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.

Nearly all our food comes from the soil. Some of us eat meat, of course, but animals live on plants. If there were no plants, we would have no animals and no meat. So the soil is very necessary for life. The top of the ground is usually covered with grass or other plants. There may be dead leaves and dead plants on the grass. The waste matter (粪) from animals also falls on it.
All soil needs food. If we do not give it any, the plants will be weak. Farmers found that animals’ waste is the best food for the soil, but chemical fertilizers (化肥) are also very useful. The same crop (庄稼) should not be grown in the same place every year; it’s better to have a different crop. A change of crop and the use of a good fertilizer will keep the land good.
【小题1】What would happen first without plants?

Nearly all our food comes from the soil. Some of us eat meat, of course, but animals live on plants. If there were no plants, we would have no animals and no meat. So the soil is very necessary for life. The top of the ground is usually covered with grass or other plants. There may be dead leaves and dead plants on the grass. The waste matter (粪) from animals also falls on it.

All soil needs food. If we do not give it any, the plants will be weak. Farmers found that animals’ waste is the best food for the soil, but chemical fertilizers (化肥) are also very useful. The same crop (庄稼) should not be grown in the same place every year; it’s better to have a different crop. A change of crop and the use of a good fertilizer will keep the land good.

1.What would happen first without plants?

A．People would have more crops.            B．Animals would die.

C．There would be more food.                D．There would be less soil.

2.What does the writer tell us in the first paragraph (段落)?

A．Leaves, plants, grass and waste live on each other.

B．There would be no animals without meat.

C．There would be no plants without animals.

D．People, animals, plants and soil live on each other.

3.Which is the best food for soil in the field?

A．Chemical fertilizers  B．Plants and grass.    C．Animals’ waste.   D．Different crops.

4.Why do we often grow a different crop in the same place every year?

A．Because we can keep the soil rich this way.

B．Because we don’t have enough land.

C．Because we want to have a different food.

D．Because we do this as a habit.

5.What is the best title for the passage?

A．Soil and Waste     B．Plants and Animals   C．Food and Waste    D．Soil and Food

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.

Nearly all our food comes from the soil. Some of us eat meat, of course, but animals live on plants. If there were no plants, we would have no animals and no meat. So the soil is very necessary for life. The top of the ground is usually covered with grass or other plants. There may be dead leaves and dead plants on the grass. The waste matter (粪) from animals also falls on it.
All soil needs food. If we do not give it any, the plants will be weak. Farmers found that animals’ waste is the best food for the soil, but chemical fertilizers (化肥) are also very useful. The same crop (庄稼) should not be grown in the same place every year; it’s better to have a different crop. A change of crop and the use of a good fertilizer will keep the land good

1. 1.

   What would happen first without plants?

   1. A.
      People would have more crops
   2. B.
      Animals would die
   3. C.
      There would be more food
   4. D.
      There would be less soil
2. 2.

   What does the writer tell us in the first paragraph (段落)?

   1. A.
      Leaves, plants, grass and waste live on each other
   2. B.
      There would be no animals without meat
   3. C.
      There would be no plants without animals
   4. D.
      People, animals, plants and soil live on each other
3. 3.

   Which is the best food for soil in the field?

   1. A.
      Chemical fertilizers
   2. B.
      Plants and grass
   3. C.
      Animals’ waste
   4. D.
      Different crops
4. 4.

   Why do we often grow a different crop in the same place every year?

   1. A.
      Because we can keep the soil rich this way
   2. B.
      Because we don’t have enough land
   3. C.
      Because we want to have a different food
   4. D.
      Because we do this as a habit
5. 5.

   What is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Soil and Waste
   2. B.
      Plants and Animals
   3. C.
      Food and Waste
   4. D.
      Soil and Food