Celebrity Education
Before you read/listen
Have you heard about celebrities gaining entry into universities when they didn't quality?
What is your opinion about this subject?
Every year around admissions time universities in Korea grease up to celebrities to get them to enroll in their institutions. And every year this causes annoyance amongst ordinary citizens who feel universities are pandering to these celebrities for no other reasons than to raise brand awareness of their university.
In addition even some top universities, which normally admit students based more on merit, will offer places to celebrities. This causes some resentment amongst other bona fide students who have to struggle with busy timetables whilst the celebrities don't even show up on campus. Even more outrage is caused when these celebrities, who don't show up to class, graduate for no other reason than that they are adverts for the school.
People complain that they don't know any other country that does this and that even in the USA sports stars still have to pass exams. People ask themselves, is it really fair, and whilst it might advertise a university, does it really set a good example or get any respect from ordinary people or students towards these celebrities?
Guessing meaning from context
Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. The answers are below the table.
|
grease up to |
A |
1 |
receive something because of hard work or because you deserve or earned it |
|
pandering |
B |
2 |
genuine, real |
|
raise brand awareness |
C |
3 |
try to get favors from someone by doing something that really pleases them but in a non-genuine way. |
|
merit |
D |
4 |
doing things like advertising to make people know more about your product or service. |
|
resentment |
E |
5 |
to appear |
|
bona fide |
F |
6 |
a lot of anger. Upset |
|
show up |
G |
7 |
have bad feeling towards someone or something |
|
outrage |
H |
8 |
do something good that others can follow and they can see how to do by following |
|
set a good example |
I |
9 |
doing what someone wants you to do just so you can make them happy |
answers below
A=3, B=9, C=4, D=1, E=7, F=2, G=5, H=6, I=8
Some example sentences using the new words to help you to better understand their meaning.
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He greased up to his teacher to get what he wanted. |
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Companies that pander to customers' needs tend to get a lot of extra business. |
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In the beginning Hyundai spent a lot of money to raise brand awareness of its car brand and by giving an extended warranty was able to give its brand merit. |
|
|
|
He was a great soccer player and believed that he had set a good example by how he played, so he felt resentful when he learned that another player who continually didn't show up to practice sessions was selected instead of him. |
|
A bona fide Prada bag costs many times more than an imitation one. |
|
|
|
They employees were outraged when they heard that they would not receive a pay rise this year. |
Some discussion questions using the new words to help you better understand the word meaning and how to use them correctly. Try to use the words in your answer.
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Have you ever greased up to your boss to get something? How or why? |
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Describe how you would pander to someone's needs to get what you want. |
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Do you agree with how universities are trying to create brand awareness of themselves? |
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If celebrities are so busy then how can they finish a university education based on their own effort and get accepted based upon their own merit? |
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Do you feel some resentment towards celebrities for being able to get a university education without even showing up to classes? |
|
In your opinion, how could celebrities get a bona fide degree? |
|
|
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Do you feel that the public outrage towards what universities is fair? Why or why not? Do you feel that celebrities/universities are setting a good or bad example? Why or why not? |
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ECK Education
