与内在人格魅力而得到世人瞩目。做出如此选择的绝非你一个人。民间测验表明今天人们已不再选择那些创造了历史的政治领袖作为“最钦佩的人物”，而是选择了影视名人、时装模特、职业运动员、甚至连环画和漫画中的人物。简而言之，选择的都是媒体偶像。 2 就定义而言，英雄之所以与众不同是由于他们具有非凡的勇气，取得了卓越的成就，常常舍己为人他们是我们衡量别人的标准。他们是大家公认的不仅对他们的崇拜者的一生，而且对国家意识观念的形成和国家的发展都起着举足轻重作用的人物。但是，有人说，我们生活在一个难以产生真正英雄的时代，我们无法理解英雄主义这个概念到底是什么它是过去时代的产物。有人坚持认为，由于冷战结束，由于美国正处在和平时期，因此我们这个时代基本上不是一个英雄豪壮的时代。此外，我们这个时代犯罪率总体下降，日益强大的经济实力使国内的贫困状况得到缓解，医学事业也在不断发展进步。因此，由于缺失了民族文化的英雄，我们便迷上了通俗文化的偶像那些如演员、运动明星、电视明星的媒体巨星以及那些只是因为有名而成名的人。 3 给通俗文化偶像下定义更难。但我们会一眼识出他们。他们已经超越名流，成为传奇式人物，或者不知何故已经成了神话式的人物。究竟是哪些因素使有些人成为偶像，另一些人仅成了名流了呢？这个问题很难回答。部分原因是因为他们的生平带有故事的传奇色彩。举个例子，年青貌美的戴安娜斯宾塞19岁时嫁给了王子，生下了小王子，后声明放弃婚姻与王位，然而在找到真爱之时却死于非命。长相漂亮当然有用。借助媒体炒作也来的那种难以描述的特殊的个人魅力也同样有用。然而悲剧性的英年早逝却是造就偶像最重要的因素，如马丁路德金、约翰F肯尼迪以及戴安娜王妃。 当名人 唐娜伍尔福克克罗萨 4 百年以前，人们因其所做出的成就而出名，像J.P.摩根，E.H.哈里曼和杰古尔德等人都是著名的事业有成之人；托马斯爱迪生，马克吐温以及苏珊B安东尼也是大有作为之士。 5 即使今天，他们的成就依然显而易见。当今，人们成名往往不是因为他们做出了什么意义深远的成就。今天我们最崇拜的人物通常是那些被媒体频频炒作、最出风头之流。 6 1981年，一项盖洛普民意测验表明南希里根是全国“最受爱戴的女人”。在那一年前，这项殊荣属于卡特总统夫人罗莎琳。事实上，现任总统夫人总会成为全国最受爱戴的女人。正如作家丹尼尔布尔斯廷所说，今天的名人是“因为有名而成名的人”。 7 要想成名得有运气，而不是成绩。正如布尔斯廷所说：“英雄因其成就而出众，而名流则凭他们的形象或特征而出名。英雄凭借自己的实力，而名人要靠媒体的炒作。英雄是了不起的人物，而名流则是了不起的名声。” 8 另外一种区别是英雄令人尊敬，而名流引人嫉妒。我们中没有什么人会认为自己能成为第二个乔纳斯索尔克或是第二个埃莉诺罗斯福。但是我们能成为一个像特莉萨瓦拉斯或苏珊娜萨默斯那样的电视明星。要是没有媒体的关注，这些人和我们完全一样。 9 由英雄崇拜到名流崇拜的转变始于本世纪初。这种转变与新兴的传媒方式的出现密切相关首先是摄影，继而是电影、收音机与电视。美国人平生第一次亲眼目睹了他们心目中的英雄。以前，像古尔德和哈里曼这们的家喻户晓的人物很可能穿过人群而不会被认出来。报纸上照片的出现使得名人成为名流。他们的衣着、外貌以及举止成了人们广为评论的对象。公众的注意力逐渐地由了解这些人做些什么转移到了解他们长的是什么样子。 10 电影的出现加速了这种转化。从1901年到1914年，杂志上74%有关名人的文章是写政治领袖、发明家、专家及商业家的。然而，从1992年起，大多数文章在报道电影名星。 11 电视的出现使我们对明星的面孔像对家里人的面孔那样熟悉。我们对名流们生活的了解比我们对大多数熟人的了解还要多。第一部电影出现后不到70年的时间，英雄崇拜已经完全转变为名流崇拜。 12 今天在电视台的脱口秀节目中一露脸就绝对证明了你在美国已经“一举成名”了。实际上，“脱口秀”这个名字会让人产生误解。名流们在这个节目中出场并不是因为他们确实想说什么或是口才很棒，而纯粹是为了出名。他们想仅仅通过在荧屏上露面来证明自己是“重要人物”。 13 做一名脱口秀节目嘉宾不需要妙语连珠、能言善辩、才华出众、见解深刻、智力超群。一位今夜访谈从前的策划人说，如果他问一位已约定好的嘉宾“你想和主持人谈些什么”，回答往往是“让他随便问我好了”。他说这句话通常意味着“我是一位典型的好莱坞演员，所以我从来没有什么新颖的观点。我也没有什么任何人能感兴趣的话题可谈”。 14 大多数主持人只要找到能在演播室里不停说话的嘉宾就谢天谢地了。一位脱口秀节目策划人评论说：“我们要找的是能说的嘉宾，不管说什么都行。电视屏幕上10秒钟的沉默都会让人感到别扭。30秒钟的沉默就糟糕透顶了。如果一位嘉宾在开口之前总要停下来想想该说什么话，那对收视率来说简直是太可怕了。” 15 这种看法鼓励了口若悬河的空话，而视迟疑为愚笨。 16 “我们绝不会邀请乔治华盛顿来做我们节目的嘉宾。”一位策划人如是说，“他在国人心目中可能占有头等重要的位置，但在今天的收视率方面，他会表现得很糟糕。” 往年考过的真题I. Paraphrase1. And you would not be alone, because pollsters have found that people today do not choose political leaders who shape history for their “Most Admired” list, but rather movie and television celebrities, fashion models, professional athletes, and even comic book and cartoon characters. 0910:31 (1-2:38) A. people today do not respect political figures most. B. people today do not believe history is influenced by politics. C. people today look up to historic figures rather than political ones. D. people today do not depend on political leaders to make up their minds.2. .they heroes are the people against whom we measure others. (0310:41) 1-2:38A. Compared with the contributions heroes make, those of other people are nothing.B. We judge people by comparing them with heroes, and find out about their value.C. Heroes set examples for other people, and in them we find the best human qualities.D. Any anti-hero action should be guarded against, and heroes name should be protected.3. By definition, heroes and heroines are men and women distinguished by uncommon courage, achievements, and self-sacrifice made most often for the benefit of others - they are people against whom we measure others. 