UNIT 17 Fame 109

UnitUnit Fame

Learning Link

In this unit you will learn• words and phrases to help you talk about fame.• to talk about being famous.• to write a review of a film or a book.• to use reported speech in questions.

1 How do you feel when you hear strangers talking about you?a I’m used to it. It happens all the time.b If they are saying nice things, it’s OK.c I feel awful.

2 How do you feel about having your photograph taken?a I love it!b It’s OK, but I need to check my appearance in the mirror first.c I hate it!

3 How do you feel when people ask you questions about your private life?a Great, I love talking about myself.b OK if I know the people who are asking the questions.c I feel embarrassed.

4 Do youa enjoy being the centre of attention?b prefer to hang out with a couple of close friends?c prefer staying home and listening to music or playing computer games?

A Could you cope with being a celebrity? Do the quiz and find out.

Now turn to page 166 and work out your score.

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Reading Link

B Read the article quickly and find out who suggested that Hood should move to America.

1 When did Hood first become a celebrity? 2 What happens to tickets for Hood concerts? 3 When did the film Hood come out? 4 What is Hood’s hometown? 5 What were British reporters always doing that made Hood angry? 6 What do American reporters say about Hood? 7 Where is Hood going to record his new album? 8 Who came up with the name Hood?

C Read the article again and answer the questions.

Hooded Superstar’s Flying Visit Thousands of fans were waiting last night as mysterious, hooded superstar, Hood, jetted in to London’s Heathrow Airport.

The hooded singer first became famous when he released his first album, Childhood, seven years ago. Every British teenager has at least one Hood CD, tickets for his concerts sell out within hours of going on sale, and the film Hood, released last month, has broken all box office records. John Gilroy went to Heathrow to interview Hood.I asked Nottingham-born Hood how he felt about being back in England. ‘It’s fantastic! I spent three hours at Heathrow, shaking hands,

posing for photographs, and signing autographs. It’s great to be back.’When I asked Hood why he had decided to move to the States, he blamed British newspaper reporters. ‘I love England and I miss it very much, but reporters were really driving me crazy. They were always trying to trick me into letting them photograph my face. One day I had just had a shower when I heard a noise outside my bathroom window. Imagine my surprise when I saw a photographer outside my bathroom window pointing a camera at me! I grabbed the first thing I could find and threw it over my head. The next day there was a picture of me on the front page of a magazine – with a towel over my head! When I complained to my manager the following day, he suggested that we move to America. He was right. In

the States reporters call me ‘that weird English guy who wears a hood’, which is a bit rude I suppose, but at least I can have a shower in peace!’When I asked him if he was back in England for any particular reason, he said he was here to record his seventh album, Adulthood. ‘Although all my albums have been recorded in the same Nottingham studio, my music has changed a lot over the years. My fans have grown up, and as the album title suggests, my music has ‘grown up’ with them.’

Finally, I asked him if the name Hood had been his idea. ‘I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that it was my mother’s idea! She suggested Hood, after the legendary character, Robin Hood. Since ‘hood’ is slang for ‘gang member’, and I always wear a hood, I decided Mum had picked a winner.’

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Vocabulary Link

D Find these words in the article and circle the correct meanings.

1 jetted (subheading) a travelled by carb travelled by plane

2 released (para 1) a put on sale in the shopsb set free

3 album (para 1) a a record or CDb a book with photographs

4 within (para 1) a after a particular period of timeb during a particular period of time

5 blamed (para 3) a said someone is responsible for something badb said someone is responsible for something good

6 grabbed (para 3) a stoleb took hold of

7 suggested (para 3) a recommendedb decided

8 embarrassed (para 5) a disgracedb ashamed

Words Meanings

Many (1) people will admit that they have a (2) life, but they also add that reporters can spoil it. Many celebrities enjoy (3) photographers take their photograph when they are at an award ceremony or on a film set. The problem is that they are often faced with reporters (4) cameras at them when they are at a private party, or out shopping. One singer threw a photographer’s camera into a dustbin! The next day the photographer (5) to the singer’s manager and the singer was forced to apologise for being (6) !

