Question

No one knows for sure when advertising first started. It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them. That led to the concept of specialization, which means that people would specialize, or focus, on doing one specific job.

Let’s take a man we'll call Mr. Fielder, for example. He did everything connected with fanning. He planted seeds, tended the fields» and harvested and sold his crops. At the same lime, he did many other jobs on the farm. However, he didn't make the bricks for his house, cut his trees into boards, make the plows (犁) , or any of the other hundreds of things a farm needs. Instead, he got them from people who specialized in doing each of those things.

Suppose there was another man we shall call Mr. Plowright. Using what he knew about fanning and working with iron, Mr. Plowright invented a plow that made fanning easier. Mr. Plowright did not really like fanning himself and wanted to specialize in making really good plows. Perhaps, he thought, other farmers will trade what they grow far one of my plows.

How did Mr. Plowright let people know what he was doing? Why, he advertised, of course. First he opened a shop and then he put up a sign outside the shop to attract customers. That sign may have been no more than a plow carved into a piece of wood and a simple arrow pointing to the $hop door. It was probably all the information people needed to find Mr, Plowright and his really good plows.

Many historians believe that the first outdoor signs were used about five thousand yean; ago. Even before most people could read, they understood such signs. Shopkeeper« would carve into stone, clay, or wood symbols for the product they had for sale.

A medium, in advertising talk, is the way you communicate your message. You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols. The second medium was audio, or sound, although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today. Originally, just the human voice and maybe some kind of simple instrument, such as a bell, were used to get people's attention.

A crier, in the historical sense, is not someone who weeps easily. It is someone, probably a man, with a voice loud enough to be heard over the other noises of a city. In ancient Egypt, shopkeepers might hire such b person to spread the news about their products. Often this earliest form of advertising involved a newly arrived ship loaded with goods. Perhaps the crier described the goods, explained where they came from, and praised their quality. His job was, in other words, not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today's world.

41. What probably led to the start of advertising?

A. The discovery of iron.                      B. The specialization of labor.

C. The appearance of new jobs.             D. The development of fanning techniques.

42. To advertise his plows, Mr. Plowright ______.

A. praised his plows in public                 R. placed a sign outside the shop

C. hung an arrow pointing to the shop     D. showed hut products to the customers

43. The writer makes up the two stories of Mr. Fielder and Mr. Plowright in order to ______.

A. explain the origin of advertising          B. predict the future of advertising

C. expose problems in advertising           D, provide suggestions for advertising

44. In ancient Egypt, a crier was probably someone who ______.

A. owned a ship

B. had the loudest voice

C. ran a shop selling goods to fanners

D. functioned like today's TV or radio commercial

45. The last two paragraphs are mainly about ______.

A. the history of advertising                   B. the benefits of advertising

C. the early forms of advertising             D. the basic design of advertising

Answer 1

【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文，题材是广告的由来，通过下定义，举例子讲述两个人的故事，来阐明为什么会有广告，怎样去广告。进一步介绍了广告的早期形式。

段落	关键词、句	大意推测
第一部分（Para. 1）	first started ;  grew out of the discovery;  led to;  the concept of specialization;  specialize;  on doing one specific job	定义：没有人知道广告是何时开始的。可能当人们发现一些人做某种工作好过其他人的时候就有了。那便有了“专业化”的概念。
第二部分（Para. 2-3）	take...for example;  Mr. Fielder;  didn’t make the bricks...;  cut ... into ...; make the plows; hundreds of things;  Instead;  got them from...specialized in...; Mr. Plowright; knew about; invented a plow;  wanted to specialize in making really good plows;   trade	举例解释定义：通过Mr. Fielder 和Mr. Plowright的故事，阐述了为什么会有广告的原因。
第三部分（Para.4-5）	How...let people know…?; put up a sign outside the shop;  to attract customers;  no more than…;  carved into…a simple arrow…;  all the information;  to find… his really good plows;  the first outdoor signs;  about five thousand years ago;  understood such signs	怎样广告：通过讲述Mr. Plowright一开始是怎样广告的：在商店外面张贴标牌。很多历史学家相信大约5000年前就有了户外的广告牌。甚至在大多数人不会读的时候，他们就能懂那些的标牌含义。
第四部分（Para. 6-7）	A medium;  signs with symbols;  audio; some kind of simple instrument;  were used to get people’s attention;  A crier;  with a voice loud enough…;  hire such a person…;  to spread the news about…;  this earliest form;  not too different from	广告的早期形式：广告要由有媒介。第一种媒介是标志牌，第二种是有声的媒介。详细介绍了a crier的出现以及发挥着类似于当今世界电视广告或电台广告的作用。

