26_Wanted_a_Large_Biscuit_Tin
26 Wanted a Large Biscuit Tin¶
No one can avoid being influenced by advertisements. Much as we may pride ourselves on our good taste, we are no longer free to choose the things we want, for advertising exerts a subtle influence on us. In their efforts to persuade us to buy this or that product, advertisers have made a close study of human nature and have classified all our little weaknesses.
Advertisers discovered years ago that all of us love to get something for nothing. An advertisement which begins with the magic word FREE can rarely go wrong. These days, advertisers not only offer free samples, but free cars, free houses, and free trips round the world as well. They devise hundreds of competitions which will enable us to win huge sums of money. Radio and television have made it possible for advertisers to capture the attention of millions of people in this way.
During a radio programme, a company of biscuit manufacturers once asked listeners to bake biscuits and send them to their factory. They offered to pay $10 a pound for the biggest biscuit baked by a listener. The response to this competition was tremendous. Before long, biscuits of all shapes and sizes began arriving at the factory. One lady brought biscuit on a wheelbarrow. It weighed nearly 500 pounds. A little later, a man came along with a biscuit which occupied the whole boot of his car. All the biscuits that were sent were carefully weighed. The largest was 713 pounds. It seemed certain that this would win the prize. But just before the competition closed, a lorry arrived at the factory with a truly colossal biscuit which weighed 2, 400 pounds. It had been baked by a college student who had used over 1, 000 pounds of flour, 800 pounds of sugar, 200 pounds of fat, and 400 pounds of various other ingredients. It was so heavy that a crane had to be used to remove it from the lorry. The manufacturers had to pay more money than they had anticipated, for they bought the biscuit from the student for $24, 000.
没有人能避免受广告的影响。尽管我们可以自夸自己的鉴赏力如何敏锐，但我们已经无法独立自主地选购自己所需的东西了。这是因为广告在我们身上施加着一种潜移默化的影响。做广告的人在力图劝说我们买下这种产品或那种产品之前，已经仔细地研究了人的本性，并把人的弱点进行了分类。
做广告的人们多年前就发现我们大家都喜欢免费得到东西。凡是用"免费"这个神奇的词开头的广告很少会失败的。目前，做广告的人不仅提供免费样品，而且还提供免费汽车、免费住房、免费周游世界。他们设计数以百计的竞赛，竞赛中有人可赢得巨额奖金。电台、电视使做广告的人可以用这种手段吸引成百万人的注意力。
有一次，在电台播放的节目里，一个生产饼干的公司请听众烘制饼干送到他们的工厂去。他们愿意以每磅10美元的价钱买下由听众烘制的最大的饼干。这次竞赛在听众中引起极其热烈的反响。不久，形状各异、大小不一的饼干陆续送到工厂。一位女士用独轮手推车运来一个饼干，重达500磅左右。相隔不一会儿，一个男子也带来一个大饼干，那个饼干把汽车的行李箱挤得满满的。凡送来的饼干都仔细地称量。最重的一个达713磅，看来这个饼干获奖无疑了。但就在竞赛截止时间将到之前，一辆卡车驶进了工厂，运来了一个特大无比、重达2,400磅的饼干。它是由一个大学生烘制的，用去1,000多磅的面粉、800磅食糖、200磅动物脂肪及400磅其他各种原料。饼干份量太重了，用了一台起重机才把它从卡车上卸下。饼干公司不得不付出比他们预计多得多的钱，因为为买下那学生烘制的饼干他们支付了24,000美元。
Words¶
- pride /praɪd/ 骄傲
- taste /test/ 鉴赏力
- exerts /ɪɡˈzɝts/ 施加
- subtle /ˈsʌtəl/ 微妙的
- persuade /pɚˈswed/ 首说服
- classified /ˈklæsəˌfaɪd/ 分类
- samples /ˈsæmpəlz/ 样品
- capture /ˈkæptʃɚ/ 吸引
- bake /bek/ 烤
- wheelbarrow /ˈwilˌbɛro/ 独轮手推车
- occupied /ˈɑkjəˌpaɪd/ 占用
- boot /but/ 行李箱
- lorry /ˈlɔri/ 卡车
- colossal /kəˈlɑsəl/ 巨大的
- flour /ˈflaʊɚ/ 面粉
- crane /kren/ 起重机
- anticipated /ænˈtɪsəˌpetɪd/ 预期
Expressions¶
- bad/good/positive etc influence (on somebody) 对某人的坏/好影响
- have an influence on somebody/something 对某人/某物有影响
- be influenced by .. 受……影响
- pride oneself on (doing) something = be proud of 以……为豪
- have good/bad taste in sth. 对……有好的/差的品味
- exert a subtle/some influence on/over sb. 对某人施加微妙的影响
- have a subtle mind 拥有敏锐的头脑
- classify a. as/under b. 把 A 归类为 B
- say the magic word 说出咒语
- free samples of sth. 免费样品
- devise a way/plan to 想出办法/计划来……
- capture the attention of sb. = capture sb’s attention 引起某人的注意
- in the boot of sb’s car 在某人汽车后备箱里
- It is anticipated that + 句子 预计...
- sb. anticipate that + 句子 某人预料……
- avoid being done 避免被……
- be free to do sth… 可以自由做某事
- In sb’s efforts to do sth. 在某人力图做某事的过程中
- get something for nothing 免费得到
- enable sb to do sth. 使某人能够做某事
- a. have made it possible for sb. to do sth. 使某人能够做某事
- come along 出现；一起来
- buy sth. from sb. 从某人那里买某物