Less than a few weeks ago Susan Boyle was a virtual unknown. However since auditioning for Britain鈥檚 got Talent, a televised talent competition, she has experienced a stratospheric rise to fame.

A YouTube video of her audition has been watched by more than 26 million people, making it one of the most watched videos on the internet in recent times. It is undeniable that technology such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter has helped spread the word about Susan鈥檚 performance.

So just what is it about Susan that the people find so fascinating? Arguably, it is the fact she is such a class act. However, many have suggested that her biggest appeal lies in her unassuming persona.

Susan鈥檚 persona and appearance have been somewhat controversial and the initialreaction to her audition has made many people question whether they are guilty of judging a book by its cover. With her plain Jane, middle-aged looks and her no-nonsense approach to life, Susan is perhaps the most unlikely star to be discovered of late.

Commenting on her rise to fame, Max Clifford, a renowned PR guru said that the massive public interest in her is partly due to people having to challenge their own assumptions and prejudices.

Talking about her audition, Susan said "I expected people to be a wee bit cynical." However, she must have been pleased as punch when she heard the deafening applause and saw the audience鈥檚 standing ovation.

So what鈥檚 next for Susan? For the moment, she is preparing for her next appearance on Britain鈥檚 got Talent and she is the odds-on-favourite to win.

Looking forward, with talk of record contracts and celebrity duets, it is very likely that we鈥檒l soon be seeing a Susan Boyle album in the charts.

• talent [´tælənt]   n.天才；才干；天资   (初中英语单词)
• competition [,kɔmpi´tiʃən]   n.比赛；竞争   (初中英语单词)
• performance [pə´fɔ:məns]   n.履行；行为；工作   (初中英语单词)
• fascinating [´fæsineitiŋ]   a.迷人，使神魂颠倒的   (初中英语单词)
• reaction [ri´ækʃən]   n.反应(力)   (初中英语单词)
• guilty [´gilti]   a.有罪的；心虚的   (初中英语单词)
• partly [´pɑ:tli]   ad.部分地；不完全地   (初中英语单词)
• challenge [´tʃælindʒ]   n.&vt.向....挑战；怀疑   (初中英语单词)
• standing [´stændiŋ]   n.持续 a.直立的   (初中英语单词)
• appeal [ə´pi:l]   vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉   (高中英语单词)
• initial [i´niʃəl]   a.最初的 n.首字母   (高中英语单词)
• renowned [ri´naund]   a.有名的，有声望的   (高中英语单词)
• massive [´mæsiv]   a.厚实的；魁伟的   (高中英语单词)
• applause [ə´plɔ:z]   n.鼓掌；欢呼；称赞   (高中英语单词)
• seeing [si:iŋ]   see的现在分词 n.视觉   (高中英语单词)
• experienced [ik´spiəriənst]   a.有经验的；熟练的   (英语四级单词)
• twitter [´twitə]   vi.(鸟)吱吱叫 n.鸟鸣   (英语六级单词)
• middle-aged [´midl´eidʒid]   a.中年的   (英语六级单词)
• unlikely [ʌn´laikli]   a.不像的；未必可能的   (英语六级单词)
• celebrity [si´lebriti]   n.名声；名人   (英语六级单词)