Are Celebrities Bad For You?: Reading Comprehension: 10 Points

Reading comprehension: 10 points
Are celebrities bad for you?

Celebrities are everywhere nowadays: on TV, in magazines, online. Is this
preoccupation with famous people harmless fun or is it bad for us? How many people
are truly obsessed with modern media idols? And on the other side of the coin, can fame
be harmful to the celebrities?
Studies suggest that the vast majority of teenagers do not really worship celebrities.
Researchers have identified three kinds of fans. About 15% of young people have an
‘entertainment-social’ interest. They love chatting about their favourite celebrities with
friends and this does not appear to do any harm.
Another 5% feel that they have an ‘intense-personal’ relationship with a

celebrity. Sometimes they see them as their soulmate and find that they are often
thinking about them, even when they don’t want to. These people are more at risk from
depression and anxiety. If girls in this group idolise a female star with a body they
consider to be perfect, they are more likely to be unhappy with their own bodies.
That leaves 2% of young people with a ‘borderline-pathological’ interest. They might
say, for example, they would spend several thousand pounds on a paper plate the
celebrity had used, or that they would do something illegal if the celebrity asked them
to. These people are in most danger of being seriously disturbed.
What about the celebrities themselves? A study in the USA tried to measure narcissism
or extreme self-centredness, when feelings of worthlessness and invisibility are
compensated for by turning into the opposite: excessive showing off. Researchers
looked at 200 celebrities, 200 young adults with Masters in Business Administration (a
group known for being narcissistic) and a nationally representative sample using the
same questionnaire. As was expected, the celebrities were significantly more
narcissistic than the MBAs and both groups were a lot more narcissistic than the general
population.
Four kinds of celebrity were included in the sample. The most narcissistic were the ones
who had become famous through reality TV shows – they scored highest on vanity and
willingness to exploit other people. Next came comedians, who scored highest on
exhibitionism and feelings of superiority. Then came actors, and the least narcissistic
were musicians. One interesting result was that there was no connection between
narcissism and the length of time the celebrity had been famous. This means that
becoming famous probably did not make the celebrities narcissistic – they already were
beforehand.
So, what can we learn from this? People who are very successful or famous tend to be
narcissists and are liable to be ruthless, self-seeking workaholics. As we can see from
celebrity magazines, they are also often desperate and lonely. They make disastrous
role models.
Are the sentences true or false?
1. The article is about whether celebrity culture is harmful, for either the public or the
celebrities themselves.
True
False
2. 15% of teenagers have an interest in celebrities that probably isn't a cause for concern.
True
False
3. Young people who feel they have an 'intense-personal' relationship with a celebrity do
not experience any negative consequences related to it.
True
False
4. A study found that celebrities were more self-centred than business administration
masters students.
True
False
5. Celebrities from reality TV were found to be the most vain and exploitative.
True
False
6. Actors were the least self-obsessed group of celebrities.
True
False
7. The research concluded that the experience of being a celebrity made people more
narcissistic than they were previously.
True
False
8. The author says that celebrities tend to exhibit negative qualities and are therefore not
good role models.
True
False
9 Write the correct word from the text to fill the gaps.
p...................... = something we think or worry about a lot (noun, paragraph 1)
h....................... = damaging or injurious (adjective, paragraph 1)
w........................ = have or show feelings of profound devotion (verb, paragraph 2)
What's wrong with enjoying a bit of celebrity gossip? It doesn't do us any harm
10.
... or does it?
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
…
Grammar: 10 points
1 If you can win his attention _______ for you.
the better so much

the so much better
so much the better
so the much better
2 I take great exception _______ the implication that I was not telling the truth.
against
from
to
with
3 I can't imagine any reason _______ he should have behaved in such an

extraordinary way.
for
that
why
how
4 My daughter is planning to spend a year before university working in Australia,

_______ seems to me to be a sensible idea.
that
what
which
where
5 He escaped by _______
a hair's breadth
the hair's breadth
the breadth of a hair
a breadth of a hair
6 If the decision _______ before he arrived, he would have been furious.
would have been taken

was taken
was being taken
had been taken
7 _______ he should have spent all the weekend preparing for his test, he in fact just
lay in bed watching videos.
Nevertheless
However
Whereas
Despite
8 The President resigned; the whiff of scandal remained _______

therefore
otherwise
immediately
nevertheless
9 We were at a disadvantage _______ that we did not have a very good knowledge of
the language the others were using.
by
with
in
for
10 No one wants to have extra homework tonight, _______?

don't he
do they
don't they
does he
Vocabulary: 10 points
1 Reorder the following words:
Rafm olsor : ………………………….. arpkgin aera : ……………………………
Ckra kibe : ……………………………. Oatg nrab : ………………………………
2 Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words:
A loaf of …………………… A jar of …………………………
A tin of ……………………. A bunch of …………………….
3 Define the following words:
Launched :
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Stereotypical:
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Humanities :
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Take risks :
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4 Find the proper words for the below definitions:
*Passages for customers to walk along in a supermarket = ……………….
*Very attractive, making you want it = ………………….
*Stop yourself doing something that you want to do = …………………
*To have earned something because of good or bad behavior = …………………
Writing : 10 points
Choose one of the below topics, write an essay containing 4 paragraphs: (200) words
*What are the advantages of earning your own money to purchase something special? Explain
the advantages using specific details and examples in your response.
*When people ask for advice, they sometimes talk to more than one person. Explain why
seeking multiple opinions can help someone make a better choice. Use specific details and
examples in your response.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Answer keys
Reading:
1.T
2.T
3.F
4.T
5.T
6.F
7.F
8.T
9. Preoccupation – Harmful- Worship
Grammar:
1.3
2.3
4.3
5.1
6.4
7.3
8.4
9.3
10.2
Vocabulary:
1.Solar farm- parking area- bike rack- goat barn

2.As long as it makes sense.
3. Humanities: Subjects that are not connected with science such as history
and languages
Launched: Made a product available for the first time
Stereotypical: Having the qualities that you expect a particular type of person
to have
Take risks: Do something which may not be successful and may even be
dangerous
4. aisles- tempting-resist-deserve.

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Reading comprehension: 10 points

Are celebrities bad for you?

Another 5% feel that they have an ‘intense-personal’ relationship with a

Are the sentences true or false?

h....................... = damaging or injurious (adjective, paragraph 1)

w........................ = have or show feelings of profound devotion (verb, paragraph 2)

the better so much

3 I can't imagine any reason _______ he should have behaved in such an

4 My daughter is planning to spend a year before university working in Australia,

6 If the decision _______ before he arrived, he would have been furious.

would have been taken

8 The President resigned; the whiff of scandal remained _______

10 No one wants to have extra homework tonight, _______?

1 Reorder the following words:

Rafm olsor : ………………………….. arpkgin aera : ……………………………

Ckra kibe : ……………………………. Oatg nrab : ………………………………

2 Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words:

A loaf of …………………… A jar of …………………………

A tin of ……………………. A bunch of …………………….

3 Define the following words:

4 Find the proper words for the below definitions:

*Passages for customers to walk along in a supermarket = ……………….

*Very attractive, making you want it = ………………….

*Stop yourself doing something that you want to do = …………………

*To have earned something because of good or bad behavior = …………………

the advantages using specific details and examples in your response.

examples in your response.

1.Solar farm- parking area- bike rack- goat barn

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