ESL Podcast 587 – Feeling Disillusioned

Daniela: I did it. I finally met Mandy Timpkin.

Tony: Mandy Timpkin, your idol¹?

Daniela: Yeah, I stood in line for two days at her book signing and finally met her. It was a big disappointment.

Tony: Really? I thought she could do no wrong, as far as you’re concerned.

Daniela: Well, that was before I met her. I have always wanted to be just like her. She had everything going for her: a great life and a great career. I emulated² her in so many ways. I thought she must be a paragon³ of virtue⁴ and a great person to be around. I walked into that bookstore with all of these preconceived notions.

Tony: What happened to shatter your image of her?

Daniela: While I waited in line, I saw what kind of person she really was. She was rude to everybody and made ridiculous demands of her assistants. It wasn’t how I pictured her at all. She was a real diva.

Tony: So meeting her really burst your bubble.

Daniela: Yeah, it really did. I guess it was my own fault for putting her on a pedestal.

Tony: Well, you’re not the only one. Celebrities⁵ wouldn’t be celebrities if we didn’t idolize them.

Daniela: True enough, and I’ve learned my lesson. Nobody’s perfect, least of all celebrities!


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

2 emulated   

v.与…竞争( emulate的过去式和过去分词 )；努力赶上；计算机程序等仿真；模仿

参考例句：

• The havoc that months had previously wrought was now emulated by the inroads of hours. 前几个月已经使他垮下来，如今更是一小时一小时地在恶化。 来自辞典例句
• The key technology emulated by CAD and the circuit is showed. 对关键技术进行了仿真，给出了电路实现形式。 来自互联网

3 paragon   

n.模范，典型

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• Man is the paragon of animals.人是万物之灵。

4 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

5 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• 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