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Unit 11
Advertising
In-Class Reading
What Advertising Does to Us
I. Word List
Directions: Memorize the words and phrases before class. You will benefit from your effort when you get the passage from your teacher and read it in class.
New Words
acceptance *
n. 接受，认同
e.g. Feminist ideas have now found widespread acceptance.
atmosphere *
n. the character or feeling or mood of a place or situation 氛围
e.g. There has been an atmosphere of gloom in the factory since it was announced that it would be closing.
awareness
n. knowledge or understanding of a particular subject or situation 意识
e.g. political awareness / environmental awareness
baggy
adj. large and loose 宽松的
billboard
n. 广告牌，告示牌
bypass *
v. avoid something by going around 越过，忽视，避开
e.g. We must not bypass such an important issue.
client *
n. someone who pays for services or advice from a person or organization 顾客，委托人
e.g. The company required clients to pay substantial fees in advance.
collective *
adj. relating to a group or society as a whole 集体的
e.g. It was a collective decision.
constant *
adj. happening very frequently 经常的，不断的
e.g. She suggests that women are under constant pressure to be abnormally thin.
construct *
v. form something or create something by putting different parts together 构成，形成
e.g. You will find it difficult to construct a spending plan without first recording your spending.
corrupt *
adj. dishonestly using your position or power to your own advantage, especially for money
e.g. The whole system was corrupt--every official she turned to wanted money before helping her.
decency
n. a quality in someone's character that makes them honest and polite and makes them have respect for other people 正派，庄重
demographics
n. (plural) （尤指市场测算的）人口统计数据
deodorant
n. 除臭剂
dishonesty
n. 欺骗，骗人
e.g. The court found him guilty of dishonesty.
distort *
v. explain a fact, statement, idea, etc. in a way that changes its real meaning 歪曲
e.g. His remarks about the book have been distorted.
distorted
adj. 被歪曲的
e.g. These figures give a distorted view of the significance for the local economy.
essence *
n. the central or most important quality of a thing 要素，实质
exaggerate *
v. regard or describe something as being greater, better or worse than it really is 夸张
e.g. I think you're exaggerating the importance of this issue.
exposure *
n. the state of being forced or allowed to experience something or be affected by something 暴露，显露
e.g. We should be worried about our children's exposure to violence on television.
feminine *
adj. 女性的，妇女的
e.g. She loved pretty feminine things.
focus *
v. （使）集中，（使）聚焦
e.g. I ) When the kitchen is finished I'm going to focus my attention on the garden.
II) I focused the telescope on the moon.
hypocrisy
n. the behavior of someone who is not honest and puts on false appearances 虚伪
image *
n. a picture in the mind of what something or someone is like 形象
e.g. I had this image of London in my head which was totally different from how it really is.
impression *
n. the opinion or feeling you have about someone or something 印象
e.g. What's your impression of Frank as a boss?
institution *
n. a large establishment or organization that has a particular kind of work or purpose 社会机构
e.g. It is the most advanced medical institution in the world.
link *
v. 连接，联系
e.g. They maintain that the level of any new tax should be linked to an individual's ability to pay.
magic *
adj. having a special exciting quality that makes something very different from ordinary things 神奇的
e.g. There is no magic formula for instant success.
marital
adj. connected with marriage 婚姻的
mint *
n. 薄荷糖
mode *
n. a particular way or style of behaving, living or doing something 方法，方式
e.g. They have a relaxed mode of life that suits them well.
participation *
n. the act of taking part in an activity or event 参与
e.g. We want more participation in the decision-making.
predominant *
adj. being the most noticeable , important or largest in number 主要的，显著的
e.g. Beethoven (贝多芬) was the predominant composer of the early 19th century.
replay
v. think about an event in your mind again and again 重现，重温
spray *
n. 喷雾剂（如香水，消毒剂）
status *
n. （法律）地位，状况
e.g. I ) marital status （婚姻状况）
II) Please keep us informed of the status of the project.
striving
n. 努力，奋斗
suspicious *
adj. thinking that someone might be guilty of doing something wrong or dishonest, without being sure 怀疑的
e.g. I've always been very suspicious of his motives.
target *
n. the person that a program or publication is primarily intended for or aimed at 目标，对象
e.g. target audiences / readers
What Advertising Does to Us
1 Advertising images are surely the most common art we see today. We have to go out of our way to see a good movie or a good painting, but advertising images are everywhere. We see them whether we want to or not, on billboards as we drive to work, on the walls of stores where we shop, in magazines and newspapers, on television, and on the products we use. We even get them in the mail. Everything gets advertised. Advertising is an art form that is uniquely linked to our economic system.
