Andalusia (Celebrity News) - Updated 2015
Andalusia (Celebrity News) - Updated 2015
Andalusia (Celebrity News) - Updated 2015
1 In her quest to meet the rich and famous, Emma has bribed security guards, worn disguises, and
2 even climbed through windows! But she does not think of herself as a criminal. Im just doing
3 my job. I only get paid for good stories, so I have to take extreme measures if I want to earn a
4 decent income!
5 Emma Worth writes for a famous gossip magazine. She is one of a growing number of
6 journalists who are using their professional skills to hunt and catch the so-called glitterati
7 unawares, each hoping to score an exclusive, and preferably shocking, scoop.
8 Celebrity news is a huge market. Last year, Heat and Closer, the two best-selling UK gossip
9 magazines, sold over a million copies every week, and new celebrity websites and TV
10 programmes pop up every month. Even the traditionally more serious press are turning to
11 celebrities to boost sales. For example, the broadsheet newspaper The Telegraph now has a
12 regular gossip column called The Spy. Many other serious publications ask readers to send in
13 stories about celebrities they have come across.
14 But many people are critical of celebrity gossip hunters like Emma. Some stars complain that
15 they are being denied a fundamental right to privacy, and even that their lives have been ruined
16 by press intrusion. And, according to one highly-regarded news reporter, Our fascination with
17 gossip means that there is less media coverage of more important issues, such as politics and
18 the environment. We need to stop taking this trivia so seriously!
I COMPREHENSION (This section consists of six items combining True/False and/or Multiple
choice questions) (3 points)
CHOOSE AND WRITE THE CORRECT OPTION (A, B, C OR D). (0.5 points each answer)
1) Emma sometimes uses extreme measures because
(a) she is obsessed with celebrities. (b) she wants to get close to celebrities.
(c) she is a criminal. (d) she wants to become rich and famous.
2) Some celebrities criticize gossip hunters because
(a) they dont write about important news. (b) they dont give celebrities any privacy.
(c) they think trivia is serious. (d) they deny reporters any privacy.
ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS
OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT. (0.5 points per answer)
3) Emma worries about breaking the law.
4) Closer is a very popular UK gossip magazine.
5) Broadsheet newspapers are only concerned with serious news, not celebrity news.
6) Not all journalists are in favour of celebrity gossip.
II USE OF ENGLISH (4 points; questions 712, 0.25 points each; 1317, 0.5 points each)
18) WRITE A COMPOSITION OF APPROXIMATELY 120 WORDS ABOUT THE TOPIC PROPOSED.
YOU MUST FOCUS STRICTLY ON IT: What is your opinion of celebrity gossip? Explain your
views.