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

The 1980s was called the “Me Decade” because for many this time was marked by a fascination with the self. The idea that each person has a self may seem natural to us, but this concept is actually quite new. The idea that each human life is unique developed between the 11th and 15th centuries in Europe. Before that time, individuals were considered in relation to a group, and even today, many eastern cultures place more emphasis on the importance of a collective self than on a unique and independent self.

  Both eastern and western cultures see the self as divided into an inner, private self and an outer, public self. But where they differ is in terms of which part is seen as the “real you.” Western culture tends to promote the idea of individuality—a self that is separated from other selves. In contrast, many eastern cultures focus on an inter-independent self that gets its diversity in large part from inter-relationship with others.

  For example, a Confucian(孔子) idea stresses the importance of “face”—other people’s views of the self and keeping up one’s desired status in their eyes. In the past, some Asian cultures developed clear rules about the specific clothes and even colors that people in certain social classes and occupations were allowed to display, and these live on today in Japanese style manuals. This style of dress is at odds with such western practices as “casual Fridays,” which encourage employees to dress informally and express their unique selves.

According to the passage , what does the author believe about the self?

 A. Many eastern cultures see the self connected with others.

 B. Those born in the 1980s are generally most self-centered than others.

   C. The concept that each person has a self may seem strange to eastern cultures

 D. Western cultures regard the self as an outer, public self while eastern cultures don’t.

What does the 2nd paragraph mainly talk about?

   A. How eastern and western cultures see the self.

   B. Eastern cultures contrast sharply with western cultures

   C. Both eastern and western cultures appreciate the importance of self

   D. Eastern cultures are as important as western cultures

A Japanese dress code is mentioned in the last paragraph to _________.

   A. explain the importance of “face”   B. say how traditional the Japanese are

   C. emphasize the importance of eastern cultures

 D. show how eastern cultures see the self in relation to others

The underlined phrase “at odds with” most probably means_______.

 A. in agreement with               B. in disagreement with

   C. in comparison with                D. in need of

  The 1980s was called the “Me Decade” because for many this time was marked by a fascination with the self. The idea that each person has a self may seem natuaral to us, but this concept is actually quite new. The idea that each human life is unique developed between the 11th and 15th centuries in Europe. Before that time, individuals were considered in relation to a group, and even today, many eastern cultures place more emphasis on the importance of a collective self than on a unique and independent self.

  Both eastern and western cultures see the self as divided into an inner, private self and an outer, public self. But where they differ is in terms of which part is seen as the“real you.” Western culture tends to promote the idea of individuality—a self that is separated from other selves. In contrast, many eastern cultures focus on an inter-independent self that gets its diversity in large part from inter-relationship with others.

  For example, a Confucian(孔子) idea stresses the importance of “face”—other people’s views of the self and maintaining one’s desired status in their eyes. In the past, some Asian cultures developed clear rules about the specific clothes and even colors that people in certain social classes and occupations were allowed to display, and these live on today in Japanese style manuals. This style of dress is at odds with such western practices as “casual Fridays,” which encourage employees to dress informally and express their unique selves.

Which is true about the self according to the text?

 A. Many eastern cultures see the self connected with others.

 B. Those born in the 1980s are generally most self-centered than others.

 C. The concept that eac person has a self may seem strange to eastern cultures

 D. Western cultures regard the self as an outer, public self while eastern cultures don’t.

What does the 2nd paragraph mainly talk about?

 A. How eastern and western cultures see the self.

 B. Eastern cultures contrast sharply with western cultures

 C. Both eastern and western cultures appreciate the importance of self

 D. Eastern cultures are as important as western cultures

A Japanese dress code is mentioned in the last paragraph to _________.

 A. explain the importance of “face”

 B. say how traditional the Japanese are

 C. emphasize the importance of eastern cultures

 D. show how eastern cultures see the self in relation to others

The underlined phrase “at odds with” most probably means_______.

 A. in agreement with               B. in disagreement with

 C. in comparison with              D. in need of

  The 1980s was called the “Me Decade” because for many this time was marked by a fascination with the self. The idea that each person has a self may seem natuaral to us, but this concept is actually quite new. The idea that each human life is unique developed between the 11th and 15th centuries in Europe. Before that time, individuals were considered in relation to a group, and even today, many eastern cultures place more emphasis on the importance of a collective self than on a unique and independent self.

