Advertising gives useful information about which products to buy. But modern advertising does more than gives news about products and services. Today’s advertisements, or ads, try to get consumers to buy certain brands. Writers of advertising are so skillful they can sometimes persuade a consumer to wear a certain kind of clothing, eat a special kind of cereal, or see a movie. Consumers might never even want a product if they did not see or hear advertisements for it.

　　For example, you probably do not need the newest cereal in the supermarket. There are probably many cereal brands on your kitchen shelves. You may not have space on a shelf for another. But if you see ads about a new cereal that is your extra-tasty and has a free prize in the box, you may want it.

　　Advertising must get attention. To be effective, it must be exciting, entertaining, or provide some pleasure. The secret of writing good advertising copy is to offer a good idea as well as a product. The idea is what the ad is really selling. One example is an ad that says eating a cereal will make a person do well in sports. That cereal brand may sell better if consumers think it offers strength and energy.

　　1. What is discussed in this passage?

　　A. The content of modern advertising. B. The skills of modern advertising.

　　C. The results of modern advertising. D. The writing of modern advertising.

　　2. According to the passage, a good advertisement should ______.

　　A. be both persuasive and effective B. give people useful information

　　C. show people a product D. show people a new idea of a product

　　3. From the passage, we know that _______.

　　A. modern advertising has less effect on customers

　　B. once customers see ads about a new cereal, they are sure to buy it

　　C. cereal can make people strong D. cereal is a kind of food which is popular among people

　　4. What can we infer from the passage?

　　A. Customers can easily be persuaded by advertisements.

　　B. Customers should never be persuaded by advertisements.

　　C. It’s impossible for customers to buy a product without advertisements.

　　D. Customers buy products according to their demands rather than the advertisements.

　　【答案与解析】本文论述了现代广告的作用和做广告的技巧。

　　1. B。主旨题。文章第1段第2句：现代广告给人们的不只是产品和服务的信息。第4句：说服人们穿某种衣服的技巧及全文内容，可推知此题答案为B。

　　2. A。推断题。本文主要论述广告的作用和技巧，广告的作用也就是说服人买;在广告上使用技巧，也就是使广告有效，由此可知答案为A。

　　3. D。推断题。第1段eat a special kind of cereal说明cereal是食物;第2段第2句：many cereal brands on your kitchen shelves厨房里放着各种各样的 cereal，说明cereal很受人欢迎，从而可推知此题答案为D。

　　4. A。根据第2段最后两句;厨房食物已满，但当一见新的品牌并有奖时，你可能又想要买，说明人们很容易被说服，此题答案为A。