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Part III Reading Comprehension (25 points)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers A, B, C and D. Choose the best answer and mark your answer on the Answer Sheet
Passage One
There are few sadder sights than a pile of fan letters, lovingly decorated with hand drawings，suffering in a bin. The sparkly envelopes were addressed to Taylor Swift, a pop star much beloved by teenage and pre-teen girls.
“Dear Taylor,” read one discarded message, “I love you so much!! You’re the best!! And you're really beautiful and cute!! I’m really enjoying your songs,”
This, along with hundreds of other similar letters sent from around the world, was discovered in a Nashville recycling disposal unit by a local woman. Swifts management was quick to reassure her admirer that they had been thrown out accidentally. The response may come as a disappointment to any devotee who imagines, as they compose their letters, that Swift makes time lo view each one personally.
Dealing with piles of fan mail is, however, an administrative burden for most celebrities. While some celebrities do like to go through their mail personally, the majority simply do not have time. But the fate of their correspondence is something most committed fans will not wish, to dwell on, says Lynn Zubernis，an expert in the psychology of fandom at West Chester University.
“There’s this little bit of every fan that thinks theirs will be the one that stands out—it's not an expectation, but a hope that theirs will be seen by the celebrity.”
While the relationship between the fan and the celebrity may exist only in the mind of the former, it stems from a deeply-rooted human need for community and belonging, Zubernis believes. As a result, even receiving a mass-produced letter of acknowledgement and a photo stamped with a reproduced signature can be a powerful experience.
“People have a tremendous need to connect with the person they are idolizing (偶像化),” she says. “They can’t ring them up and say, ’Can we have coffee?’ It’s not about the autograph (签名) ,It’s about the moment of connection.”
21. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Some letters to Swift were thrown away unread.
B. The letters in the bin were exaggerating.
C. A woman discovered the letters and discarded them.
D. Poorly decorated letters were left unread.
22. Swift’s management claimed that_______.
A. Swift had read each one of the letters
B. fans could trust them with their letters
C. they didn’t intend to throw away the letters
D. they were quick in response to the incident
23. Most celebrities_______
A. are afraid of receiving fan mail
B. are too busy to read fan mail
C. try their best to read fan mail themselves
D. care about the fate of fan mail
24. According to Zubernis, fans want their letters to be read because they _______.
A. hope to show their hand drawings
B. want the celebrities to see their talent
C. dream of getting a photo of the stars
D. desire to get connected with the stars
25. Which of the following will fans cherish the most?
A. The sense of being similar to their stars.
B. The feeling of being related to their stars.
C. The time spent with their stars.
D. The autograph of their stars.
