Advertisement can be thought of “as the means of making known in order to buy or sell goods or services”. Advertisement aims to increase people’s awareness and arouse interest. It tries to inform and to persuade. The media are all used to spread the message. The press offers a fairly cheap method, and magazines are used to reach special sections of the market. The cinema and commercial radio are useful for local market. Television, although more expensive, can be very effective. Public notices are fairly cheap and more permanent in their power of attraction. Other ways of increasing consumer interest are through exhibitions and trade fairs as well as direct mail advertisement.
There can be no doubt that the growth in advertisement is one of the most striking features of the western world in this century. Many businesses such as those handling frozen foods, liquor, tobacco and medicines have been built up largely by advertisement.
We might ask whether the cost of advertisement is paid for by the producer or by the customer. Since advertisement forms part of the cost of production, which has to be covered by the selling price, it is clear that it is the customer who pays for advertisement. However, if large scale advertisement leads to increased demand, production costs are reduced, and the customer pays less.
It is difficult to measure exactly the influence of advertisement on sales. When the market is growing, advertisement helps to increase demand. When the market is shrinking, advertisement may prevent a bigger fall in sales than would occur without its support. What is clear is that businesses would not pay large sums for advertisement if they were not convinced of its value to them.
1. Advertisement is often used to _____.
A. deceive customers
B. increase production
C. arouse suspicion
D. push the sale
答案：D。答案在第一段第一句话：“Advertisement can be thought of as the means of making known in order to buy or sell goods or services”。因此“广告常常被用来当作促销商品的手段。”D最符合题意。
2. The word“media”（in the first paragraph）includes _____.
A. the press
B. television
C. radio
D. all of the above
答案：D。media ：媒体。因为在其后的句子中作者紧接着列举了press，magazines，the cinema and commercial radio，television，exhibitions等词。因此可以断定media应当包括the press，television，and radio。所以D是正确答案。
3. Advertisement is mainly paid for by _____.
A. the customer
B. the producer
C. increased sales
D. reduced prices
答案：A。答案在第三段：“it is clear that it is customer who pays for advertisement.”因此广告的费用主要是由顾客来付。
4. Advertisement can increase demand _____.
A. all the time
B. in any circumstances
C. in a growing market
D. in a shrinking market
答案：C。答案在第四段：“When the market is growing, advertisement helps to increase demand.”因此，如果市场扩大了，广告有助于增加需求。
5. From the last sentence of this passage we conclude that _____.
A. businesses usually do not pay much for advertisement
B. businessmen know well that advertisement could bring them more profits
C. advertisement could hardly convince people of the value of the goods
D. advertisement usually cost businesses large amounts of money
答案：B。文章最后一句话的意思是：“很明显，如果商家对产品的利润没有把握的话，是不会花很多钱投资广告的。”换句话说：商家非常清楚广告会给他带来更大的利润。因此B是正确答案。
