英语听力精选进阶版 6421
时间：2019-02-21 作者：英语课 分类：英语听力精选进阶版
How would you feel if the letter you penned carefully and posted to your favourite star ended up in the recycling bin 1? That's where unopened fan mail sent to singer Taylor Swift was found in Nashville.
Swift's management said it was an accident, but dealing 2 with piles of letters is a burden for most public figures. According to the BBC reporter Jon Kelly, at the height of his fame, Johnny Depp was said to receive up to 10,000 letters a week.
The dawn of the digital age - in which public figures with a Twitter account can be messaged directly - has made the process easier. The White House says it deals with 20,000 messages addressed to President Barack Obama each day.
Some celebrities 3 don't want letters. In 2008, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr didn't mince 4 his words when he announced he would throw them out because he was too busy.
Others do attempt to get through it themselves. Robert Pattinson, star of the Twilight 5 films, claims that he reads "tonnes and tonnes" of letters from fans.
Many artists, however, outsource the task of opening, reading and replying. Sylvia "Spanky" Taylor, 58, has run a service in California that does just that since 1987. She and her staff deal with up to 20,000 items of mail a month on behalf of 26 celebrities.
Most letters are simply declarations of affection and admiration 6, she says. A few ask for money. A small number contain threats which require her to contact the celebrity 7's security team and law enforcement.
The biggest problem for Taylor is working out how to dispose of the correspondence. Presents such as soft toys are sent to local hospitals, and the letters: most of them "just get shredded 8 and recycled".
Typically, correspondence is acknowledged by a photo with a printed "autograph". For some, this is enough, according to Lynn Zubernis, an expert at West Chester University. She says that the relationship between fan and celebrity may exist only in the mind of the former but it comes from a deeply-rooted human need for community.
Quiz 测验
1. Who read the letters to singer Taylor Swift that were found in a bin?
Nobody. The letters were unopened.
2. Who told fans not to send any letters?
The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr.
3. Is this statement true or false? Sylvia 'Spanky' Taylor tells the police if fans are threatening her celebrity clients.
True.
4. Which expression means a person who is well-known by his/her own choice?
Public figure.
5. Which word is used to refer to a lot of letters, placed one on top of the other?
Pile.
Glossary 词汇表
to pen 书写
a recycling bin 一个回收垃圾箱
fan mail 歌迷、影迷来信
a pile 一堆
a burden 负担
a public figure 公众人物
the digital age 数字时代
to message 给（某人）发消息
to address to 写信给（某人）
not to mince words 直截了当地说，坦率地说
to get through 做完，完成
to outsource 外包
a declaration of affection 爱的宣言
to dispose of 将（某物）处理掉
correspondence 信件
a soft toy 绒毛玩具
to shred 用碎纸机切成碎片
to recycle 回收
an autograph 亲笔签名
deeply-rooted 根深蒂固的
- He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
- He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。
- This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
- His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
- He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
- a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目
- Would you like me to mince the meat for you?你要我替你把肉切碎吗？
- Don't mince matters,but speak plainly.不要含糊其词，有话就直说吧。
- Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
- Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。
- He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
- We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。
- Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
- He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。