As a result，when we no long have national heroes to admire and worship，we have become crazy about cultural icons…因此，缺少了民族英雄，我们就迷上了通俗文化偶像。

　　Consequently：As a result因此，于是

　　bereft of：失去；缺少bereft（bereave的过去式、过去分词）

　　The boy is bereft of hope.这孩子失去了希望。

　　latch onto/on to sb./sth.：（informal） to become very interested in sb./sth.，often finding them so useful that we don't want to let them go

　　对某人或某事产生极大的兴趣，往往不愿意放弃（这里作者的意思是：人们开始迷上了文化偶像之后，就一发不可收拾，对他们的崇拜愈来愈狂热。）

　　9.… who are simply famous for being famous.

　　…who are well-known just because they are frequently seen in public，so that a lot of people know them or know about them （not because they possess unusually fine qualities or because they have made great contributions to society）。仅仅因为有名而成名的人。

　　be famous for：be known for

　　10.They are people who manage to transcend celebrity，who are legendary，who somehow manage to become mythic.——Cultural icons make themselves more famous than celebrities；they inspire great admiration；and to a certain degree，they become important people.他们超越了名流，成为传奇式人物，甚至在某种程度上已是神话式的人物。

　　注意：此句此句用三个由Who引导出的并列的定语从句来修饰 people，界定“文化偶像”的三个特点：比名流名气更大，受到崇拜，成为重要人物。

　　11.In part，their lives have the quality of a story.——Part of the reason is that their lives are unusual，full of ups and downs like people in legends or myths.部分的原因是由于他们的生平带有传奇故事的色彩。

　　In part：partly；to a certain extent 在一定程度上，部分地

　　He failed in the exams in part because he was careless.他没通过考试在一定程度上是由于他粗心。

　　12.Good looks certainly help.漂亮的长相当然有用。

　　Attractive appearance is surely very useful in the making of an icon.

　　help：to improve a situation or to make sth.happen起作用

　　Wisdom，not strength helps in the matter.　在这方面智慧起作用，力量无济无事。

　　To be young and single definitely help when you're looking for a job　　年轻又单身在找工作时是有得的条件。

　　Material incentives alone won't help（to） increase production.　光凭物质刺激无助于提高生产。

　　13.So does a special indefinable charisma，with the help of the media.——

　　A particular great charm that is hard to define also proves useful.The media help to impress people with it.在媒体的抄作下某种难以描述的、特殊的个人魅力也起作用。

　　这是个倒装句，A special indefinable charisma 是主语，does 是谓语，代表helps，介词短语 with the help of the media作状语。

　　14.But nothing becomes an icon more than a tragic and early death然而悲剧性地过早离开这个世界，却是造成偶像最重要的因素。

　　become：适合；与——相称

　　Purple