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Just 25 years ago, the top three career hopes for young people in Britain were teacher, banker and doctor.
Now, they want to be sports star, pop star and actor, according to a survey by the Guardian newspaper.
Rachel, a character in the popular TV show Glee, may be said to speak for British teenagers. "Nowadays
being nobody is worse than being poor." he said.
Emma Brockes, a reporter with the Guardian, believes it is "the bad influence of celebrity (名人) culture"
that is to blame. "When children wanted to be doctor, it wasn't because they were really more interested in the
functions of human organs than they are now; you go where the respect is." she wrote.
It could explain why there has been such an increase in levels of anxiety and depression Dr Carlo Stranger,
of Tel Aviv University, studied the sense of self for his new book The Fear of Insigni ficance: Searching for
Meaning in the 21st Century. He told the Daily Mail that young people now are "affected by the close
connection to the global entertainment network, which has turned ranking and rating people according to wealth
and celebrity into an obsession (痴迷)."
"As humans, we naturally measure ourselves to those around us, but now we live in a global village. We are
comparing ourselves with the most 'important' people in the world and finding ourselves wanting," he said
Today, even high achievers constantly fear that they are insignificant when they compare themselves to success
stories in the media.
The way out? Simply stop measuring your achievement through a fantasy of wealth and celebrity. Dr.
Strenger said that it is a process called "active self-acceptance through a constant search for self-knowledge
through life".
"The fear of insignificance can only be overcome through strong individual and cultural identity over and
above measurable achievement," he said.
1. Nowadays, young people in Britain want to _____.
A choose jobs based on interests
B. become famous
C. be teacher, banker and doctor
D. earn more money
2. According to Emma Brockes, what causes the increasing level of anxiety?
A. Choices of future careers.
B. Access to the global network.
C. Bad influences of celebrities.
D. Endless comparison with others.
3. Which of the following is true of Dr Carlo Strenger?
A. He is a newspaper reporter.
B. He is the spokesman of teenagers.
C. He tells success stories on TV.
D. He is against ranking people with wealth
4. Dr Carlo Strenger suggests that young people should _____.
A. seek active self-acceptance
B. stick to their own dreams
C. make great achievements
D. search for the secret of wealth
5. The text is mainly written to _____.
A talk about job choices
B. analyse a social phenomenon
C. encourage celebrity culture
D. introduce three famous people
