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 fanning. He planted seeds, tended the fields» and harvested and sold his crops. At the same lime, 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 the 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 fanning and working with iron, Mr. Plowright invented a plow that made fanning easier. Mr. Plowright did not really like fanning himself and wanted to specialize in making really good plows. Perhaps, he thought, other farmers will trade what they grow far 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 $hop 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 yean; ago. Even before most people could read, they understood such signs. Shopkeeper« would carve into stone, clay, or wood symbols for the product 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 b 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.

41. What probably led to the start of advertising?

A. The discovery of iron.                      B. The specialization of labor.

C. The appearance of new jobs.             D. The development of fanning techniques.

42. To advertise his plows, Mr. Plowright ______.

A. praised his plows in public                 R. placed a sign outside the shop

C. hung an arrow pointing to the shop     D. showed hut products to the customers

43. 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. expose problems in advertising           D, provide suggestions for advertising

44. In ancient Egypt, a crier was probably someone who ______.

A. owned a ship

B. had the loudest voice

C. ran a shop selling goods to fanners

D. functioned like today's TV or radio commercial

45. The last two paragraphs are mainly about ______.

A. the history of advertising                   B. the benefits of advertising

C. the early forms of advertising             D. the basic design of advertising

Last week, President Barack Obama gave a back- to-school speech to students at the Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Students in schools across the country al­so tuned in to watch the President's speech on TV. He stressed the importance of trying new things, working hard and believing in yourself.

While admitting that times are tough for families across the country, Obama reminded students that hard work now can mean big success later. “Nobody gets to write your destiny(命运）but you,” he said. “Your future is in your hands. Your life is what you make of it. And nothing—absolutely nothing—is beyond your reach."

Obama spoke about his own life, and lessons he learned from his mother, who had to remind him to stay focused on his studies. He told students the recipe (诀窍) for success: “Showing up to school on time. Paying attention in class. Doing your homework. Studying for exams. Staying out of trouble. ”

Obama encouraged students to embrace(欣然接受)what makes them different. “We shouldn't be em­barrassed by the things that make us different,” he said. “We should be proud of them.”

He also suggested taking advantage of all of the opportunities at your school, and always being open to trying new things. “Just because you’re not the best at something today doesn't mean you can't be tomorrow,” he said. “Even if you don't think of yourself as a math person or as a science person—you can still excel in those subjects if you're willing to make the effort. And you may find out you have talents you’d never dreamed of.”

1.What does Obama mainly want to tell the students in Paragraph 2?

A. Some families are experiencing a hard time.

B. Different people have different destinies.

C. They can create their own future.

D. Those who don't study hard will achieve nothing.

2.In Paragraph 3, Obama tried to encourage the students by _______.

A. telling an interesting story

B. sharing the secret to success

C. telling his own life experience

D. referring to some famous people

3.Obama suggested the students should   _________ .

A. not study hard for high marks

B. accept things that make them different

C. do what they are really interested in

D. not do things which are difficult for them

4.The underlined phrase “excel in” in the last para­graph means “_________”.

A. be careful with                                                   B. be attracted to

C. be interested in                                                 D. be good at

Last week, President Barack Obama gave a back- to-school speech to students at the Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Students in schools across the country al­so tuned in to watch the President's speech on TV. He stressed the importance of trying new things, working hard and believing in yourself.
While admitting that times are tough for families across the country, Obama reminded students that hard work now can mean big success later. “Nobody gets to write your destiny(命运）but you,” he said. “Your future is in your hands. Your life is what you make of it. And nothing—absolutely nothing—is beyond your reach."
Obama spoke about his own life, and lessons he learned from his mother, who had to remind him to stay focused on his studies. He told students the recipe (诀窍) for success: “Showing up to school on time. Paying attention in class. Doing your homework. Studying for exams. Staying out of trouble. ”
Obama encouraged students to embrace(欣然接受)what makes them different. “We shouldn't be em­barrassed by the things that make us different,” he said. “We should be proud of them.”
He also suggested taking advantage of all of the opportunities at your school, and always being open to trying new things. “Just because you’re not the best at something today doesn't mean you can't be tomorrow,” he said. “Even if you don't think of yourself as a math person or as a science person—you can still excel in those subjects if you're willing to make the effort. And you may find out you have talents you’d never dreamed of.”

1. 1.

   What does Obama mainly want to tell the students in Paragraph 2?

   1. A.
      Some families are experiencing a hard time
   2. B.
      Different people have different destinies
   3. C.
      They can create their own future
   4. D.
      Those who don't study hard will achieve nothing
2. 2.

   In Paragraph 3, Obama tried to encourage the students by _______

   1. A.
      telling an interesting story
   2. B.
      sharing the secret to success
   3. C.
      telling his own life experience
   4. D.
      referring to some famous people
3. 3.

   Obama suggested the students should    _________

   1. A.
      not study hard for high marks
   2. B.
      accept things that make them different
   3. C.
      do what they are really interested in
   4. D.
      not do things which are difficult for them
4. 4.

   The underlined phrase “excel in” in the last para­graph means “_________”

   1. A.
      be careful with
   2. B.
      be attracted to
   3. C.
      be interested in
   4. D.
      be good at

W： Hi, Fred．Where have you been?

M： I’ve been to the l_____1._____ and borrowed some English books．What’s wrong?

W： I t____2.______ you’d been to the post office．Did you notice the money I left on the desk?

M： Yes, $10 altogether．But I didn’t know what it was f____3.___．

W： Didn’t you see the note I left you with the money?

M： Note? What note? I didn’t see any note．

W： R____4.______? That’s very strange．I left the money with a note saying I wanted you to go to the post office and get some e____5._______ and stamps for me．I also put the ink bottle on them in case they might not draw your a_____6.________．

M： I see now．Why can’t you go and get them y_____7.______? The post office is only about 30 minutes’ walk from here．We often walk there after supper．

W： Of course I know how far it is from school．I can’t go there myself because I’m very busy doing some chemistry e______8._________ in the lab．And what’s more, I have to p_____9.______ for my English exam．You know I f___10.______ the last one．If I can’t pass this time, a hard time will be waiting for me．