  Both eastern and western cultures see the self as divided into an inner, private self and an outer, public self. But where they differ is in terms of which part is seen as the“real you.” Western culture tends to promote the idea of individuality—a self that is separated from other selves. In contrast, many eastern cultures focus on an inter-independent self that gets its diversity in large part from inter-relationship with others.

  For example, a Confucian(孔子) idea stresses the importance of “face”—other people’s views of the self and maintaining one’s desired status in their eyes. In the past, some Asian cultures developed clear rules about the specific clothes and even colors that people in certain social classes and occupations were allowed to display, and these live on today in Japanese style manuals. This style of dress is at odds with such western practices as “casual Fridays,” which encourage employees to dress informally and express their unique selves.

1. Which is true about the self according to the text?

 A. Many eastern cultures see the self connected with others.

 B. Those born in the 1980s are generally most self-centered than others.

 C. The concept that eac person has a self may seem strange to eastern cultures

 D. Western cultures regard the self as an outer, public self while eastern cultures don’t.

2. What does the 2nd paragraph mainly talk about?

 A. How eastern and western cultures see the self.

 B. Eastern cultures contrast sharply with western cultures

 C. Both eastern and western cultures appreciate the importance of self

 D. Eastern cultures are as important as western cultures

3. A Japanese dress code is mentioned in the last paragraph to _________.

 A. explain the importance of “face”

 B. say how traditional the Japanese are

 C. emphasize the importance of eastern cultures

 D. show how eastern cultures see the self in relation to others

4. The underlined phrase “at odds with” most probably means_______.

 A. in agreement with               B. in disagreement with

 C. in comparison with              D. in need of

 

 

Insurance companies provide a service to the community by protecting it against expected and unexpected disasters. Before an insurance company will agree to insure anything, it collects accurate figures about the risk. It knows, for example, that the risk of a man being killed in a plane accident is less than the risk he takes in crossing a busy road. This enables it to quote(报价) low figures for travel insurance. Sometimes the risk may be high, as in motor-racing or mountaineering. Then the company charges a much higher price. If too many climbers have accidents, the price rises further. If the majority of climbers fall off mountains, the company will refuse to insure them.

An ordinary householder may wish to protect his home against fire or his property against burglary(入室行窃). A shopkeeper may wish to insure against theft. In normal cases, the company will check its statistics and quote a premium(保险费). If it is suspicious(可疑的), it may refuse to quote. If it insures a shop and then receives a suspicious claim, it will investigate the claim as a means of protecting itself against false claims. It is not unknown for a businessman in debt to burn down his own premises so that he can claim much money from his insurance company. He can be sure that the fire will be investigated most carefully. Insurance companies also accept insurance against shipwreck or disaster in the air. Planes and ships are very expensive, so a large premium is charged, but a reduction is given to companies with an accident-free record.

Every week, insurance companies receive premium payments from customers. These payments can form a very large total running into millions of dollars. The company does not leave the money in the bank. It invests (投资) in property, shares (股票) ,farms and even paintings and stamps. Its aim is to obtain the best possible return on its investment. This is not as greedy as it may seem since this is one way by which it can keep its premiums down and continue to make a profit while being of service to the community.

The main idea of the first paragraph is that      .

   A. insurance companies protect the community against disasters

   B. insurance companies often collect accurate figures about the risk

   C. insurance companies base their decisions on the risk involved

   D. insurance companies charge different prices in the same cases

The insurance company will usually investigate a suspicious claim to    .

   A. refuse to quote the insurance fee          B. make sure that the claim is reasonable

   C. decide how much the company should pay D. find out when the accident happened

The underlined word "premises" in Paragraph 2 most probably means"     "

   A. land and buildings                   B. insurance contract

   C. debt papers                                            D. financial papers

The author’s attitude towards customers’ premium payments being used by insurance companies is __

    A. critical             B. doubtful              C. neutral            D. positive

The purpose of this passage is to __

    A. explain how insurance companies operate

    B. encourage people to invest in insurance companies

    C. persuade people to insure against unexpected disasters

    D. advise people how to insure their life and property