BBC随身英语:Lost in the Post 给偶像写信

Some celebrities don't want letters. In 2008, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr didn't mince his words when he announced he would throw them out because he was too busy.

Others do attempt to get through it themselves. Robert Pattinson, star of the Twilight films, claims that he reads "tonnes and tonnes" of letters from fans.

Many artists, however, outsource the task of opening, reading and replying. Sylvia "Spanky" Taylor, 58, has run a service in California that does just that since 1987. She and her staff deal with up to 20,000 items of mail a month on behalf of 26 celebrities.

Most letters are simply declarations of affection and admiration, she says. A few ask for money. A small number contain threats which require her to contact the celebrity's security team and law enforcement.

The biggest problem for Taylor is working out how to dispose of the correspondence. Presents such as soft toys are sent to local hospitals, and the letters: most of them "just get shredded and recycled".

Typically, correspondence is acknowledged by a photo with a printed "autograph". For some, this is enough, according to Lynn Zubernis, an expert at West Chester University. She says that the relationship between fan and celebrity may exist only in the mind of the former but it comes from a deeply-rooted human need for community.

Quiz 测验 1. Who read the letters to singer Taylor Swift that were found in a bin?

Nobody. The letters were unopened.

2. Who told fans not to send any letters?

The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr.

3. Is this statement true or false? Sylvia 'Spanky' Taylor tells the police if fans are threatening her celebrity clients.

True.

4. Which expression means a person who is well-known by his/her own choice?

Public figure.

5. Which word is used to refer to a lot of letters, placed one on top of the other?

Pile.

Glossary 词汇表 to pen书写 a recycling bin一个回收垃圾箱 fan mail歌迷、影迷来信 a pile一堆 a burden负担 a public figure公众人物 the digital age数字时代 to message给（某人）发消息 to address to写信给（某人） not to mince words直截了当地说，坦率地说 to get through做完，完成 to outsource外包 a declaration of affection爱的宣言 to dispose of将（某物）处理掉 correspondence信件 a soft toy绒毛玩具 to shred用碎纸机切成碎片 to recycle回收 an autograph亲笔签名 deeply-rooted根深蒂固的