Passage 2
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 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!
What is the main idea of this passage?
通过第二段开头“The poor old consumer! He'd have to pay a great deal more if advertising didn't create mass markets for products”，第三段“A cheerful, witty advertisement makes such a difference to a drab wall or a newspaper full of the daily ration of calamities”，第四段首句“We must not forget, either, that advertising make a positive contribution to our pockets”可知，广告为社区提供了非常有用的服务，故选C。
The attitude of the author toward advertisers is ________.
文中作者提出了广告的种种功能，可以推出作者对广告是比较赞赏的；文中没有提到广告值得 信任，B项排除。C项“批评”，D项“不满意”，在文中找不到依据。故选A。
Why do the critics criticize advertisers?
通过文章第一段首句“Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why they're always coming in for criticism”可知，广告商经常因为吹牛而受到人们的批评。故选A。
Which of the following is Not True?
A、B、C项均可在文中找到依据；D项说法错误，优质产品也可能需要广告的宣传。故选D。
The passage is ________.
本文一开头引入对广告的批评，然后作者以对比的手法详述了广告的功能。故C项“批判”为正确选项。
According to the passage, ‘small ads’ perform ________ service.
根据最后一段“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!”可知，小广告对 社区发挥了极其重要的作用。故选D。
Which of the following statements is NOT made by the author ________.
根据第三段中“A cheerful, witty advertisement makes such a difference to a drab wall or a newspaper full of the daily ration of calamities.”可知，作者认为广告为火车站和报纸增添了色彩和趣味，D项“没有广 告，火车站或报纸会更吸引人”错误。故选D。
Why did the author exclaim “The poor old consumer!” in paragraph two?
根据第二段中“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.”可知，过去的消费者观念错误，认为广告的唯一目的就是销 售商品。故选C。