【解析】

41.B。主旨大意题。难度：较难。考查文章首段的主旨大意。根据题干关键词probably led to the start of advertising定位在第一段最后一句：That led to the concept of specialization, which means that people would specialize, or focus, on doing one specific job.需要概括，即劳动分工的专业化。故B. The specialization of labor.为正确答案。

42. B。细节理解题。难度：适中。根据题干关键词 Mr. Plowright 和 To advertise his plows定位在第四段：First he opened a shop and then he put up a sign outside the shop to attract customers. That sign may have been no more than a plow carved into a piece of wood and a simple arrow pointing to the shop door.所以B. placed a sign outside the shop正确。

43. A。推理判断题。难度：较难。这是逻辑结构的推理判断。根据文章的结构脉络，定位在前三段，首段下定义，接下来两段通过两个人物的故事阐明了广告的起源，故选项A. explain the origin of advertising正确。

44.D。细节理解题。难度：较易。根据题干关键词ancient Egypt和a crier，定位在最后一段最后一句His job was, in other words, not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world.说明类似于当今电视广告或电台广告的作用，not too different from没有什么太大的不同，双重否定表肯定，故D. functioned like today’s TV or radio commercial正确。

45. C。主旨大意题。难度：适中。考查文章最后两段的主旨大意。根据倒数第二段的中心句You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols. The second medium was audio, 和最后两段的关键词Originally和 this earliest form of advertising involved ….可以看出，最后两段是围绕广告的早期形式展开的，故C. the early forms of advertising为正确答案。

【难句学习】

1. It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them.

翻译：当人们发现一些人做某种工作要好过其他人的时候，广告可能就随之产生了。

分析：本句的主干是It is possible that…是由that引导的主语从句，第二个that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them.是引导定语从句修饰前面的the discovery。

2. That led to the concept of specialization, which means that people would specialize, or focus, on doing one specific job.

翻译：那便引起了“专业化”。专业化是指人们要专门从事或专注于某种特定的工作。

分析：本句的主干是That led to the concept of specialization, 逗号后面是which引导的非限制性定语从句，定语从句又套了宾语从句that people would specialize, or focus, on doing one specific job.。

3. Using what he knew about farming and working with iron, Mr. Plowright invented a plow that made farming easier.

翻译：普洛赖特先生凭借着对耕作了解和对铁制工具的使用，发明了犁，它能让耕种更容易。

分析：本句的主干是…Mr. Plowright invented a plow…。主句主语Mr. Plowright和 Use之间是主动关系，故用现在分词，Using在这里表示方式状语，后面的what he knew about farming and working with iron 是宾语从句，主句后面that made farming easier.是由that引导的定语从句修饰前面a plow。

4. The second medium was audio, or sound, although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today.

翻译：第二种媒介叫：声音信号，或声音。尽管此术语在我们今天的生活中不这样用。

分析：本句的主干是The second medium was audio…。although引导让步状语从句，状语从句里又套了一个省略that的定语从句we use it today，来修饰the way。

5. His job was, in other words, not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world.

翻译：换句话说，他的工作类似于当今世界电视广告或电台广告。

分析：本句中in other words是插入语，句子主干是His job was not too different from…双重否定表肯定。