Passage three(Advertisers Perform a Useful Service to the Community)

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.

    Growing up in Philadelphia, Lieberman started cooking with his stay-at-home dad when he was seven. His food-loving family had two kitchens, and he quickly learned what was the best way to bake his cakes. Lieberman improved his kitchen skills greatly during a year abroad before college, learning from a cook in Italy and studying local specialties(地方特色菜) in Germany, Spain and France. At Yale, he was known for throwing dinner parties, single-handedly frying and baking while mixing drinks for dozens of friends. Just for fun, he and some friends decided to tape a show named Campus Cuisine about his cooking. Lieberman was a real college student showing his classmates how to do things like make drinks out of dining-hall fruit. That helped the show become very popular among the students. They would stop Lieberman after classes to ask for his advice on cooking. Tapes of the show were passed around, with which his name went beyond the school and finally to the Food Network.

    Food Network producer Flay hopes the young cook will find a place on the network television. He says Lieberman’s charisma is key. “Food TV isn’t about food anymore,” says Flay “Its about your personality (个性) and finding a way to keep people’s eyeballs on your show.”

    But Lieberman isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket. After taping the first season of the new how, Lieberman was back in his won small kitchen preparing sandwiches. An airline company (航空公司)was looking for some one to come up with a tasteful, inexpensive and easy-to-make menu to serve on its flights, Lieberman got the job.

41. We can learn from the text that Lieberman’s family__________.

A. have relatives in Europe                                          B. love cooking at home

C. often hold parties                                               D. own a restaurant

42. The Food Network got to know Lieberman  _______.

A. at one of his parties                                            B. from his teachers

C. through his taped show                                       D. on a television program

43. What does the word “charisma” underlined in the text refer to?

A. A natural ability to attract others.                         B. A way to show one’s achievement.

C. Lieberman’s after-class interest.                           D. Lieberman’s fine cooking skill.

44. Why did the airline company give Lieberman the job?

A. He could prepare meals in a small kitchen.     B. He was famous for his shows on Food TV.

C. He was good at using eggs to make sandwiches.

D. He could cook cheap, delicious and simple meals.

45. What can we learn about Lieberman from the text?.

A. He is clever but lonely.                                           B. he is friendly and active.

C. He enjoys traveling around.                                 D. He often changes his menus.

In the past ten years, America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) has grown increasingly dependent on the rest of the world to supply players.

    When Michael Jordan and Larry Bird won gold in Barcelona in 1992, the Americans were praised for teaching the world how to play basketball. This season, however, 20 percent of NBA rosters^① will be filled by non-Americans. NBA commissioner David Stem happily embraces the trend. On a visit to Paris in October, Stern outlined his vision for the future, which is likely to see Europe hosting NBA games by 2010.

    The NBA is now planning to take China by storm.

    “Our experience in China has been that it is going to be explosive in its growth,” said Stern. The strategy^② in China is television. “We’ve made 14 deals in China with local and national networks on cable and satellite.” The success of Chinese centre Yao Ming has paved the way for the NBA marketing blitz in China. The NBA, which is broadcasted in more than 200 countries in 42 languages, will put that to the test in October 2004 when the Houston Rockets play two pre-season games against the Sacramento Kings in Beijing and Shanghai. The NBA knows that it needs a global market to compensate for tough times on home soil.

“It doesn’t matter where the players come from, all the NBA teams now know that they have to scout^③ internationally,” said Terry Lyons, the NBA’s vice-president of international public relations. “It has increased the level of competition here.” As Frenchman Tony Parker and Argentine Emanuel Ginobili showed in winning championship rings with the San Antonio Spurs last season, many people can earn the respect of their American peers. Others, such as the Houston Rockets’ Chinese centre Yao Ming — number one draft pick in 2002 — and the Detroit Pistons’ 18-year-old Serb Darko Milicic — number two overall in this year’s draft — are icons^④in-waiting. It is the ultimate^⑤ revolution — the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball.

Notes:

roster  n. 花名册

strategy  n. 战略，策略

scout  vt. 寻找，觅得

icon  n. 偶像

ultimate  adj. 最后的，根本的

Choose the best answers according to the above:

According to the report,       ___.

A. Michael Jordan is still playing a very important role in NBA

B. the part played by the foreign players in NBA will be great

C. Yao Ming is to play two pre-season games in NBA

D. European countries will host the 2004 NBA games

The underlined phrase “take China by storm” has the meaning of       ___.

A. NBA intends to make China its “marketing center”

B. NBA is planning to set up some training centers in China

C. there’ll be a big storm when NBA comes to China to play against the Sacramento Kings

D. the NBA’s live basket games will be broadcasted on all the TVs in China

. What seems to be the biggest change that is happening to NBA?

A. NBA is expecting more foreign players to join the league.

B. China’s rapid development in sports affects NBA.

C. Yao Ming has taken the place of Michael Jordan.

D. The NBA will stop teaching the world how to play basketball.

When the writer talked of “home soil”, he was referring to        __.

A. farms in the States             B. native Americans 

C. the NBA training center         D. the USA

Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?

A. The Non-American Basketball Players    B. NBA Is Coming to China

C. The Foreign Ties That Bind the NBA      D. NBA Is Making Big Progress

第三部分 阅读理解 （共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

A

There are two types of people in the world．Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy．This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds．

People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather．They enjoy all the cheerful things．Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things．Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied．By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend（hurt） many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere．If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied．The intention of criticizing（批评） and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation（模仿）．It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors．The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes．I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit．

Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck．Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect．This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments．If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success．Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes．If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings．These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others．If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact（接触） with them．Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels．

56．People who are unhappy _______．

       A．always consider things differently from others

       B．usually are affected by the results of certain things

       C．usually misunderstand what others think or say

       D．always discover the unpleasant side of certain things

57．We can conclude from the passage that _______．

       A．we should pity all such unhappy people

       B．such unhappy people are dangerous to social life

       C．people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness

       D．unhappy people can not understand happy persons

58．If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should ____．

       A．prevent any communication with them

       B．show no respect and politeness to them

       C．persuade them to recognize the bad effects

       D．quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes

59．In this passage, the writer mainly _______．

       A．describes two types of people

       B．laughs at the unhappy people

       C．suggests the unhappy people should get rid of the habits of unhappiness

       D．tells people how to be happy in life　

Which of the following statements is TRUE about the Piccadilly line?

   A. The Piccadilly line is the most convenient one around the world.

   B. Taking the Piccadilly line can save the passengers more money.

   C. The Piccadilly line is the only public transportation to Heathrow.

   D. The flight from Earls Court to Piccadilly Circus takes 39 minutes.

At what time does the first train from Earls Court arrive at Heathrow on Sunday?

   A. 07:49.                B. 06:34.                   C. 07:54.               D. 06:31.

If Mr. Smith wants to take the train with his five-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter at 08:00 on Sunday morning, how much should he pay?

   A. ??5.00.                B. ??6.70    .               C. ??5.20.                   D. ??4.20.

When taking the Piccadilly line, whether to or from Heathrow, one may _________.

   A. expect a train every 5 minutes at the stop            B. get to the first stop no later than 23:30

   C. get a discount once traveling in groups           D. get to the destination within 34 minutes