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Passage Three (Pop
Stars Earn Much)
Pop
stars
today
enjoy
a
style
of
living
which
was
once
the
prerogative
only
of
Royalty.
Wherever they go, people turn out in
their thousands to greet them. The crowds go wild
trying to
catch a brief glimpse of
their smiling, colorfully dressed idols. The stars
are transported in their
chauffeur
driven Rolls-Royces, private helicopters or
executive aeroplanes. They are surrounded
by a permanent entourage of managers,
press agents and bodyguards. Photographs of them
appear
regularly in the press and all
their comings and goings are reported, for, like
Royalty, pop stars are
news.
If
they
enjoy
many
of
the
privileges
of
Royalty,
they
certainly
share
many
of
the
inconveniences as well. It is dangerous
for them to make unscheduled appearances in
public. They
must
be
constantly
shielded
from
the
adoring
crowds
which
idolize
them.
They
are
no
longer
private individuals,
but public property. The financial rewards they
receive for this sacrifice cannot
be
calculated, for their rates of pay are
astronomical.
And why not?
Society has
always rewarded its top
entertainers lavishly. The great days of
Hollywood
have
become
legendary:
famous
stars
enjoyed
fame,
wealth
and
adulation
on
an
unprecedented
scale.
By
today
’
s
standards,
the
excesses
of
Hollywood
do
not
seem
quite
so
spectacular.
A
single
gramophone
record
nowadays
may
earn
much
more
in
royalties
than
the
films of
the past ever did. The competition for the title
‘
Top of the
Pops
’
is fierce, but the
rewards
are truly colossal.
It is only right that the stars should
be paid in this way. Don
’
t
the top men in industry earn
enormous
salaries for the services they perform to their
companies and their countries? Pop stars
earn vast sums in foreign currency
–
often more than large
industrial concerns
–
and
the taxman
can
only
be
grateful
for
their
massive
annual
contributions
to
the
exchequer.
So
who
would
begrudge them their rewards?
It
’
s
all
very
well
for
people in humdrum jobs to
moan
about the successes and rewards of
others. People who make envious remarks
should remember that the most famous stars
represent
only the tip of the iceberg.
For every famous star, there are hundreds of
others struggling to earn a
living. A
man working in a steady job and looking forward to
a pension at the end of it has no right
to expect very high rewards. He has
chosen security and peace of mind, so there will
always be a
limit to what he can earn.
But a man who attempts to become a star is taking
enormous risks. He
knows
at
the
outset
that
only
a
handful
of
competitors
ever
get
to
the
very
top.
He
knows
that
years of concentrated effort may be
rewarded with complete failure. But he knows, too,
that the
rewards for success are very
high indeed: they are the recompense for the huge
risks involved and
if he achieves them,
he has certainly earned them.
That
’
s the essence of
private enterprise.
1.
The sentence
Pop stars
’
style of living
was once the prerogative only of Royalty means
[A] their life was as luxurious as that
of royalty.
[B] They enjoy what once
only belonged to the royalty.
[C] They
are rather rich.
[D] Their way of
living was the same as that of the royalty.
2.
What is the
author
’
s attitude toward top
stars
’
high income?
[A] Approval.
[B]
Disapproval.
[C] Ironical.
[D]
Critical.
3.
It
can be inferred from the passage
[A]
there exists fierce competition in climbing to the
top.
[B] People are blind in idolizing
stars.
[C] Successful Pop stars give
great entertainment.
[D] The tax they
have paid are great.
4.
What can we learn from the passage?
[A] Successful man should get high-
income repayment.
[B] Pop stars made
great contribution to a country.
[C]
Pop stars can enjoy the life of royalty.
[D] Successful men represent the tip of
the iceberg.
5.
Which paragraph covers the main idea?
[A] The first.
[B] The
second.
[C] The third.
[D]
The fourth.
V
ocabulary
1.
prerogative
权力，
（尤指）特权
2.
chauffeur
受雇开车人，
（尤指富人、要人的）司机
3.
entourage
随行人员，伴随者，近侍；建筑物周围
4.
astronomical
庞大的，天文的
5.
adulation
奉承
6.
gramophone
灌音
7.
colossal
巨大的
8.
exchequer
国库，财源
Exchequer Bond
国库债券
9.
begrudge
感到不快
/
不满，忌妒
10.
humdrum
平淡的，单调的
11.
moan
呻吟声
moan about
发牢骚
难句译注
1.
the
prerogative of Royalty
或
the
royal prerogative
皇家的特权（再英国
指国王名义上享有不经议会认可而采取行动的权力）
。
2.
