雅思阅读真题（Part 2）
西方名人文化起源与发展研究
本篇也叫：西方名人文化、名人崇拜、名人效应、celebrity文化、西方名人史、名人文化起源
Part 2 · 考频：中频 · 最近考试：2025.10.14北京理工大学
本篇为雅思阅读真题（Part 2）《A study of western celebrity》，共 13 题，2025.10.14北京理工大学雅思考试真题回忆，页面提供完整原文、题目、答案与解析，并支持在线机考模式免费练习。本页同时提供 Markdown 版本 供 AI 助手与搜索引擎直接读取。
文章探讨西方名人文化的历史演变：从古罗马拉丁词celeber起源，到古希腊罗马神明与神话、古代奥运会冠军和角斗士，再到中世纪君主与宗教人物，以及文艺复兴时期对艺术家的推崇，说明名人概念随时代不断变化。
In our celebrity-obsessed culture, TV shows, internet blogs, and even newspapers are often full of the latest news, gossip, and scandals about current celebrities.
A
It seems that our current society cannot get enough information about the daily lives of celebrities. But how did celebrities become such an important force in our culture? While people have always shared a certain obsession for the fantastic and the famous, the notion of celebrity, as well as the types of people termed 'celebrities,' has evolved greatly throughout the ages. The word 'celebrity' has its roots in the language of the ancient Roman civilization. The word we now know to mean 'a condition of being famous' or 'a famous person' is derived from the Latin word 'celeber,' meaning frequented or populous.
B
The celebrities of the ancient world were the powerful and awesome deities of Greece and Rome, and the citizens of these civilizations believed in a vast number of immortals who had a direct impact on their lives. It was, therefore, important to know about these figures' personal lives. This need to know led to the creation of myths, which personalized the gods and involved them in ancient celebrity scandals that thrilled and excited the common people.
C
During ancient times, amateur and professional athletes also began to make an impact on the celebrity culture. Victors in the ancient Olympic Games were treated as heroes and were often elevated to god-like status. In the ancient Roman civilization, gladiators—the equivalent of today's professional athletes—were also revered by the common people for their heroics and seemingly superhuman strength.
D
As Europe moved into the Dark Ages (the years spanning approximately 400-1300 AD) and a time when athletics and the arts were largely forgotten, monarchs and rulers continued to maintain celebrity status, while religious figures took on newfound fame. The miraculous lives and fascinating deaths of spiritual figures lent excitement to the lives of common people when there was often little else to be excited about, as they faced war, disease, and food shortages.
E
During the period 1300-1600 AD, or the Renaissance period as it is known, interest in ruling figures faded. As Europe emerged from its long neglect of the arts, there was greater appreciation for portraits, statues, and stone carvings. This period of appreciation for the arts lent a sense of celebrity to artists who were noted for their works and their personal achievements. It was a time when artists began to surpass political and religious individuals for supreme celebrity—a trend that would continue into later centuries.
F
While the figures of the ancient and early modern civilizations were able to achieve moderate and sometimes lasting celebrity within particular cultures, the global reach of their fame was limited. It was not until the 1700s, when technological advances made publishing commercially viable, that the extent of a person's fame could spread further. The increase in the availability of the written word was accompanied by a huge rise in the number of common people who could read, allowing a mass audience to find out about celebrities for the first time. Suddenly, the lives of authors, politicians, war heroes, and other celebrities could now be read about in newspapers around the world. These gave ordinary people the opportunity to become intimately knowledgeable about the figures they most admired.
G
In the modern era, particularly as radio and film took off in the 1900s, things really began to change. First, radio began to make its way into the average home in the 1920s and 1930s. Professional athletes also began to be regarded as stars, as their games and exploits could be broadcast over the air for an entirely new audience. Then, the rise of television in the 1950s only cemented the premier level of celebrity that film stars, athletes, and television actors were beginning to share. This also meant a huge increase in the individual salaries of these celebrities. Even a few animals gained fame through children's TV shows. The emergence of reality television shows in the late 1990s allowed all kinds of people with little ability to enjoy a short burst of fame on the television screen. All you needed, it seemed, was an attractive appearance. Today, reality television programmes make it possible to be famous not for doing anything in particular, but simply for being, with the audience deciding whether someone deserves to become a celebrity or not. As the meaning of celebrity continues to evolve and redefine itself in a quickly changing world, there is no telling who will become of interest next.
