Question

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

Answer 1

【語篇解讀】本文是一篇說明文，題材是廣告的由來，通過下定義，舉例子講述兩個人的故事，來闡明為什么會有廣告，怎樣去廣告。進一步介紹了廣告的早期形式。

段落	關鍵詞、句	大意推測
第一部分（Para. 1）	first started ;  grew out of the discovery;  led to;  the concept of specialization;  specialize;  on doing one specific job	定義：沒有人知道廣告是何時開始的。可能當人們發(fā)現一些人做某種工作好過其他人的時候就有了。那便有了“專業(yè)化”的概念。
第二部分（Para. 2-3）	take...for example;  Mr. Fielder;  didn’t make the bricks...;  cut ... into ...; make the plows; hundreds of things;  Instead;  got them from...specialized in...; Mr. Plowright; knew about; invented a plow;  wanted to specialize in making really good plows;   trade	舉例解釋定義：通過Mr. Fielder 和Mr. Plowright的故事，闡述了為什么會有廣告的原因。
第三部分（Para.4-5）	How...let people know…?; put up a sign outside the shop;  to attract customers;  no more than…;  carved into…a simple arrow…;  all the information;  to find… his really good plows;  the first outdoor signs;  about five thousand years ago;  understood such signs	怎樣廣告：通過講述Mr. Plowright一開始是怎樣廣告的：在商店外面張貼標牌。很多歷史學家相信大約5000年前就有了戶外的廣告牌。甚至在大多數人不會讀的時候，他們就能懂那些的標牌含義。
第四部分（Para. 6-7）	A medium;  signs with symbols;  audio; some kind of simple instrument;  were used to get people’s attention;  A crier;  with a voice loud enough…;  hire such a person…;  to spread the news about…;  this earliest form;  not too different from	廣告的早期形式：廣告要由有媒介。第一種媒介是標志牌，第二種是有聲的媒介。詳細介紹了a crier的出現以及發(fā)揮著類似于當今世界電視廣告或電臺廣告的作用。

【解析】

41.B。主旨大意題。難度：較難。考查文章首段的主旨大意。根據題干關鍵詞probably led to the start of advertising定位在第一段最后一句：That led to the concept of specialization, which means that people would specialize, or focus, on doing one specific job.需要概括，即勞動分工的專業(yè)化。故B. The specialization of labor.為正確答案。

42. B。細節(jié)理解題。難度：適中。根據題干關鍵詞 Mr. Plowright 和 To advertise his plows定位在第四段：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.所以B. placed a sign outside the shop正確。

43. A。推理判斷題。難度：較難。這是邏輯結構的推理判斷。根據文章的結構脈絡，定位在前三段，首段下定義，接下來兩段通過兩個人物的故事闡明了廣告的起源，故選項A. explain the origin of advertising正確。

44.D。細節(jié)理解題。難度：較易。根據題干關鍵詞ancient Egypt和a crier，定位在最后一段最后一句His job was, in other words, not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world.說明類似于當今電視廣告或電臺廣告的作用，not too different from沒有什么太大的不同，雙重否定表肯定，故D. functioned like today’s TV or radio commercial正確。

45. C。主旨大意題。難度：適中。考查文章最后兩段的主旨大意。根據倒數第二段的中心句You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols. The second medium was audio, 和最后兩段的關鍵詞Originally和 this earliest form of advertising involved ….可以看出，最后兩段是圍繞廣告的早期形式展開的，故C. the early forms of advertising為正確答案。

【難句學習】

1. It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them.

翻譯：當人們發(fā)現一些人做某種工作要好過其他人的時候，廣告可能就隨之產生了。

分析：本句的主干是It is possible that…是由that引導的主語從句，第二個that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them.是引導定語從句修飾前面的the discovery。

2. That led to the concept of specialization, which means that people would specialize, or focus, on doing one specific job.

翻譯：那便引起了“專業(yè)化”。專業(yè)化是指人們要專門從事或專注于某種特定的工作。

分析：本句的主干是That led to the concept of specialization, 逗號后面是which引導的非限制性定語從句，定語從句又套了賓語從句that people would specialize, or focus, on doing one specific job.。

3. Using what he knew about farming and working with iron, Mr. Plowright invented a plow that made farming easier.

翻譯：普洛賴特先生憑借著對耕作了解和對鐵制工具的使用，發(fā)明了犁，它能讓耕種更容易。

分析：本句的主干是…Mr. Plowright invented a plow…。主句主語Mr. Plowright和 Use之間是主動關系，故用現在分詞，Using在這里表示方式狀語，后面的what he knew about farming and working with iron 是賓語從句，主句后面that made farming easier.是由that引導的定語從句修飾前面a plow。

4. The second medium was audio, or sound, although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today.

翻譯：第二種媒介叫：聲音信號，或聲音。盡管此術語在我們今天的生活中不這樣用。

分析：本句的主干是The second medium was audio…。although引導讓步狀語從句，狀語從句里又套了一個省略that的定語從句we use it today，來修飾the way。

5. His job was, in other words, not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world.

翻譯：換句話說，他的工作類似于當今世界電視廣告或電臺廣告。

分析：本句中in other words是插入語，句子主干是His job was not too different from…雙重否定表肯定。