No one knows for sure when advertising first started. It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them. That led to the concept of specialization, which means that people would specialize, or focus, on doing one specific job.
Let’s take a man we’ll call Mr. Fielder, for example. He did everything connected with farming. He planted seeds, tended the fields, and harvested and sold his crops. At the same time, he did many other jobs on the farm. However, he didn’t make the bricks for his house, cut his trees into boards, make the plows (犁), or any of other hundreds of things a farm needs. Instead, he got them from people who specialized in doing each of those things. Suppose there was another man we shall call Mr. Plowright. Using what he knew about farming and working with iron, Mr. Plowright invented a plow that made farming easier. Mr. Plowright did not really like farming himself and wanted to specialize in making really good plows. Perhaps, he thought, other farmers will trade what they grow for one of my plows.
How did Mr. Plowright let people know what he was doing? Why, he advertised, of course. First he opened a shop and then he put up a sign outside the shop to attract customers. That sign may have been no more than a plow carved into a piece of wood and a simple arrow pointing to the shop door. It was probably all the information people needed to find Mr. Plowright and his really good plows.
Many historians believe that the first outdoor signs were used about five thousand years ago. Even before most people could read, they understood such signs. Shopkeepers would carve into stone, clay, or wood symbols for the products they had for sale.
A medium, in advertising talk, is the way you communicate your message. You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols. The second medium was audio, or sound, although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today. Originally, just the human voice and maybe some kind of simple instrument, such as a bell, were used to get people’s attention.
A crier, in the historical sense, is not someone who weeps easily. It is someone, probably a man, with a voice loud enough to be heard over the other noises of a city. In ancient Egypt, shopkeepers might hire such a person to spread the news about their products. Often this earliest form of advertising involved a newly arrived ship loaded with goods. Perhaps the crier described the goods, explained where they came from, and praised their quality. His job was, in other words, not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world.
1.What probably led to the start of advertisement?
A. The discovery of iron.
B. The development of farming techniques.
C. The specialization of labor.
D. The appearance of new jobs.
2.The writer makes up the two stories of Mr. Fielder and Mr. Plowright in order to __________.
A. explain the origin of advertising
B. predict the future of advertising
C. provide suggestions for advertising
D. expose problems in advertising
3.In ancient Egypt, a crier was probably someone who __________.
A. functioned like today’s TV or radio commercial
B. owned a ship
C. had the loudest voice
D. ran a shop selling goods to farmers
4.The last two paragraphs are mainly about __________.
A. the basic design of advertising
B. the early forms of advertising
C. the benefits of advertising
D. the history of advertising
For years scientists have been worried about the effects of air pollution on the earth’s natural conditions. Some believe the air inside many houses may be more dangerous than the air outside. It may be one hundred times worse.
Indoor air pollution can cause a person to feel tired, to suffer eye pain, headache and other problems. Some pollutants(污染物) can cause breathing disorders, diseases of blood and even cancer. Most scientists agree that every modern house has some kind of indoor pollution.
People have paid more attention to the problem now. It is true that when builders began making houses and offices they did not waste energy. To do this they build buildings that limited the flow of air between inside and outside. They also began using man-made building materials. These materials are now known to let out harmful gases.
As the problem became more serious, scientists began searching for a way to deal with it. They discovered a natural pollution control system for building--green plants. Scientists do not really know how plants control air pollution. They believe that a plant’s leaves absorb or take in the pollutants. In exchange the plant lets out oxygen through its leaves and tiny organizations on its roots. Scientists suggest that all buildings should have one large plant or several small plants inside for every nine square meters of space. Studies of different plants show that each absorbs different chemicals. So the most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants. Having green plants inside your house can make it a prettier and more healthy place.
1.Generally speaking, indoor air pollution may be more harmful than the air outside because________.
A. indoor air pollution can often make people seriously ill
B. there may be more harmful gases outside the buildings
C. the air indoors is polluted, which is very harmful
D. man-made building materials give off dangerous gases
2.Some kind of indoor pollution can be found in _______.
A. every modern house B. every old house
C. all kinds of houses D. all kinds of offices
3.The indoor air pollution is caused by ______.
A. the building way that the builders want to save energy
B. the man-made building materials and the limit of air-flow
C. the building things that are made of man-made materials
D. the limit of the flow of air between inside and outside
4.The reason why we should use different kinds of plants to clean the air is that ______.
A. plants can let out all kinds of pollutants indoors
B. plants may take in more oxygen which people need
C. plants can absorb all kinds of harmful indoor chemicals
D. plants can make our houses prettier and more healthy
Still seeking a destination for your weekend break? There are some places which are probably a mere walk away from your college.
King's Art Centre
A day at the Centre could mean a visit to an exhibition of the work of one of the most interesting contemporary artists on show anywhere. This weekend sees the opening of an exhibition of four local artists.