People turn
out in their thousands to greet them.
【结构简析】
turn
out
露面、集合、出席。
EX: A vast crowd
turned out to watch the
match.
大批观众到场观看比赛。
【参考译文】成千上万的人们出来欢迎他们。
3.
The great days
of Hollywood have become legendry.
【参考译文】好莱坞鼎盛时期成了神话。
4.
By
today
’
s standards, the
excesses of Hollywood do not seem quite so
spectacular.
【参考译文】
按今天的标准来看，
好莱坞的奢华
（过分的行为）
似乎并不
那么引人注目。
5.
A single gramophone record nowadays may
earn much more in royalties than the films of the
past ever did.
【参考译文】今天单张录音唱
片挣的版税要比过去一步电影还要多得多。
写作方法与文章大意
作者以对比、因果写作手法，写出歌星享受者贵族般生活方式，出门受千万人群欢迎，
出入高级车、机，身后保镖、经纪人、新闻记者，来去都有报道，这一切是社会对高级演员
的慷慨赠予。公司的高级人员享受高薪，歌星也应享受。再则顶尖歌星冒有很大风险。
答案详解
1.
B
他
们享受一度只属于贵族享用的一切。
第一段集中谈了这些：他们走到哪里，成千上
万人们出来欢迎，却中发疯地要看一眼穿着花哨的偶像的笑容。这些歌星坐着司机开动
的
Rolls-Royces
汽车、私人直升飞
机，高级长官飞机到处走，永远围着一批经纪人、报
界记者和保镖随从人员。
他们的照片定期登在报刊上，
因为歌星象贵族一样是新闻人物。
A.
他们的生活和贵族一样奢侈。
C.
他们很富。
D.
他们的
生活方式和贵族生活方式一个样。
2.
A
赞
成。
在第一段最后一句：
“他们为他们的牺牲所获取的报酬难以
计算，
支付率惊人。
”
第二段一开始就
点明“为什么不惊人？社会对高级表演者总是慷慨解囊。好莱坞的鼎盛
时期名扬天下，著
名歌星先手空前绝后的名、利、奉承。
”第三段更明确指出：应该这
样支付星族，这完全正确。企业中的顶尖人物因为他们为公司和国家所作的一切不也挣
得高额工资？税务员应感谢他们每年为国库做出了巨大的贡献。
所以谁会忌妒他们的报
酬呢？最后一段进一步说明：欲成为星族的人冒着很大的风险，谁都知道只有一小撮人<
/p>
能成为顶尖人物，也可能多年的努力以彻底失败而告终，而成功的报酬确实很高，这是
对他们冒险的补偿。这些内容都说明作者赞成巨额报酬。
A.
不同意。
C.
讽刺
的。
D.
批评的。
3.
A
在
攀登顶峰中存在着激烈的竞争。
这在第三段最后一句明确指出：
获取顶尖的流行歌
星的称号竞争激烈，但其报酬确实惊人。最后一段的风险说。还有最后
一段第二句：说
忌妒话的人应记住：最有名的星族代表的只是冰山之巅――人极少。每个
成名的歌星身
后就有成千上百个其他歌者为生存而奋斗。这都说明“竞争激烈”
。
B.
人们盲目崇拜
偶像歌星。
C.
成功的流行歌星演出给人极大的享受。
D.
他们支付的税收
巨大。
4.
D
成功者只是冰山的顶尖――少极了。
A.
成功的人应当获得高收入。
B.
流
行歌星对国家做出巨大贡献。
C.
流行歌星能享受贵族
生活。
D
第四段。
主旨句是倒数第一、二句，成功的报酬确实很高，这是对其高度风险的还报补
偿，如果他
成功了，他肯定挣得多。那就是私人事业的根本
/
本质。
A.
第一段。
这段
之对比了贵族和歌星的生活方式。
B.
第二段。
这段讲了挣得多，
但竞争激烈。
C.
< br>第三段。歌星和企业顶尖人物对比。
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