Advertising actually has a dual(双重的)function：to sell，as well as to inform．If you stop to think of it，advertisements(ads)provide information of almost everything in our household and immediate environment，from shampoo to fuel for cars．An obvious purpose is to inform consumers of new products and services as well as to remind them of established ones．Performance，price，value for money，quality and reliability are some of the main features mentioned in ads．

    Yet there is another important side of advertising that should not be forgotten：choice．A number of ads for different brands of the same product，e．g．toothpaste，shampoo or washing powder allow the consumer to choose．Choice is an important part of buying．

    In this busy day and age，there is little time for comparison shopping．To determine which product is the best to buy，and at the most competitive price，consumers these days rely on advertising in its various forms．This saves time and energy and makes shopping easier．

    Few can deny that ads benefit the consumer since they encourage healthy competition．When companies compete for the consumer’s dollar，this is good for the purchaser of the product or service．Advertising tends to increase competition since it informs consumers of what is available．One company’s offer will be either matched or bettered by another company in its advertising．

    It was unheard of ten years ago to buy products directly using a personal computer，but it has become a matter of course for some people to browse(浏览)the Internet，surf  until they find an e commerce site and then select the product．Marketing products has been almost turned upside down by new ways of selling and buying．More than at any time in history，the choice of goods is unlimited．The whole world is a customer’s marketplace．For busy people like you and me，advertisements actually do us a favor．

41．What the writer of this passage wants to tell us most is that―――――――――．

    A．advertisements benefit busy people in many ways

    B  advertisements encourage more business competitions

    C  advertisements provide main features of new products

    D  selling and informing are two functions of advertising

 42．Which is least discussed in the passage as, one of the important sides of advertising?

   A．To inform consumers of new products and services．

    B  To provide consumers with chances to choose．

    C  To increase healthy competition of companies．

    D  To change the way of selling and buying．

 43．The “comparison shopping” refers to the behavior of        ．

    A．comparing and buying a product at the lowest price

    B．comparing and deciding which is the best to buy

    C．relying on advertising and simplifying shopping

    D．buying a product at the least competitive price

 44．Healthy competition benefits consumers because―――――――――．

    A  it helps companies to compete for the market

    B．it gets companies to improve their services

    C．it provides them with the best products and services

    D．it gives them many chances to choose their products

Everyone needs friends. There is an old saying, “Friends are God’s way of taking care of us.” But how do you find real friendship and keep it?
The American writer Sally Seamans tells young students some smart ways to find friends. Sally says finding friendship is just like planting a tree. You plant the seed and take care of it to make it grow.
First, you should choose a friend. What makes a good friend? It is not because a person has money or good looks. A good friend should be kind and patient. For example, if you have a bad day, a good friend should listen to your complaints and do his or her best to help. To make a friend, you cannot be too shy. You should make each other happy and share your lives.
But things cannot always he happy. Even the best friends have fights. What should you do when you have a fight with your friend? You have to talk to him or her. When there is no one around, have an honest talk. If he or she doesn’t want to talk, you could write a letter.
There are three steps to being friends again:
Tell him or her how you are feeling; say what your friend has done wrong, and explain why you did this or that. Remember that friendship is the most important thing in your life.
【小题1】Sally wants to tell students the ways to ____.

When I was learning calligraphy (书法), my teacher told me a story.
A calligrapher taught handwriting. One of his students who often practiced handwriting with old sheets of newspaper complained that he made very little progress though he had learned it with the calligrapher for a long time. His teacher said to him, “Try to use the best paper. Maybe you'll write better.”
The student did as he was told. It really worked. He made headway not long afterwards and felt curious. He asked his teacher about the reason. The calligrapher answered，“When you used old newspaper to practice handwriting, you would think you were writing a draft. It didn't matter if you wrote badly as old newspaper was plenty in supply. In that case you wouldn't pay much attention to it. Now you use the best paper and you'll treasure it. Each time you write you feel strongly about the rarity of chances and you'll devote to it with all your heart and soul; you'll do the handwriting much more attentively than practicing. Of course you've made rapid progress.”
Indeed, we spend our ordinary days just as they are worthless “old newspaper”．We don't care if we scrawl and waste it, thinking that it will come endlessly—the “old newspaper” is inexhaustible. In such a mood we may each day pass by opportunities but fail to catch any of them.
Life is not a military exercise but an actual war in which real weapons are used. In everyday life there's no chance for us to draft. That's because what we call “draft” actually is the answer sheet we write that cannot be changed.
Every day of our life is something new. Let us take every day as a sheet of the best paper.
【小题1】The calligrapher in the story told the student to write on the best paper because he thought ________.