英语听力精选进阶版 6167

An Unlikely Superstar? 不被看好的新星？

Less than a few weeks ago Susan Boyle was a virtual unknown. However since auditioning² for Britain’s got Talent, a televised talent competition, she has experienced a stratospheric rise to fame.

A YouTube video of her audition¹ has been watched by more than 26 million people, making it one of the most watched videos on the internet in recent times. It is undeniable that technology such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter has helped spread the word about Susan’s performance.

So just what is it about Susan that the people find so fascinating? Arguably, it is the fact she is such a class act. However, many have suggested that her biggest appeal lies in her unassuming persona.

Susan’s persona and appearance have been somewhat controversial and the initial reaction to her audition has made many people question whether they are guilty of judging a book by its cover. With her plain Jane, middle-aged³ looks and her no-nonsense approach to life, Susan is perhaps the most unlikely star to be discovered of late.

Commenting on her rise to fame, Max Clifford, a renowned⁴ PR guru said that the massive public interest in her is partly due to people having to challenge their own assumptions and prejudices.

Talking about her audition, Susan said "I expected people to be a wee bit cynical⁵." However, she must have been pleased as punch when she heard the deafening⁶ applause and saw the audience’s standing⁷ ovation⁸.

So what’s next for Susan? For the moment, she is preparing for her next appearance on Britain’s got Talent and she is the odds-on-favourite to win.

Looking forward, with talk of record contracts and celebrity⁹ duets, it is very likely that we’ll soon be seeing a Susan Boyle album in the charts.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

virtual unknown 不出名的

auditioning 试音

stratospheric 同温层的

spread the word 传出消息

class act 出类拔萃的人

unassuming 不爱显示自己的，谦逊的

persona 面具

judging a book by its cover 以貌取人

plain Jane 外表朴素的女孩子

no-nonsense 严肃的

renowned PR guru 有声望的公关专家

assumptions 假想

prejudices 偏见

wee 稍微有一点儿

cynical 愤世嫉俗的

pleased as punch 非常高兴

applause 掌声

standing ovation 长时间的喝彩

odds-on-favourite 有希望获胜的

talk 议论

1 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

2 auditioning   

vi.试听（audition的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• She was auditioning for the role of Lady Macbeth. 她试演了麦克佩斯夫人的角色。
• Which part are you auditioning for? 你试音什么角色？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

4 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

5 cynical   

adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的

参考例句：

• The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
• He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。

6 deafening   

adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The noise of the siren was deafening her. 汽笛声震得她耳朵都快聋了。
• The noise of the machine was deafening. 机器的轰鸣声震耳欲聋。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 ovation   

n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌

参考例句：

• The hero received a great ovation from the crowd. 那位英雄受到人群的热烈欢迎。
• The show won a standing ovation. 这场演出赢得全场起立鼓掌。

9 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• 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。