1004:31 (1-2:38) A. . we disagree with them when judging others. B. . we think more highly of them than others do. C. . we believe other people are different from them. D. . we use them as the standard when evaluating others. 4. Some people say that ours is an age where true heroes and heroines are hard to come by. (1107:31)1-2:38A. Some people say that true heroes and heroines have disappeared in our age.B. Some people say that true heroes and heroines are hard to find in our age.C. Some people say that true heroes and heroines all died in our age.D. Some people say that we are hard to say whether there are true heroes and heroines or not in our age.5. Yet, some people say that ours is an age where true heroes and heroines are hard to come by, where the very ideal of heroism is something beyond usan artifact of the past. 1204:32 (1-2:38)A. extraordinary heroes are rare. B. we can never become as good as heroes. C. heroism is a complex concept and hard to grasp. D. the underlying meaning of heroism is hard to understand. 6. Yet, some people say that ours is an age where true heroes and heroines are hard to come by, where the very ideal of heroism is something beyond us - an artifact of the past. 0810:31 (1-2:38)A. its impossible for us to find a perfect hero in todays society. B. people today cant possibly reach the highness of real heroes. C. .heroes in the past had better quality than those today. D. people fail to understand the history of heroism. 7. But what makes some figures icons and others mere celebrities? In part, their lives have the quality of a story . 0604:42 (1-2:38)A. their lives are very unusualB. their lives are full of adventures.C. they have encountered extreme difficulties.D. they have experienced great joys and sorrows.8. But nothing becomes an icon more than a tragic and early death such as Martin Luther King Jr. , John F. Kennedy, and Princess Diana. 0504:42(1-2:39)A. Many icons were cut off in the promising stage of their careenr. B. An unnatural death turns an ordinary person into an icon. C. When a celebrity dies young in an accident, he becomes an icon overnight. D. The most important ingredient in the making of an icon is a tragic death at an early age. 9The hero created himself; the celebrity is created by the media. (1007:39) 1-2:39 AThe hero was admired for what they had done for society；the celebrity burst onto the scene by the work of the media BThe hero made it through their own efforts；the celebrity achieves fame because of his good relations with the media CThe hero of the past was active；todays celebrity is passive DThe hero publicized himself；the celebrity is publicized by the media10. The hero created himself; the celebrity is created by the media. (1201:31)1-2:39A. The hero was admired for what they had done for society; the celebrity burst onto the scene by the work of the media.B. The hero made it through their own efforts; the celebrity achieves fame because of his good relations with the media.C. The hero of the past was active; todays celebrity is passive.D. The hero publicized himself; the celebrity is publicized by the media.11. The hero was a big man; the celebrity is a big name. (0704:43)1-2:39A. The hero was tall and strong.B. The hero was brave and courageous.C. The hero was an outstanding man with fine qualities.D. The hero was a brave man with tremendous strength.12Today an appearance on a television talk show is the ultimate proof of “making it” in America. 