You could attend a class teaching you how to 'learn from the masters' or get more creative with paint--free of charge. The Centre also runs two life drawing classes for which there is a small fee.
The Botanic Garden
The Garden has over 8, 000 plant species; it holds the research and teaching collection of living plants for Cambridge University.
The multi-branched Torch Aloe here is impressive. The African plant produces red flowers above blue-green leaves, and is not one to miss.
Get to the display house to see Dionaea muscipula, a plant more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap that feeds on insects and other small animals.
The Garden is also a place for wildlife-enthusiasts. Look for grass snakes in the lake. A snake called 'Hissing Sid' is regularly seen lying in the heat of the warm sun.
Byron's Pool
Many stories surround Lord Byron's time as a student of Cambridge University, Arriving in 1805, he wrote a letter complaining that it was a place of "mess and drunkenness". However, it seems as though Byron did manage to pass the time pleasantly enough. I'm not just talking about the pet bear he kept in his roans. He spent a great deal of time walking in the village.
It is also said that on occasion Byron swam naked by moonlight in the lake, which is now known as Byron's Pool. A couple of miles past Grantchester in the south Cambridgeshire countryside, the pool is surrounded by beautiful circular paths around the fields. The cries of invisible birds make the trip a lovely experience and on the way home you can drop into the village for afternoon tea. If you don't trust me, then perhaps you’ll take it from Virginia Woolf--over a century after Byron, she reportedly took a trip to swim in the same pool.
1.As mentioned in the passage, there is a small charge for_____.
A. attending the masters' class
B. working with local artists
C. learning life drawing
D. seeing an exhibition
2."Torch Aloe" and "Venus Flytrap" are_____.
A. wildlife-enthusiasts
B. rarely-seen snakes
C. common insects
D. impressive plants
3.We can infer from the passage that Byron seemed_____.
A. to fear pet bears
B. to like walking
C. to finish university in 1805
D. to be a heavy drinker
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Some places for weekend break
B. Unknown stories of Cambridge University.
C. A way to become creative in art.
D. The colorful life in the countryside.
I take the firm position that parents do not owe their children a college education. If they can it, they will certainly send them to the best universities. But they need not feel if they can’t. If the children really want to go, they’ll find a . There are plenty of loans and scholarships for the bright and ones who can’t afford to pay.
When children grow up and want to , their parents do not owe them a down payment on a house. They do not have the to baby-sit their grandchildren. If they want to do it, it must be considered a not an obligation (责任, 义务).
Do parents owe their children anything? Yes, they owe them a great deal.
One of their obligations is to give their children a personal . A child who is constantly made to feel stupid and unworthy, constantly to brighter brothers, sisters, or cousins will become so , so afraid of failing that he (or she) won’t try at all. Of course they should be corrected when they do wrong, but it’s often better to let children learn their mistakes by themselves . All our parents should do is to trust them, respect them, tolerate (宽容) them and give them chances to try and fail. They must learn to stand . When criticisms (批评) are really needed, they should be with praises, with a smile and a kiss. That is the way children learn.
Parents owe their children a set of solid values around to build their lives. This means teaching them to the rights and opinions of others; it means being respectful to elders, to teachers, and to the law. The best way to teach such values is by deed and . A child who is lied to will . A child who sees no laughter and no love in the home will have difficulty laughing and loving.
No child asks to be . If you bring a life into the world, you owe the child .
1.A. find B. afford C. get D. accept
2.A. disappointed B. unhappy C. guilty D. dissatisfied
3.A. supply B. hope C. way D. hand
4.A. healthy B. honest C. eager D. wealthy
5.A. get a job B. get married C. go abroad D. live alone
6.A. time B. duty C. right D. energy
7.A. service B. pleasure C. habit D. favor
8.A. affair B. value C. belief D. ability
9.A. compared B. brought C. forced D. taken
10.A. unusual B. unsure C. unknown D. unfair
11.A. gently B. properly C. nearly D. possibly
12.A. in time B. now and then C. at once D. right now
13.A. honor B. failure C. progress D. test
14.A. mixed B. included C. balanced D. shared
15.A. it B. which C. whom D. what
16.A. consider B. refuse C. follow D. respect
17.A. blame B. experience C. example D. lesson
18.A. lie B. win C. lose D. cry
19.A. praised B. born C. alone D. poor
20.A. everything B. nothing C. anything D. something
-- Shall we take a taxi there since time is limited?
-- ________. It should be hard to get one during the rush hour.
A.Go ahead B. Don’t mention it
C. No doubt D. Just forget it
Traveling without ordering rooms in advance can eat up precious vacation time ________luck is smiling on you.
A. unless B. as C. if D. when
