B1.

“You can tell the character of every man

when you see how he receives

praise” Seneca
IDOLS & ADMIRATION

SPEAKING IN GROUPS

Use the following questions to discuss the topic of admiration with your partners. Listen to each other,
agree, disagree and try to get as many ideas as possible about the topic.

- Can you think of someone you really admire and respect? Why do you admire them?
- Do you have any celebrity idols? Did you use to have them?
- What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of being a celebrity?
- Do you watch gossip programmes or read gossip magazines? Why do you think they are so
popular?
- Would you like to become a celebrity?
- Can fame be used in a positive way?
- Would you like to be admired? What for? By whom?

EXAM PRACTICE

MONOLOGUE: In this part of the exam, you are going to give a short talk on a topic. Discuss some of
the ideas given below. You should talk for about 2.30 - 3 minutes.

- People you admire

- Fame
- Differences between today’s idols and
previous generations’ idols
- Reasons why you’d like to be admired

DIALOGUE: In this part of the exam, you are going to take part in a conversation with the other
candidate(s). The conversation should last about 4 - 5 minutes. In the exam, candidate A will start the
conversation.

THE NEXT STAR?

You and the other candidate(s) have a mutual friend (Marc) who is 18 and sings really well. He wants to
take part in a popular talent show. Use the following prompts to discuss that decision with the other
candidate(s):

- Is it a good idea?

- Is he too young or is this the right time to do it?

- The impact it might have on his life

- Instant fame

LISTENING COMPREHENSION: You will hear five different people talking about what they
discovered when they read autobiographies by famous people. For questions 1-5 choose from the list A-F
what each person says that they discovered. Use the letters only once. There is ONE EXTRA LETTER
which you do not need to use. You will hear the recording twice.
SPEAKER 1 F
 SPEAKER 2 B

SPEAKER 3 E

SPEAKER 4 C

SPEAKER 5 A

A He had a terrible life before becoming famous.

B He is a nicer person than he appears to be.

C He is exactly the same in private as he is in public.

D He would have preferred a different career.

E He was very unkind to other people after he became famous.

F He feels that he is a very important person.

READING COMPREHENSION: You are going to read an article about celebrities and the influence
they have on us. For statements 1 – 8, say whether they are TRUE or FALSE.

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.
 T F
1. The article is about whether celebrity culture is harmful, for either the public or the celebrities X
themselves.

2. 15% of teenagers have an interest in celebrities that probably isn’t cause for concern. X
3. Young people who feel they have an ‘intense-personal’ relationship with a celebrity do not X
experience any negative consequences related to it.

4. A study found that celebrities were more self-centred than Business Administration masters’ X
students.

5. Celebrities from reality TV were found to be the most vain and exploitative. X
6. Actors were the least self-obsessed group of celebrities. X
7. The research concluded that the experience of being a celebrity made people more narcissistic X
than they were previously.

8. The author says that celebrities tend to exhibit negative qualities and are therefore not good X
role models.

SOME USEFUL VOCABULARY TO TALK ABOUT IDOLS & ADMIRATION

- I don’t really have any idols but when I was a teenager I used to admire … .

- The person I admire the most is (my mother / my father / my grandmother …)

because he/she is the sort of person who always (helps everybody/ has the right word/ …). In
spite of not having an easy life, he/she …

- I’ve always admired / looked up to …

- I’d love to be a celebrity. They have many benefits. I really think the advantages outnumber the
disadvantages.

- On the plus side, ...

- I wouldn’t like to be a celebrity because they can’t really enjoy their private life.

- I think the main advantage of being famous is the possibility to help other people.

- However, on the downside, they can’t lead a normal life.

- It must feel great to be admired by ... .

- I don’t care about (gossip programmes / ...).