0510:42 (1-2:40)Aan important sign of what you are doing in America.Bstrong evidence that you have adjusted to life in America.Cthe best proof that you have succeeded in the United States.Dthe last proof that you have been accepted by American society.13. Today an appearance on a television talk show is the ultimate proof of “making it” in America. 0410:41(1-2:40)A. shows more than anything else that you have established yourself in the U.S.B. proves at last that you are capable of doing great things in the U.S.C. is the best way to prove that you are an eloquent speaker in the U.S.D. is the best proof of your talent for speaking on TV in the U.S.14. Most hosts of TV talk shows are grateful just to get someone who will fill the room with sound. 1010:36(1-2:41)A. Most hosts like those guests who come to the talk shows.B. Its really difficult for most hosts to find some talkative guests.C. Most hosts are more than happy as long as the guests keep talking.D. Whatever the guests say about themselves, most hosts wouldnt mind.II. Writing 2008年1月: Topic: “Heroes inspire respect, celebrities inspire envy.” The text you should base your composition on is “Icons”.III. Translation5）不同的民族对人权的定义有很大的不同。1201:64 (1-2:65) Different people define human rights in very different ways.62英雄是了不起的人物；名流是了不起的名声。1001:38 1-2:39The hero was a big man; the celebrity is a big name.62英雄因其成就而出众，而名流因其形象。(0907:62) 1-2:39The hero was distinguished by his accomplishment; the celebrity by his image or trademark.课后练习答案3. Paraphrase1. who seem to be exaggerated in one way or anther than what they really are.2. The early death in a tragic way is the most important way to become icons. 3. the best proof that you have succeeded in the United States.4. Most hosts are more than happy as long as the guests keep talking.5. This kind of attitude turns out to encourage smooth, dishonest talk词汇练习1. （p.26） 1) modernize; 2) apologized3) memorize4) computerized5) popularize2. Translate the following into English.1. use the verb + noun or adj. + noun collocation实现目标to achieve goals崇拜英雄 to worship heroes and heroines崇拜金钱to worship money受到赏识 to gain recognition获得自信to gain self-confidence 保持沉默to keep silence打破沉默 to break the silence 推卸责任to shake of responsibility引起注意to attract attention 分清敌友to distinguish between friends and enemies加快速度to pick up speed 透露秘密to disclose a secret塑造历史to shape history塑造未来 to shape the future开创生活to start a new life 缓解贫穷to ease poverty取得进展to make advances 现任总统current president工作重心the main emphasis of the work新颖观点original ideas 真诚愿望 sincere wishes2.use the “useful expressions”1)去郑州的路上，我们经过一个被洪水冲毁的村庄。On our way to Zhengzhou, we passed through a village which had been destroyed by the flood.2）那次不寻常的经历使鲍勃变成一个耐心、宽容的人。That unusual experience has turned Bob into a patient and tolerant person.3）那人的头发染成了艳绿色，看上去象个小丑。With his hair dyed bright green, that person looks like a clown.4）他们总是对照专业人员的标准来审视自己的工作。They are always measuring their own work against the standard set for the professionals work.5）便衣警察在黑暗里等着盗贼出现。Plainclothes policemen were waiting in the dark for the burglars to show up.6）琼丝太太的善良使男孩心里充满了希望和感激。The kindness of Mrs. Jones filled the boy with hope and gratitude.7）那些超级明星的私生活经常受到小报的评论。The private