Researchers study television to understand its effects on viewers and to measure its effectiveness in selling products. Much of the research on TV audiences is market research, paid for by companies with something to sell. Let me repeat: research on television is supported largely by advertisers.

The television industry depends on advertising money to run, and this relationship influences what television offers viewers. Advertisers aim to reach mass audiences and particular social groups. In turn, the television industry tries to meet the needs of advertisers, because pleasing the advertisers is nearly as important as pleasing the public. This means advertisers have a lot of control over what programs are made and when they are shown.

Television is the most effective marketing tool ever created. Many advertisements apply basic psychology (心理學(xué)) by sort of turning to our insecurities and desires. Ads convince us that the things we once thought were luxuries (奢侈) are now necessities. Television is highly skilled at creating images (形象) of a comfortable life, not just in the ads, but in the programs as well. Using expert market research, programmers and advertisers sort of paint a picture of life centered on material possessions. This kind of life may look attractive and desirable, but it’s all at the expense of personal relationships.

As you probably can tell, I prefer to agree with critics(評(píng)論家) of the media. Advertising does create false needs, and products we really need don’t require advertising. Television advances consumerism (消費(fèi)至上). It shows us things, things, and more things. It encourages greed and envy. Television helps create a wasteful society, where things are thrown out long before they are worn out.

1．What is the main idea of the passage?

       A．Television research is an interesting field.

       B．Advertising is effective in selling products.

       C．Television helps develop a culture of consumerism.

       D．The television industry should be better managed.

2．According to the passage, researchers study television to        .

       A．learn about the types of programs

       B．understand the culture of the society

       C．decide which programs to export

       D．measure how much it helps to sell products

3．The writer uses the underlined sentences in Paragraph 3 to          .

       A．a(chǎn)rgue that television images of life lack depth and meaning

       B．warn readers not to spend more money than they can afford

       C．show that television programs can advance personal growth

       D．suggest that readers watch only high – quality programs

4．What is the writer’s opinion of television?

       A．Television is the best way to advertise products and services.

       B．Television mostly has had a side effect on society.

       C．People have a wrong opinion of television.

       D．It is the duty of television to help create a rich society.

Researchers study television to understand its effects on viewers and to measure its effectiveness in selling products. Much of the research on TV audiences is market research, paid for by companies with something to sell. Let me repeat; research on television is supported largely by advertisers.

    The television industry depends on advertising money to run, and this relationship influences what television offers viewers. Advertisers aim to reach mass audiences and particular social groups. In turn, the television tries to meet the needs of advertisers, because pleasing the advertisers is nearly as important as pleasing the pubic. This means advertisers have a lot of control over what programs are made and when they are shown.

Television is the most effective marketing tool ever created. Many advertisement apply basic psychology by sort of turning to our insecurities and desires. Ads convince us that the things we once thought were luxuries are now necessities. Television is highly programs as well. Using expert market research, programmers and advertisers sort of paint a picture of life centered on material possessions. This kind of life may look attractive and desirable, but it’s all at the expense of personal relationships.

As you probably can tell, I prefer to agree with critics of the media. Advertising does create false needs, and products we really need don’t require advertising. Television advances consumerism. It shows us things, things, and more things. It encourages treed and envy. Television helps create a wasteful society, where things are thrown out long before they are worn out.

1．What is the main idea of the passage?

    A．Television research is an interesting field.

    B．Advertising is effective in selling products

    C．Television helps develop a culture of consumerism

    D．The television industry should be better managed

2．According to the passage, researchers study television to          .

    A．learn about the types of programs

    B．understand the culture of the society

    C．decide which programs to export

    D．measure how much it helps to sell products

3．The writer uses the underlined sentences in Paragraph 3 to             .

    A．a(chǎn)rgue that television images of life lack depth and meaning

    B．warn readers not to spend more money than they can afford

    C．show that television programs can advance personal growth

    D．suggest that readers watch only high-quality programs

4．What is the writer’s opinion of television?

    A．Television is the best way to advertise products and services.

    B．Television mostly has had a side effect on television

    C．People have a wrong opinion of television

D．It is the duty of television to help create a rich society

Everyone’s at it, even my neighbors. I thought I might be the only person left in the world who hadn’t done an eBay deal. So, I decided to try my hand at online auction（網(wǎng)上拍賣）.

Buying for Beginners

Sign up on www. eBay. co. uk. Most items (e.g. tables, computers and books) ready for auction will come with a picture and a short description; others may be marked with “Buy It Now” and have a fixed price. You can buy these right away.

If the item is being auctioned, you offer the highest price you are prepared to pay and eBay bids (出價(jià)) for you. The bid will be increased little by little until it goes beyond your highest bid, then you are emailed and asked if you would like to bid again. Auctions last up to 10 days and when they finish, you get an email telling you whether you have won the item.