2 Unlike fine art, which usually gives us the perspective of a single individual, advertisements give us the perspective of a whole community of institutions. If fashion advertisements show people wearing baggy clothes, then the characters in toothpaste ads also wear baggy clothes, and there are baggy clothes in the store for us to buy. Advertisements repeat and reinforce each other's social messages. One tells us to buy underarm deodorant to prevent body odor, another tells us to buy deodorant soap, and another asks us to buy feminine deodorant spray; all reinforce the message that we smell bad and need products to make us smell the way we should.
3 Because we are exposed to so much advertising, we absorb its messages and accept its values and attitudes in our approach to life. Throughout our day, we ask questions like: "What do I want to buy? What are they trying to sell me? What can I afford?" in response to advertising. This keeps us focussed on money as the essence of daily life. It maintains in us an awareness of how we lack products that would make our lives more comfortable or enjoyable. In this way, exposure to advertising creates within us a self-interest and a restless striving to become more comfortable. It focuses our attention on our own interests at the expense of others or of the collective good.
4 There is also an atmosphere of dishonesty about advertising. We all know that the claims ads make for their products are often greatly exaggerated. We hear the advertisers claim that they want to improve our lives when we know they just want to improve their sales. Often companies put out image advertisements to counter bad impressions people might have of the company. Oil and paper companies show beautiful pictures of nature and say they are concerned with the environment, and cigarette companies put out advertisements saying they really don't want kids to smoke. Constant exposure to this sort of hypocrisy destroys our belief in human decency, and makes us suspicious of people's real motives. Because we live our lives surrounded by hypocritical, or even false advertising messages, advertising for good causes may also appear corrupt.
5 Advertisers generally serve two functions for their clients: They create ads for products or causes, and they give their clients advice on what will sell. The advertisers research the demographics (sex, age, marital status, race, religion, region, income, labor-force participation) of their target consumers, and then design ads that appeal to that group. Advertising acts as a social mirror. The advertisements we see are generally only weeks or months old, showing completely contemporary people doing completely contemporary things. This is part of the power of advertising. We see ourselves as we are now. However, advertising is a distorted mirror, reflecting back at us only those values and attitudes that the advertiser wants us to hold.
6 Most ads use pictures because mental images are the predominant mode of thinking in daydreams and fantasies. Text by itself gets people to think, but pictures easily bypass thinking and get people to feel and do, i.e., to imagine themselves as the central players walking through the scene.
7 Advertising constructs fantasies for us that play on our desires for such things as social acceptance or romance. If that magic kiss comes with breath mints, we can try using breath mints ourselves to get a magic kiss. This gives the daydream constructed by the ad that much more power as we replay it in our own lives. (713 words)
Time taken: ____ minutes
Phrases and Expressions
act as
work like something else 充当，起......的作用
e.g. Your third gear (排挡) acts as a brake (刹车) if you use it going downhill.
appeal to
seem attractive and interesting to
e.g. The red hat appeals to me.
at the expense of 以......为代价
e.g. High production rates are often achieved at the expense of the quality of work.
be linked to
be connected with 与......有关
e.g. They believe that this illness is linked to the use of chemical pesticides (杀虫剂).
focus on
direct (one's attention) to something
e.g. We didn't focus on any specific area; we just talked generally about the problem.
go out of one's way
do something that you do not have to do and that involves making an effort 特地，不怕麻烦地
e.g. She went out of her way to help the newcomer.
play on
try to use or encourage (especially the feelings of others) for one's own advantage 利用（别人的感情）
e.g. This film about handicapped people is just playing on people's sympathy.
put out
produce information, etc. for people to read or listen to
e.g. The French news agency put out a statement from the Trade Minister.
suspicious of 对......怀疑的
e.g. I'm highly suspicious of the findings of this survey.
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