Advertisements and critics

Part One: Reading   (15pts)         
A. Comprehension:              (08pts)
Read the following text carefully then do the activities.
Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why they are criticized. Their critics feel angry with them because they have so much money to throw around. “It’s unjust”, they say “that entirely unproductive industry absorbs millions of pounds every year”.
            Lots of big companies are making much profit. Why don’t they stop advertising and reduce the price of their goods. The poor consumer would have to pay a great deal more if advertising didn’t create many markets for products. It’s precisely because of heavy advertising that consumer goods are so cheap. But we get the wrong idea if we think that the only purpose of advertising is to sell goods. Another important function is to inform. A great deal of knowledge we have about household goods derive largely from the advertisements we read. They introduce us to new products or remind us of the existence of a few ones we already know.
            We mustn’t forget that advertising makes a positive contribution to our pockets. The fact that we pay so little for our daily paper, or enjoy so many broadcast programs is due to the money spent by advertisers. Another thing to remember is the “small adverts” in every newspaper and magazine. What a tremendous useful service they perform for the community. For example, you can find a job, buy or sell a house, announce a birth, marriage or any other event.                                                                                    From “Collection of Final Exams”

1.    Choose the right answer
    The text is about:
a)    The role of advertising in our society.
b)    The bad effect of advertising on the consumer.
c)    The different advertising companies.

2.    Are the following statements true or false?
a)    Critics think that advertising is an unproductive industry.
b)    Thanks to advertising, consumer goods are expensive.
c)    Advertisers don’t aim at selling goods only.
d)    “Small adverts” don’t help the consumer much.

3.    Answer the following questions according to the text.
a)    In what way do “small adverts” help us?
b)    What are the functions of advertising?

4.    Who or What do the underlined words in the text refer to?
        a)   Their  (§1)         b) they (§2)      c) a few ones (§2)     d) our (§3)

B. Text Exploration:    (7pts)

1.    Find in the text words or phrases closest in meaning to the following.
a) disapproved (§1)                 b) customer (§2)
b) information (§2)                 d) Owing to (§3)

2.    Complete the following chart as shown in the example.
Nouns                                    Verbs                          adjectives
consumption                        to consume                    consumptive
………………………    ………………………    reproductive
contribution    ………………………    ………………………
………………………    to use    ………………………
                                              
3.    Complete sentence (b) so that it means the same as sentence (a).
a)    Compared to the advertiser, the consumer doesn’t pay much money.
b)    Compared to the advertiser, the consumer pays…………………………………….
a)    Poor people can’t buy what they want because goods are expensive.
b)    If goods were cheaper, poor people………………………………………………more.
a)    “It’s unjust that unproductive companies absorb millions of pounds each year”, he said.
b)    He said that…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
a)    Lots of big companies are making great profit.
b)    Great profit…………………………………………………………….

4.    Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of their final “s”.
       produces - critics- millions –advertises - companies – advertisements
          
5.    Reorder the following sentences to make a coherent paragraph.
a)    The former are in need of almost every kind of modern comfort.
b)    They are the slaves of fashion, new products which they can’t live without.
c)    The impact of publicity is greater on the poor than on the average class.
d)    The latter don’t escape the negative effect of publicity too.
 
Part Two: Written Expression                         (05pts)
Choose ONE of the following topics.
Topic1: Use the given notes to write a composition of about 100 words on the following topic.
On your way to school, you saw an advertisement on highly sophisticated mobile phones. Your friend told you that he would do anything to buy one. So, you decided to write an article for your English school magazine on the negative impact advertising has on people.
•    Give an attractive title to your article
•    State some positive aspects of advertising
•    Explain how advertising can cause frustration 
•    As a conclusion, give pieces of advice on how not to let advertising have a harmful effect on the individual.  
    
Topic2: Write a composition of about 100 words on the following topic.
 Poor people are the victims of publicity because they can neither resist its impact nor satisfy their needs.