Студопедия

КАТЕГОРИИ:


Архитектура-(3434)Астрономия-(809)Биология-(7483)Биотехнологии-(1457)Военное дело-(14632)Высокие технологии-(1363)География-(913)Геология-(1438)Государство-(451)Демография-(1065)Дом-(47672)Журналистика и СМИ-(912)Изобретательство-(14524)Иностранные языки-(4268)Информатика-(17799)Искусство-(1338)История-(13644)Компьютеры-(11121)Косметика-(55)Кулинария-(373)Культура-(8427)Лингвистика-(374)Литература-(1642)Маркетинг-(23702)Математика-(16968)Машиностроение-(1700)Медицина-(12668)Менеджмент-(24684)Механика-(15423)Науковедение-(506)Образование-(11852)Охрана труда-(3308)Педагогика-(5571)Полиграфия-(1312)Политика-(7869)Право-(5454)Приборостроение-(1369)Программирование-(2801)Производство-(97182)Промышленность-(8706)Психология-(18388)Религия-(3217)Связь-(10668)Сельское хозяйство-(299)Социология-(6455)Спорт-(42831)Строительство-(4793)Торговля-(5050)Транспорт-(2929)Туризм-(1568)Физика-(3942)Философия-(17015)Финансы-(26596)Химия-(22929)Экология-(12095)Экономика-(9961)Электроника-(8441)Электротехника-(4623)Энергетика-(12629)Юриспруденция-(1492)Ядерная техника-(1748)

The thrill of the chase




While fame brings benefits to the famous, it also carries large costs. "Fame tends to be hard for the famous," says Mr Cowen. His calculations suggest that they suffer disproportionately from heart disease, kidney failure, and alcoholism, and that they are more likely than others to die young.

The reason, he suggests, is that happiness often springs from relative achieve­ment. To be, say, president of the United Slates is soon no longer enough: what mat­ters becomes being a better president than your predecessor - or even the best. "If you become famous," he points out, "you eventually run out of victories. You reach the point where your absolute level of achievement is high, but you are miserable." The misery is enhanced by media attention, which scrutinises and magnifies every small mistake or error of judgment.

Add in the commercial pressures to discover celebrities, which mean that it takes less and less time to became famous. Add again the distractions of fame, and especially the difficulty of ensuring privacy, something that Princess Diana knew a great deal about. A world with global transport and communications has fewer hiding places. No wonder so many of the famous ultimately come to see their celebrity as a curse, and wish that they had remained undiscovered and unsung, at least during their lifetimes.

Princess Diana, who has become even more famous in death than in life, always had an ambivalent relationship with the media. On the very afternoon of her death, she had a long and frank telephone conversation with a journalist of the Daily Mail. But many people will doubtless continue to blame the media for her death, whatever the amount of alcohol in her driver's blood. She will pass into immortality like Marilyn Monroe,of whom Sidney Carter memorably sang:

"I hear the hounds behind me. Their voices, I know well.

But how the hunt will end", she said, "is more than I can tell.

I hear the hounds behind me, whenever I may go.

Good luck to every hunted thing," said Marilyne Monroe.

It could have been Diana.

 

Answer the following questions (using both the words and expressions you have noted down while reading and the words and expressions from the list before the article):

1. Where does the name ‘ paparazzi(pl for paparazzo ) come from?

2. What forces drive popular demand for celebrities?

3. What is ‘a new model of hero’ that commands the market nowadays?

4. How can you define the celebrity? What is the difference between celebrities and heroes?

5. When did the ‘rise of the celebrity’ begin?

6. What is the meaning of ‘The Winner-Takes-All Society’? In what fields does it thrive?

7. What kind of celebrities is society's approval most readily earned by?

8. Why does fame tend to be hard for the famous? Why do many of the famous ultimately come to see their celebrity as a curse?

9. What does Mr Cowen mean by saying that ‘happiness often springs from relative achieve­ment’?

10. Accout for the title of the article.

11. Suggest another title and give reasons for your choice.

12. How does the article strike you? Express your opinion of the problems discussed in it.

13. Are you interested in reports on the life of celebrities? Why?

14. Would you like to be famous and in what field? If yes, are you ready for the drawbacks of fame? Have you ever thought of them?

 




Поделиться с друзьями:


Дата добавления: 2014-12-24; Просмотров: 481; Нарушение авторских прав?; Мы поможем в написании вашей работы!


Нам важно ваше мнение! Был ли полезен опубликованный материал? Да | Нет



studopedia.su - Студопедия (2013 - 2024) год. Все материалы представленные на сайте исключительно с целью ознакомления читателями и не преследуют коммерческих целей или нарушение авторских прав! Последнее добавление




Генерация страницы за: 0.009 сек.