By definition, heroes and heroines are men and women distinguished by uncommon courage, achievements, and self-sacrifice made most for the benefits of others-they are people against whom we measure others. They are men and women recognized for shaping our nation’s consciousness and development as well as the lives of those who admire them. Yet, some people say that ours is an age where true heroes and heroines are hard to come by, where the very idea of heroism is something beyond us – an artifact of the past. Some maintain, that because the Cold War is over and because America is at peace, our age is essentially an unheroic one. Furthermore, the overall crime rate is down, poverty has been eased by a strong and growing economy, and advances continue to be made in medical science.
Cultural icons are hard to define, but we know them when we see them. They are people who manage to go beyond celebrity（明星）, who are legendary, who somehow manage to become mythic. But what makes some figures icons and others mere celebrities? That’s hard to answer. In part, their lives have the quality of a story to tell. For instance, the beautiful young Diana Spencer who at 19 married a prince, renounced marriage and the throne, and died at the moment she found true love. Good looks certainly help. So does a special indefinable charm, with the help of the media. But nothing confirms an icon more than a tragic death – such as Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Princess Diana.
2. The passage mainly deals with _______.

A.life and death

B.heroes and heroines

C.heroes and icons

D.icons and celebrities