How to Pay

Sellers decide how they would like to be paid and you need to check this before placing a bid as you might not want to post a check or postal orders. The easiest way is through PayPal, an online payment system that takes the money away from your credit card.

Selling Made Simple

If you plan to sell on eBay, it helps to include a picture of the item. I followed my friends’ advice and put up the items I wanted to sell for a 10-day auction, starting on a Thursday. This way buyers had two weekends to bid.

The big Things in Life

It’s easy to post a small item, but furniture is a big part of eBay and this has to be collectively sent by deliverymen. Check the ways of delivery before you bid.

What is the passage mainly about?

A. How to make payment online.              B. Ways of making delivery online.

C. Advantages of an online auction system.      D. How to use an online-auction system.

After bidding for an item, a buyer ________.

A. has chances to make higher bids  B. will get what he wants in ten days

C. should make payment immediately  D. may check its picture and description

The easiest way of making payment mentioned in the passage is ________.

A. through a local banking system   B. by sending the money to the seller

C. by paying the deliveryman directly   D. through an online payment system

Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family, and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck. I’m not going to say luck,talent,and circumstances don’t come into play because they do. Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence, and that’s just the reality of how life is.

However,to succeed in life,one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical.And,in addition to that,in order to get really good at something,one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practicing.To become great at certain things,it’ll require even more time,time that most people won’t put in.

This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don’t enjoy what you do ,it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.

When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success,you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost.It’s sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent,but thinking that way does you no good,and there’s a huge chance that you’re wrong anyway.

Whatever you do,if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out,almost to the point of addiction,and over a long period of time.If you’re not willing to put in the time and work,don’t expect to receive any rewards.Consistent, hard work won’t guarantee you the level of success you may want, but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.

1.Paragraph 1 mainly talks about ________.

A．the reasons for success                   B．the meaning of success

C．the standards of success                  D．the importance of success

2.In Paragraph 2,the underlined word that refers to ______.

A．being good at something                  B．setting a practical goal

C．putting in more time                     D．succeeding in life

3.Successful people suggest doing what one loves because ______.

A．work makes one feel pain                 B．one tends to enjoy his work

C．one gives up his work easily               D．it takes a lot of time to succeed

4.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．Successful people like to show their great skills.

B．People sometimes succeed without luck or talent.

C．People need to achieve success at the cost of life.

D．It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success.

5.What is the main theme of the passage?

A．Having a goal is vital to success.

B．Being good is different from being great.

C．One cannot succeed without time and practice.

D．Luck,talent and family help to achieve success.

 

Did you ever think someone was scary (恐怖的)because they looked different or ate strange food? Well, they might think the same about you! One of the things we all need to do is to celebrate variety．We shouldn’t think badly of people from other cultures because they behave differently from us.
Sometimes we treat people from other countries unfairly, because one person from that culture did something bad．Well, has your class ever been punished just because a few kids were causing trouble? Has your whole family ever been blamed for something your little sister did? It doesn’t seem fair, does it? It’s just equally unfair to blame a whole culture for what two or three people have done.
So here are some things that you can do to help yourself understand other cultures:
①Find common ground!
Just remember that even though some people look different on the outside, that doesn’t change how they are on the inside．They still have the exact same feelings!
②________________
Because someone from another culture has been mean to you, you decide to avoid everyone from that culture．Well think about it．Why are you blaming them for something they didn’t have anything to do with? Put yourself in their shoes．How would you feel? Putting yourself inside someone else’s head can be a very powerful way to understand WHY they are acting the way they are.
③Try to make friends with people from other cultures!
You could ask them about their culture, or what it is like in their country, if they can remember, or if they have ever lived there．Try foods from their culture, or ask them about words in their language．You might be surprised at how interesting other cultures can be! You can join great discussion groups, participate in projects, and have lots of fun doing new things.
④Be aware that you’ve judged other people
If you know what you have done, it helps to make things better．Pay attention to what you think about other people．It helps.
【小題1】What is mainly discussed in this passage?  

A．Why there are differences between people

B．What to do to understand other cultures

C．How people feel when they meet people from other cultures

D．The differences between people from different cultures

【小題2】Which of the following can be put into the blank behind ②?

A．Avoid everyone from that culture!

B．Put all responsibilities on others!

C．Consider oneself first!

D．Don’t blame all because of one!

【小題3】The underlined word “celebrate” most probably means “_______”.

A．feel proud of	B．express ideas of
C．praise and enjoy	D．pay attention to

【小題4】The following can be the better way to treat foreigners except_______.

A．join their discussion groups	B．try foods from their culture
C．a(chǎn)void meeting them	D．find common ground