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(完成的,实现的)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. 1.

   What is main idea of this passage?

   1. A.
      Advertisement.   
   2. B.
      The benefits of advertisement.
   3. C.
      Advertisers perform a useful service to communities.   
   4. D.
      The costs of advertisement.
2. 2.

   The attitude of the author toward advertisers is

   1. A.
      appreciative.   
   2. B.
      trustworthy.   
   3. C.
      critical.    
   4. D.
      dissatisfactory.
3. 3.

   Why do the critics criticize advertisers?

   1. A.
      Because advertisers often brag. 
   2. B.
      Because critics think advertisement is a “waste of money”.
   3. C.
      Because customers are encouraged to buy more than necessary. 
   4. D.
      Because customers pay more.
4. 4.

   Which of the following is Not True?

   1. A.
      Advertisement makes contribution to our pockets and we may know everything.
   2. B.
      We can buy what we want.
   3. C.
      Good quality products don’t need to be advertised.
   4. D.
      Advertisement makes our life colorful.
5. 5.

   The passage is_______________

   1. A.
      Narration.    
   2. B.
        Description.
   3. C.
      Criticism.    
   4. D.
        Argumentation.

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(完成的,实现的)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.

四．阅读理解（每题4分，共20分）
British newspapers are among the oldest and most famous in the world. But recently big changes have seen these traditional publications try to fit the modern world. After 221 years, The Times (《泰晤士报》) has changed its size to become much smaller. In fact, the paper has cut its size in half from a broadsheet to tabloid.
In Britain the newspaper market is divided between the larger broadsheets and the smaller tabloids. These terms refer to the size of the papers’ pages, but there is also a clear difference in content. Broadsheets such as the Times, the Guardian (《卫报》) and Daily Telegraph (《每日电讯报》) are serious papers. They cover a broad range of political, economic and international issues. Their stories are also reasonably long and use quite formal language.
Tabloids have far more stories about less serious issues such as celebrities’（名人） love lives. Their stories are shorter and use more simple language. Tabloids often have bigger pictures. Britain’s best-selling newspaper, the Sun, is a tabloid and has a naked (裸体的) girl on page three every day.
By changing to the size of a tabloid, the Times is following in the footsteps of a less famous broadsheet paper the Independent (《独立报》). It changed to tabloid last year and saw its sales increase greatly. Although both papers have switched to the smaller size, the content of the papers has remained the same. They are both still serious papers.
The two papers claim that people find the smaller size easier to handle when they travel to work on the bus or the train in the morning. Instead of calling the new style of their paper tabloid, the paper says its new size is “compact” (紧凑型).
1. In which year was The Times born?
A. 1782            B. 1785             C. 1788                   D. 1786
2. Which is the most correct statement?
A. Broadsheets are larger in size while tabloids are smaller.
B. Tabloids are less serious than broadsheets.
C. Broadsheets contain more news than tabloids.
D. They are different in size, content and the style of language.
3. In which of the following newspapers would you find more news about the personal life of the famous soccer star Beckham?
A. The Sun  B. The Times       C. The Independent       D. The Guardian
4. According to the passage, we can infer the main reason for The Times' changing into the tabloid is that_____.
A. it wants to become convenient for people to carry.
B. it wants to increase its circulation (发行量).
C. it intends to copy what The Independent has done.
D. it is unlikely to stay in business if it does not change.
5. Which of the following statements is true according to the given information?
A. There are more tabloids than broadsheets in Britain at present.
B. After the change, there will be no differences between The Sun and The Times.
C. Although The Times has cut its size, it remains a serious paper.
D. All the papers will tend to have the same style in the future.

         British newspapers are among the oldest and most famous in the world. But recently big changes have seen these traditional publications try to fit the modern world. After 221 years, The Times (《泰晤士报》) has changed its size to become much smaller. In fact, the paper has cut its size in half from a broadsheet to tabloid.

         In Britain the newspaper market is divided between the larger broadsheets and the smaller tabloids. These terms refer to the size of the papers’ pages, but there is also a clear difference in content. Broadsheets such as the Times, the Guardian (《卫报》) and Daily Telegraph (《每日电讯报》) are serious papers. They cover a broad range of political, economic and international issues. Their stories are also reasonably long and use quite formal language.

         Tabloids have far more stories about less serious issues such as celebrities’（名人） love lives. Their stories are shorter and use more simple language. Tabloids often have bigger pictures. Britain’s best-selling newspaper, the Sun, is a tabloid and has a naked (裸体的) girl on page three every day.

         By changing to the size of a tabloid, the Times is following in the footsteps of a less famous broadsheet paper the Independent (《独立报》). It changed to tabloid last year and saw its sales increase greatly. Although both papers have switched to the smaller size, the content of the papers has remained the same. They are both still serious papers.

         The two papers claim that people find the smaller size easier to handle when they travel to work on the bus or the train in the morning. Instead of calling the new style of their paper tabloid, the paper says its new size is “compact” (紧凑型).

41. In which year was The Times born?

A. 1782                B. 1785                C. 1788                          D. 1786

42. Which is the most correct statement?

A. Broadsheets are larger in size while tabloids are smaller.

B. Tabloids are less serious than broadsheets.

C. Broadsheets contain more news than tabloids.

D. They are different in size, content and the style of language.

43. In which of the following newspapers would you find more news about the personal life of the famous soccer star Beckham?

A. The Sun      B. The Times          C. The Independent        D. The Guardian

44. According to the passage, we can infer the main reason for The Times' changing into the tabloid is that_____.

A. it wants to become convenient for people to carry.

B. it wants to increase its circulation (发行量).

C. it intends to copy what The Independent has done.

D. it is unlikely to stay in business if it does not change.

45. Which of the following statements is true according to the given information?

A. There are more tabloids than broadsheets in Britain at present.

B. After the change, there will be no differences between The Sun and The Times.

C. Although The Times has cut its size, it remains a serious paper.

D. All the papers will tend to have the same style in the future.