Question

Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why they’re always coming in for criticism. Their critics seem to resent them because they have a flair for self-promotion and because they have so much money to throw around. ‘It’s iniquitous,’ they say, ‘that this entirely unproductive industry (if we can call it that) should absorb millions of pounds each year. It only goes to show how much profit the big companies are making. Why don’t they stop advertising and reduce the price of their goods? After all, it’s the consumer who pays…’

The poor old consumer! He’d have to pay a great deal more if advertising didn’t create mass markets for products. It is precisely because of the heavy advertising that consumer goods are so cheap. But we get the wrong idea if we think the only purpose of advertising is to sell goods. Another equally important function is to inform. A great deal of the knowledge we have about household goods derives largely from the advertisements we read. Advertisements introduce us to new products or remind us of the existence of ones we already know about. Supposing you wanted to buy a washing machine, it is more than likely you would obtain details regarding performance, price, etc., from an advertisement.

Lots of people pretend that they never read advertisements, but this claim may be seriously doubted. It is hardly possible not to read advertisements these days. And what fun they often are, too! Just think what a railway station or a newspaper would be like without advertisements. Would you enjoy gazing at a blank wall or reading railway byelaws while waiting for a train? Would you like to read only closely printed columns of news in your daily paper? A cheerful, witty advertisement makes such a difference to a drab wall or a newspaper full of the daily ration of calamities.

We must not forget, either, that advertising makes a positive contribution to our pockets. Newspapers, commercial radio and television companies could not subsist without this source of revenue. The fact that we pay so little for our daily paper, or can enjoy so many broadcast programmes is due entirely to the money spent by advertisers. Just think what a newspaper would cost if we had to pay its full price!

Another thing we mustn’t forget is the ‘small ads.’ which are in virtually every newspaper and magazine.  What a tremendously useful service they perform for the community! Just about anything can be accomplished through these columns. For instance, you can find a job, buy or sell a house, announce a birth, marriage or death in what used to be called the ‘hatch, match and dispatch’ column but by far the most fascinating section is the personal or ‘agony’ column. No other item in a newspaper provides such entertaining reading or offers such a deep insight into human nature. It’s the best advertisement for advertising there is!

 

1.What is main idea of this passage?

A.  Advertisement.  

B.  The benefits of advertisement.

C.  Advertisers perform a useful service to communities.

D.  The costs of advertisement.

2.The attitude of the author toward advertisers is

A.  appreciative.

B.  trustworthy.

C.  critical.

D.  dissatisfactory.

3.Why do the critics criticize advertisers?

A.  Because advertisers often brag.

B.  Because critics think advertisement is a “waste of money”.

C.  Because customers are encouraged to buy more than necessary.

D.  Because customers pay more.

4.Which of the following is Not True?

A.  Advertisement makes contribution to our pockets and we may know everything.

B.  We can buy what we want.

C.  Good quality products don’t need to be advertised.

D.  Advertisement makes our life colorful.

5.The passage is

A.  Narration.

B.  Description.

C.  Criticism.

D.  Argumentation.

 

 

Vocabulary

come in for ( sth. )      是某事物的對象，吸引（某事物），獲得

flair            天資，天分

iniquitous            極邪惡的，極不公正的

drab            單調的，乏味的

subsist            活下去，生存下去，維持下去

hatch            孵化（指生孩子）

match            匹配，婚姻

dispatch            派遣，發送

agony            極大痛苦，煎熬

agony column      （報刊中關于個人疑難問題征詢意見的）讀者來信專欄

 

Answer 1

1.C

2.A

3.A

4.C

5.C

【解析】

難句譯注

Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why they’re always coming in for criticism.

【參考譯文】廣告商總是雄心勃勃（想得很大），也許這就是為什么他們老挨批評。

Their critics seem to resent them because they have a flair for self-promotion.

【參考譯文】他們的批評者似乎對他們很氣憤，因為他們在自我抬高/標榜上很有天分。

No other item in a newspaper provides such entertaining reading or offer such deep insight into human nature.

【參考譯文】報紙任何其他欄目都難以提供如此有趣的文章，或提供對人性的內涵如此深刻的洞察。

It’s the best advertisement for advertising there is.

【參考譯文】這是廣告中最佳的廣告。

寫作方法與文章大意

  文章以因果、對比的手法寫出有沒有廣告的后果及廣告的真正作用。文章首先指出廣告商遭批評的原因：廣告商夸大和人們認為廣告浪費錢財、商品價格就搞；然后作者以有無廣告的后果突出其功能，沒有廣告，商品價更高，生活單調、乏味。有了廣告，商品價低，生活豐富多彩，人們獲取各種信息。

1.C. 廣告對社會的服務很有用。作者從三方面來敘述廣告作用：第二段點出如果廣告不為產品開辟廣大的市場，我們就得付出很多錢，正是因為大量的廣告費用，消費者的商品才會那么便宜。廣告除銷售商品外，其重要的功能在通知/告訴信息，有關家用商品的許多只是來自廣告，還有新產品的介紹。

第三段講了美化環境功能。如果火車站的墻上和報上沒有廣告，那會怎么樣。一幅悅人心目，機智的廣告將改變一切。

第四段講了它為我們省錢：別忘了廣告對我們口袋作出積極的貢獻。報紙、電臺、電視臺公司沒有這筆收入很難生存。我們的報紙，我們付給很少，或者說，我們能享受那么多的節目完全是因為廣告商花的錢。如果要我們付報紙的全價，那我們要花多少錢！

最后一段講了各種專欄的功能。人們可以在這些欄目找工作、買賣房子、宣布婚喪嫁娶信息。這些都圍著一個中心：廣告對社會服務的有用性。

2.A. 廣告。太籠統。B. 廣告之優點。文章不是講優點，而是講服務于社會的功能。D. 廣告費用。

3.A. 欣賞/贊賞。從上述注釋也可推知是A項。最重要的，作者提出種種功能，是為了反駁第一段內提到的論點：完全是非生產企業每年吸收幾百萬鎊，這說明這些大公司利潤有多高。最重要的是消費者付的廣告費等。反駁更說明了A項對。

B. 值得信任。 C. 批評。 D. 不滿意。

A. 因為廣告商常常愛吹，。見難句譯注1.。

B. 因為批評者認為廣告浪費錢。 C. 因為廣告促使消費者購買不必要的東西。 D. 因為消費者支付更多。

4.C. 優質產品不需要廣告。一切產品都需要廣告，新產品、老產品都需要。

A. 廣告對我們的口袋作出貢獻。 B. 我們可以買到我們所需的。 D. 廣告使我們生活豐富多彩。這三條都提到也是真實的。

5.C. 文章一開始就提到對廣告的批評，然后作者以對比的手法說明其功能。

A. 敘事。B. 描寫。 D. 議論。