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Empress Of Pop
At 23, Ayumi Hamasaki, Ayu to fans, is the most powerful figure in Japanese pop music. She has sold more records than any other musical act for two years running in the world's second largest music market. Her frequent makeovers1 determine the course of fashion. Her huge black eyes peer2 out from billboards in every corner of the country.
Fans memorize her lyrics, transform into Ayu clones and swear she's changed their lives.
Despite her childlike persona, you can't help but sense Hamasaki was never truly a child. Born in Fukuoka on the southern island of Kyushu, she was just a toddler when her father walked out. Raised by a single mother and a grandmother, she began modeling locally at seven, in part to earn money for the family. It was an unusual and lonely childhood in this country of steadfastly nuclear families, but Hamasaki says she wasn't aware of what she was missing.
Hamasaki began to pursue an acting and modeling career. Old magazine spreads feature the sweetly smiling young starlet clad in bathing suits or prim outfits that would never make it to her own wardrobe. After bit parts in five low-budget movies and handful of TV dramas, she tired of acting and, with her tiny frame, did not have a future in modeling.
Then a friend invited her out for karaoke that forever changed her life. The friend had also invited Masato Matsuura, who introduced himself to Hamasaki as a producer. Hamasaki recalls, laughing,"When, he asked if I wanted to pursue a singing career, I said, ‘No way.'he was this older guy, and I thought the whole thing sounded fishy. "Over the following year, though, Matsuura persisted. Finally she relented to his request that she at least attended vocal training, only because"I had nothing better to do . "But classes were dull and the teachers harsh.
Finally, she confessed3 to Matsuura that she'd skipped most of the classes. But instead of writing her off, he proposed sending her to New York for some real training. She stayed in New York for three months. Then suggested by Matsuura she tried her hands on writing songs."No one had ever asked anything of me before, or expected anything of me, "she says of Matsuura,"He's the one who found me and drew me out. "
練習題：
Ⅰ. Complete the following sentences with the words: give stare glancing glare peering skip confess fritter
1. She is often caught at people or objects at a distance when she is not wearing her glasses.
2. The hearings are conducted under the full of publicity.
3. down the list of name, she was pleased when saw his name heading the list.
4. She has an insuperable habit to at the abnormal in the street.
Ⅱ. Questions:
1. Where is Ayu’s hometown?
2. When did she begin her modeling career? Why?
3. Why couldn’t she see her future in her modeling career?