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答案：the original definition of celebrity
原文定位：The word 'celebrity' has its roots in the language of the ancient Roman civilization. The word we now know to mean 'a condition of being famous' or 'a famous person' is derived from the Latin word 'celeber,' meaning frequented or populous
同义替换：「original definition」↔「roots in」
答案：the advantages of celebrity status in the ancient world
原文定位：The celebrities of the ancient world were the powerful and awesome deities of Greece and Rome;It was, therefore, important to know about these figures' personal lives. This need to know led to the creation of myths
同义替换：「status」↔「figures」，「ancient world」↔「Greece and Rome」，「advantages」↔「important to know」
答案：admiration for physical achievement
原文定位：During ancient times, amateur and professional athletes also began to make an impact on the celebrity culture. Victors in the ancient Olympic Games were treated as heroes and were often elevated to god-like status. In the ancient Roman civilization, gladiators—the equivalent of today's professional athletes—were also revered by the common people for their heroics and seemingly superhuman strength
同义替换：「Admiration」↔「treated as heroes」，「physical achievement」↔「Victors in the ancient Olympic Games」
答案：a result of hardship
原文定位：The miraculous lives and fascinating deaths of spiritual figures lent excitement to the lives of common people when there was often little else to be excited about, as they faced war, disease, and food shortages
同义替换：「hardship」↔「war, disease, and food shortages」，「a result of」↔「little else to be excited about」
答案：creativity having greater value
原文定位：As Europe emerged from its long neglect of the arts, there was greater appreciation for portraits, statues, and stone carvings. This period of appreciation for the arts lent a sense of celebrity to artists who were noted for their works and their personal achievements
同义替换：「creativity」↔「portraits, statues, stone carvings」，「value」↔「appreciation」
答案：literacy and widespread celebrity
原文定位：The increase in the availability of the written word was accompanied by a huge rise in the number of common people who could read, allowing a mass audience to find out about celebrities for the first time
同义替换：「Literacy」↔「people who could read」，「widespread」↔「mass audience」
答案：the impact of broadcasting on concepts of celebrity
原文定位：First, radio began to make its way into the average home in the 1920s and 1930s;Then, the rise of television in the 1950s only cemented the premier level of celebrity
同义替换：「broadcasting」↔「radio」，「impact」↔「cemented」
答案：Modern era
原文定位：The emergence of reality television shows in the late 1990s allowed all kinds of people with little ability to enjoy a short burst of fame on the television screen
同义替换：「A wide variety of」↔「all kinds of」，「achieve a brief period of」↔「enjoy a short burst of」，「brief」↔「short」
答案：Ancient times
原文定位：This need to know led to the creation of myths, which personalized the gods and involved them in ancient celebrity scandals
同义替换：「Stories are invented」↔「creation of myths」，「celebrities' lives」↔「personalized the gods」
答案：Renaissance
原文定位：During the period 1300-1600 AD, or the Renaissance period as it is known, interest in ruling figures faded
同义替换：「The fame of rulers」↔「interest in ruling figures」，「diminish」↔「faded」
答案：newspapers
原文定位：Suddenly, the lives of authors, politicians, war heroes, and other celebrities could now be read about in newspapers around the world
同义替换：「informed」↔「read」，「favourite figures」↔「celebrities」
答案：appearance
原文定位：Even a few animals gained fame through children's TV shows. The emergence of reality television shows in the late 1990s allowed all kinds of people with little ability to enjoy a short burst of fame on the television screen. All you needed, it seemed, was an attractive appearance
同义替换：「rather than their talent」↔「with little ability」，「can」↔「allowed」，「person」↔「people」
答案：audience
原文定位：Today, reality television programmes make it possible to be famous not for doing anything in particular, but simply for being, with the audience deciding whether someone deserves to become a celebrity or not
同义替换：「may be entirely dependent on」↔「deciding whether someone deserves to」，「response」↔「deciding」