Most people would probably agree that many individual consumer adverts function on the level of the daydream. By picturing quite unusually happy and glamorous people whose success in either career or sexual terms, or both, is obvious, adverts construct an imaginary world in which the reader is able to make come true those desires which remain unsatisfied in his or her everyday life.
An advert for a science fiction magazine is unusually explicit about this. In addition to the primary use value of the magazine, the reader is promised access to a wonderful universe through the product—access to other mysterious and tantalizing worlds and epochs, the realms of the imagination. When studying advertising, it is therefore unreasonable to expect readers to decipher adverts as factual statements about reality. Most adverts are just too meager in informative content and too rich in emotional suggestive detail to be read literally. If people read them literally, they would soon be forced to realize their error when the glamorous promises held out by the adverts didn’t materialize.
The average consumer is not surprised that his purchase of the commodity does not redeem the promise of the advertisement, for this is what he is used to in life: the individual’s pursuit of happiness and success is usually in vain. But the fantasy is his to keep; in his dream world he enjoys a “future endlessly deferred”.
The Estivalia advert is quite explicit about the fact that advertising shows us not reality, but a fantasy; it does so by openly admitting the daydream but in a way that insists on the existence of a bridge linking daydream to reality—Estivalia, which is “for daydream believers”, those who refuse to give up trying to make the hazy ideal of natural beauty and harmony come true.
If adverts function on the daydream level, it clearly becomes inadequate to merely condemn advertising for channeling readers’ attention and desires towards an unrealistic, paradisiacal nowhere land. Advertising certainly does that, but in order for people to find it relevant, the utopia visualized in adverts must be linked to our surrounding reality by a casual connection.
1.The people in adverts are in most cases are ______.
2.When the glamorous promises held out by the adverts didn’t materialize, the average consumer is not surprised, because ______.
3.What’s the bridge linking daydream to reality in adverts?
4.What is this passage mainly concerned with?
问题1选项
A.happy and glamorous
B.successful
C.obvious
D.both A and B
问题2选项
A.the consumer is used to the fact that the individual’s pursuit of happiness and success is usually in vain
B.adverts are factual statements about reality
C.the consumer can come into the realms of imagination pictured by adverts
D.adverts can make the consumer’s dreams come true
问题3选项
A.The product.
B.Estivalia.
C.Pictures.
D.Happy and glamorous people.
问题4选项
A.Many adverts can be read literally.
B.Everyone has a daydream.
C.Many adverts function on the level of the daydream.
D.Many adverts are deceitful because they cannot make good their promises.
第1题:
【选项释义】
The people in adverts are in most cases are ______. 广告中的人在大多数情况下是______。
A. happy and glamorous A. 快乐的和迷人的
B. successful B. 成功的
C. obvious C. 明显的
D. both A and B D. A和B
【考查点】细节事实题。
【解题思路】根据题干可将信息点定位到原文第一段第二句“通过描绘非常幸福而富有魅力的人们（happy and glamorous people），他们在事业上或性方面的成功（success）或两者兼备都是显而易见的，……”结合句意可知广告中的人大多数都是成功的，快乐的和迷人的，故D选项“A和B”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“快乐的和迷人的”属于以偏概全；
B选项“成功的”属于以偏概全；
C选项“明显的”，在文中明显的是指这些人的成功是明显的，不是指这些人是明显的，属于偷换概念。
第2题:
【选项释义】
When the glamorous promises held out by the adverts didn’t materialize, the average consumer is not surprised, because ______. 当广告所提供的诱人的承诺没有实现时，普通消费者并不感到惊讶，因为______。
A. the consumer is used to the fact that the individual’s pursuit of happiness and success is usually in vain A. 消费者已经习惯了这样一个事实：个人对幸福和成功的追求通常是徒劳的
B. adverts are factual statements about reality B. 广告是对现实的事实陈述
C. the consumer can come into the realms of imagination pictured by adverts C. 消费者可以进入广告所描绘的想象世界
D. adverts can make the consumer’s dreams come true D. 广告可以使消费者的梦想成真
【考查点】细节事实题。
【解题思路】根据题干可将信息点定位到原文第三段第一句“普通消费者对于他所购买的商品没有兑现广告的承诺并不感到惊讶，因为这是他在生活中已经习惯的：个人对幸福和成功的追求通常是徒劳的。”可知消费者已经习惯了，故A选项“消费者已经习惯了这样一个事实：个人对幸福和成功的追求通常是徒劳的。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“广告是对现实的事实陈述。”定位至第四段第一句“Estivalia广告非常明确地告诉我们，广告展示给我们的不是现实，而是幻想（not reality, but a fantasy）”可知广告不是对现实事实的陈述而是幻想，属于反向干扰；
C选项“消费者可以进入广告所描绘的想象世界。”定位至第二段第二句“除了杂志的主要使用价值外，读者还可以通过产品进入一个奇妙的世界——进入其他神秘而诱人的世界和时代，进入想象的领域。”可知消费者可以通过广告进入一个想象的世界，而不是进入广告所描绘的世界，故C选项属于曲解原文；
D选项“广告可以使消费者的梦想成真。”文中只表示广告构建了一个想象的世界，在那里人们的梦想能够成真，广告并不能真正实现消费者的梦想，属于曲解原文。
第3题:
【选项释义】
What’s the bridge linking daydream to reality in adverts? 在广告中，把白日梦和现实联系起来的桥梁是什么？
A. The product. A. 产品。
B. Estivalia. B. 斯蒂维拉。
C. Pictures. C. 图片。
D. Happy and glamorous people. D. 开心的和迷人的。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干可将信息点定位到原文倒数第二段“……通过公开承认白日做梦，但坚持认为白日做梦与现实之间存在着一座桥（bridge）——斯蒂维拉（Estivalia）……”可知该桥梁是Estivalia，故B选项“斯蒂维拉”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“产品”，C选项“图片”，D选项“开心的和迷人的”三个选项文中无法体现，属于无中生有。
第4题:
【选项释义】
What is this passage mainly concerned with______? 这篇文章主要是关于______的？
A. many adverts can be read literally A. 许多广告都可以逐字阅读
B. everyone has a daydream B. 每个人都有一个白日梦
C. many adverts function on the level of the daydream C. 许多广告在白日梦的层面上起作用
D. many adverts are deceitful because they cannot make good their promises D. 许多广告都是骗人的，因为他们不能兑现诺言
【考查点】主旨大意题。
【解题思路】由第一段中“大多数人可能会同意，许多个人消费者广告的功能就像白日梦一样。（function on the level of the daydream）”与最后一段“如果广告在白日梦层面发挥作用（function on the level of the daydream），……”可知文章在围绕广告在白日梦的层面上起作用，故C选项“许多广告在白日梦的层面上起作用。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“许多广告都可以逐字阅读。”定位至第二段倒数第二句“大多数广告只是在信息内容上太少，而在情感暗示的细节上太多，无法逐字阅读。”可知大多数广告无法逐字阅读，属于反向干扰；
B选项“每个人都有一个白日梦。”文中无法体现，属于无中生有；
D选项“许多广告都是骗人的，因为他们不能兑现诺言。”与文中主旨无关，属于曲解原文。
