To adore a passionate fan an admirer to worship

READING

Study these words and make up a small story using them.

Read these articles about two fans, Saf and Ruth. Saf is a fan of George Michael. Ruth is a fan of Barbra Streisand. Put these sentences into the correct places in the texts. There are two extra sentences which you do not need to use.

A I don’t miss a thing.

B Saf spends his life trying to be better than George Michael’s other fans.

C He is so smart.

D He prefers going shopping.

I’m a real fan

Saf Sathi, 25, is known as ‘George’ in the newsagent’s shop he owns in Kent, because of his obsession with the singer George Michael.

(1 _____) He earns 400 pounds a week. Out of these 400 pounds he buys every new Michael CD (at 12 pound each) and copies of George Michael’s suits (at 300 pounds each). His wife, Savita, is expecting a baby in January: he would like to name it ‘Michael’ if it’s a boy.

‘I’ve got all his albums on tape and CD. I know exactly what he is doing. (2 ______) Saf says.

Saf’s obsession started about ten years ago when George Michael was in the pop group Wham! (3 ______) His clothes, his look, the way he is different from the others.’

Saf’s dream is to be George Michael. Already well-known for copying his idol, he is now trying to get work on TV as a George Michael lookalike.

E No one else can sing like her.

F She is going to hear Barbra Streisand sing.

G That made it worth the money.

H Ruth can’t live without her songs.

Next week Ruth Davison will spend 10 per cent of her annual salary. (4 ______) Miss Davison, an office clerk, has bought seats for all four of Barbra Streisand’s concerts in London, at 260 pounds a ticket.

However, that is not as much as she spent on flying to Las Vegas to see Streisand’s $1,000-ticket show three months ago. It is also not as much as she spent on Beverly Hills show that she flew to California for. It was there that Miss Davison, 32, met and spoke to Streisand. ‘I said I’d come all the way from England. She said ‘Oh, good’, and smiled nicely. (5 ______) Most of Streisand’s fans are not rich. Many, like Miss Davison, are prepared to spend all their savings to see one of the last superstars in the world.

‘I can’t think of anything I would rather spend my money on,’ says Miss Davison. ‘I’ve spent thousands and thousands of pounds over the years. Any spare money I’ve got goes on Barbra. (6 ______) It touches you deep inside and makes you want to get to know her. I feel I know her well now. I feel she is an old friend.’

‘I can feel her feelings. I believe she worries a lot and I don’t think she is very confident. But she’s done a lot for women. She has made it possible for women to become film directors. She was one of the very first.’