Pop Stars Earn Much

Pop stars today enjoy a style of living which was once theprerogative only of Royalty. Wherever they go, people turn outin their thousands to greet them. The crowds go wild trying tocatch a brief glimpse of their smiling, colorfully dressed idols. Thestars are transported in their chauffeur driven Rolls-Royces,private helicopters or executive aeroplanes. They aresurrounded by a permanent entourage of managers, pressagents and bodyguards. Photographs of them appear regularly in the press and all their comingsand goings are reported, for, like Royalty, pop stars are news. If they enjoy many of the privilegesof Royalty, they certainly share many of the inconveniences as well. It is dangerous for them tomake unscheduled appearances in public. They must be constantly shielded from the adoringcrowds which idolize them. They are no longer private individuals, but public property. The financialrewards 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 ofHollywood have become legendary: famous stars enjoyed fame, wealth and adulation on anunprecedented scale. By today’s standards, the excesses of Hollywood do not seem quite sospectacular. A single gramophone record nowadays may earn much more in royalties than thefilms of the past ever did. The competition for the title ‘Top of the Pops’ is fierce, but the rewardsare truly colossal.

It is only right that the stars should be paid in this way. Don’t the top men in industry earnenormous salaries for the services they perform to their companies and their countries? Pop starsearn vast sums in foreign currency – often more than large industrial concerns – and the taxmancan only be grateful fro their massive annual contributions to the exchequer. So who wouldbegrudge 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 onlythe tip of the iceberg. For every famous star, there are hundreds of others struggling to earn aliving. A man working in a steady job and looking forward to a pension at the end of it has no rightto expect very high rewards. He has chosen security and peace of mind, so there will always be alimit to what he can earn. But a man who attempts to become a star is taking enormous risks. Heknows at the outset that only a handful of competitors ever get to the very top. He knows thatyears of concentrated effort may be rewarded with complete failure. But he knows, too, that therewards for success are very high indeed: they are the recompense for the huge risks involvedand 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.

答案詳解（反白可見）：
1. B 他們享受一度只屬于貴族享用的一切。第一段集中談了這些：他們走到哪里，成千上萬人們出來歡迎，卻中發(fā)瘋地要看一眼穿著花哨的偶像的笑容。這些歌星坐著司機開動的Rolls-Royces汽車、私人直升飛機，高級長官飛機到處走，永遠圍著一批經(jīng)紀(jì)人、報界記者和保鏢隨從人員。他們的照片定期登在報刊上，因為歌星象貴族一樣是新聞人物。
A.他們的生活和貴族一樣奢侈。C.他們很富。D.他們的生活方式和貴族生活方式一個樣。
2. A 贊成。在第一段最后一句：“他們?yōu)樗麄兊臓奚@取的報酬難以計算，支付率驚人?！钡诙我婚_始就點明“為什么不驚人？社會對高級表演者總是慷慨解囊。好萊塢的鼎盛時期名揚天下，著名歌星先手空前絕后的名、利、奉承?！钡谌胃鞔_指出：應(yīng)該這樣支付星族，這完全正確。企業(yè)中的頂尖人物因為他們?yōu)楣竞蛧宜鞯囊磺胁灰矑甑酶哳~工資？稅務(wù)員應(yīng)感謝他們每年為國庫做出了巨大的貢獻。所以誰會忌妒他們的報酬呢？最后一段進一步說明：欲成為星族的人冒著很大的風(fēng)險，誰都知道只有一小撮人能成為頂尖人物，也可能多年的努力以徹底失敗而告終，而成功的報酬確實很高，這是對他們冒險的補償。這些內(nèi)容都說明作者贊成巨額報酬。
A.不同意。C.諷刺的。D.批評的。
3. A 在攀登頂峰中存在著激烈的競爭。這在第三段最后一句明確指出：獲取頂尖的流行歌星的稱號競爭激烈，但其報酬確實驚人。最后一段的風(fēng)險說。還有最后一段第二句：說忌妒話的人應(yīng)記?。鹤钣忻男亲宕淼闹皇潜街畮p――人極少。每個成名的歌星身后就有成千上百個其他歌者為生存而奮斗。這都說明“競爭激烈”。
B.人們盲目崇拜偶像歌星。C.成功的流行歌星演出給人極大的享受。D.他們支付的稅收巨大。
4. D 成功者只是冰山的頂尖――少極了。
A.成功的人應(yīng)當(dāng)獲得高收入。B.流行歌星對國家做出巨大貢獻。C.流行歌星能享受貴族生活。
5. D 第四段。主旨句是倒數(shù)第一、二句，成功的報酬確實很高，這是對其高度風(fēng)險的還報補償，如果他成功了，他肯定掙得多。那就是私人事業(yè)的根本/本質(zhì)。
A.第一段。這段之對比了貴族和歌星的生活方式。B.第二段。這段講了掙得多，但競爭激烈。C.第三段。歌星和企業(yè)頂尖人物對比。?

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