G Complete the paragraph with the words you found in task F.

1 The record company a winner when they signed the new group.

2 I wish I was famous; then I could buy my favourite car which a bomb.

3 The model took her accountant’s advice and a killing on the stock market.

4 Her name a bell, but he didn’t realise who she was until he saw her.

5 He said he was a famous rock star, but I a rat when he borrowed five pounds from me to pay for the taxi!

Complete the sentences with the correct form of these verbs.E

cost make pick ring smell

F Find the synonyms of these words in the article.

1 well-known – (para 1)2 wonderful – (para 2)3 allowing – (para 3)

4 aiming – (para 3)5 protested – (para 3)6 impolite – (para 3)

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H

Grammar Link

Change the questions into reported speech. Begin with the words given.

4

The reporter asked the film star

Who will win the award?

5

The girl asked the pop star

Will you marry me?

1

Do you have the leading role?

The chat show host asked the actor

3

The boy asked the tennis player

Can I have your autograph, please?

2

The author asked the man

What do you want me to write?

Reported Speech – questions

Look at these examples from the article.1 I asked Nottingham-born Hood how he felt about being back in England.2 ... I asked Hood why he had decided to move to the States, ...

What words show that these are reported questions? What word comes after the question words how and why? Is this the word order we usually use when we ask a question? What were the interviewer’s actual questions?1 2

Remember!When we report questions, we make the same changes in tenses and words of time and place as we do for reported statements.

Look at these examples from the article.... I asked him if the name Hood had been his idea.... I asked him if he was back in England for any particular reason, ...

What word is used when there is no question word?

Study the Grammar Reference for Unit 17 on page 157 before you do the task.

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J You will hear five short conversations about fame. For questions 1-5, choose the correct picture, A, B or C.

Listening Link

What do you think are the best and worst things

about being famous?

If you could be somebody famous, who would you like to be?

If you got the chance to interview your favourite famous person, what three

questions would you ask him/her?

Do you think it’s right that famous actors, footballers and other people get as much money

as they do?

I Work with a partner. Ask and answer the questions. Use the words and phrases in the box to help you.

Speaking Link

5 What did the boy get?

A B C

4 Which house would the girl like?

A B C

1 How much did Frankie Field spend on his car?

A B C

2 Which picture shows the celebrity couple?

A B C

A B C

3 What would the boy enjoy about being famous?

The best/worst thing would be ...

I would like to be ...

I would ask him/her ...

I don’t think it’s right/wrong because ...

I think it’s right because ...

It depends on ...

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Writing Link

HINTS

When you are writing a review like this, it is impossible to talk about everything in the film/book. Instead, you must decide on the most important events to talk about.

L Now write your film or book review. Use the outline and the hints to help you. (120-140 words)

Fame at SeaEllen MacArthur, born July 8, 1976, is (1) yachtswomen in the world. In her book, Taking on the World, (2) how she succeeded in becoming the youngest woman to race around the world alone.

(3) , Ellen explains that, when she was young, she always loved the sea. She talks about how, at the age of eight, she started saving to buy her first boat.

(4) extracts from Ellen’s yachting diaries, so the reader gets a vivid impression of how tough and frightening sailing alone can be.

Whether or not you are interested in sailing, (5) as a worthwhile and inspiring read. It’s a personal account written by a young woman full of courage and determination.

Look back at the Learning Link. What did you learn?

In this unit, you are going to learn to write a review of a film or a book about a famous person.

Read the question and complete the review with the expressions.

You have been asked to write a review to be printed in next month’s copy of your college magazine. The review must be about a film or a book about a famous person. Write your review, giving information about the film/book, and saying whether or not you recommend it.

K

Helpful Expressions

a In the chapter about her childhoodb one of the most famousc The book containsd I’d recommend this booke she describes

Review Outline

Paragraph 1 Say something general about the subject of your review.

Paragraph 2 Talk about one important part of the film/book.

Paragraph 3 Talk about another important part of the film/book.

Paragraph 4 Make a general statement recommending/not recommending the film/book.