Passage 8
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 programs 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 the 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
Words&Expressions
come in for（sth.） 遭到批评；受到（指责）
flair n. 天资，天分(https://www.daowen.com)
iniquitous adj. 极邪恶的；极不公正的
drab adj. 单调的，乏味的
subsist v. 活下去，生存下去，维持下去
hatch v. 孵化（指生孩子）
match v. 匹配
dispatch v. 派遣；发送
agony n. 极大痛苦，煎熬
agony column （报刊中关于个人疑难问题征询意见的）读者来信专栏
文章大意
广告商总是雄心勃勃（想得很大），也许这就是为什么他们老挨批评的原因。他们的批评者似乎对他们很气愤，因为他们在自我抬高/标榜上很有天分，因为他们扔掉了大把大把的钱。批评者指出：“这太不公平了，这一完全非生产产业每年都要花掉数百万英镑，这只能说明大公司的巨额盈利。为什么不能让他们停止广告宣传，降低产品的价格？毕竟是消费者在购买产品。”
可怜的消费者！如果广告不能为产品赢得广阔的市场，那么消费者就要多付很多钱。正是因为大量的广告，消费品才如此便宜。但是，如果我们认为广告的唯一目的是销售产品那就错了。广告另一个同等重要的功能是将产品信息告知大众。我们所了解的有关家用产品的大量信息主要来自我们所看到的广告。广告使我们了解新产品或者帮助我们重现已经了解的产品信息。假如你想买一台洗衣机，你极有可能通过广告了解洗衣机的功能和价格等详细信息。
好多人假装他们从来都没有看过广告，但是这种主张会引起极大的怀疑。现如今不看广告几乎是不可能的事情。并且广告通常都是很有趣的。试想一下，如果火车站或报纸上没有广告会是什么样子。在等火车的时候你会愿意盯着一面白墙还是阅读车站规则？你愿意在每天的报纸上看印刷的一栏一栏的新闻吗？一幅赏心悦目、机智的广告将改变单调的墙壁和充满日常灾难的报纸。
别忘了广告对于我们的腰包有积极贡献。报纸、电台、电视台和公司没有这笔收入很难生存。我们的报纸，我们付钱很少，或者说，我们能享受那么多的节目完全是因为广告商花的钱。如果要我们付报纸的全价，那我们要花多少钱！
我们必须记住的另一件事情是“小广告”，实际上就是每一份报纸和杂志。它们为社区提供的服务是极其有用的。通过这些专栏，没有什么事情是办不成的。比如说你可以在这些栏目找工作、买卖房子、宣布出生及婚丧嫁娶信息，这一专栏曾经被叫作“婚丧嫁娶专栏”，然而到目前为止最吸引人的专栏是读者来信专栏。报纸任何其他栏目都难以提供如此有趣的文章，或提供对人性内涵如此深刻的洞察。这是广告中最佳的广告。
答案、考点及解析
1.【答案】C
【考点】文章主旨题
【解析】答案是C项“广告对社会服务很有用”。作者从四个方面来叙述广告的作用：第二段指出如果广告不为产品开辟广大的市场，我们就得付出很多钱；第三段讲了美化环境的功能，如果火车站的墙上和报上没有广告，那会怎么样，一幅赏心悦目、机智的广告将改变一切；第四段讲了广告为我们省钱；最后一段讲了各种专栏的功能。这些都围着一个中心：广告对社会服务的有用性。A项“广告”，说得太笼统；B项“广告之优点”与文章内容不符，文章不是讲优点，而是讲服务于社会的功能；D项“广告费用”，也不是本文的主题。
2.【答案】A
【考点】作者态度观点题
【解析】从第一题可推知答案是A项。作者提出种种功能，是为了反驳第一段内提到的论点：“
this entirely unproductive industry should absorb millions of pounds each year.It only goes to show how much profit the big companies are making.”
3.【答案】A
【考点】细节考查题
【解析】答案可定位在第一段首句“Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why they’re always coming in for criticism.”与A项内容相符。B项“因为批评者认为广告浪费钱。”C项“因为广告促使消费者购买不必要的东西。”D项“因为消费者支付更多。”这三项均不正确。
4.【答案】C
【考点】多项细节考查题
【解析】不正确的说法是C项“优质产品不需要广告。”因为一切产品都需要广告，新产品、老产品都需要。A项“广告对我们的口袋做出贡献。”B项“我们可以买到我们所需的。”D项“广告使我们生活丰富多彩。”这三项在文章中都提到了，也是真实的。
5.【答案】D
【考点】文章体裁
【解析】文章一开始虽提到对广告的批评，但其后作者话锋一转，大谈广告的诸多功能。以让读者正确看待广告。可知A项“叙事”B项“描写”C项“批评”都不对，而D项“讨论”符合题意。