Question

" Vi-Lasata!I can't believe it--a Vi-Lasata!” —You see some attractive young ladies looking at a sweater in a department store and you listen to their conversation:

“ Vi-Lasata is almost impossible to find. Isn't it beautiful? And it's a lot cheaper than the one Terry bought in Rome."

When they leave, you go over to see this unbelievable sweater. It's nice and the price is right.You've never heard of Vi-Lasata, but those girls looked really stylish. They must know. So, you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Vi-Lasata clothes.

Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating. If the person looks cool, the product seems cool, too. This is the secret of undercover （暗中影响的）marketing. Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it.

Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don't pay attention to traditional advertising. This is particularly true of the “thumb generation” -- consumers between the age of 18 and 34. It is a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't trust ads.

So advertising agencies hire young actors to "perform" in bars and other places where young adults go. Some people might call this practice cheating, but marketing director Jonathan Ressler calls it creativity. "Look at traditional advertising. Its effectiveness is falling."

However, one might ask what exactly is "real" about of young women pretending to be enthusiastic about a sweater? Advertising agent would say it's no less real than an ad. The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something. You don't know when a conversation you overhear is just a performance.

1.Vi-Lasata is __________.

A. a very popular department store

B. the brand name of a sweater

C. a clothing company in Rome

D. an advertising agency

2.The attractive young women were talking so that they could ________.

A. get the sweater at a lower price

B. be heard by people around

C. be admired by other shoppers

D. decide on buying the sweater

3.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. Traditional advertising is becoming less effective as it's too direct.

B. The “ thumb generation” tends to be more easily influenced by ads.

C. The two girls are in fact clerks in the Vi-Lasata Company.

D. Undercover marketing is surely against the law in that country.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Performance in Shops B. Vi-Lasata Sweaters

C. Ways of Advertising D. Undercover Marketing

Answer 1

1.B

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

本文通过一个案例向读者证明过去的广告已经过时，一种新的营销方式出现，它不同于欺骗，正在不知不觉中影响着我们的选择。它就是 undercover marketing.

1. see some attractive young ladies looking at a sweater in a department store 你看到一些时髦的年轻女士盯着商店的一件毛衣。可知Vi-Lasata是毛衣故选B

2. never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Vi-Lasata clothes.你不会意识到这些年轻的女生是广告机构的雇员，他们实际上付费雇佣走到各家商店门前，大声谈论Vi-Lasata衣服。故选B

3. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't trust ads.他们有很多可以花的钱，但是他们不相信广告。可得知传统的广告方式不被信任。故选A

4.

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