2023年雅思基础阅读

ReadingPassage1BirthdaytraditionsindifferentcountriesBirthdaysarecelebratedallovertheworld.Sometraditionsarefairlysimilarfromcountrytocountry:candles,cakesandbirthdaywishes,birthdaygamesandpinchesforgoodluck.Othercustomsarequitedifferent.Hereareafew.Argentina–InArgentina,asinmanyLatinAmericancountries,oneofthemostimportantbirthdaypartiesisagirl’sfifteenth.Whengirlsturn15,theyhaveahugepartyanddancethewaltzfirstwiththeirfather,andthentheboysattheparty.China–Thebirthdaychildpaysrespecttotheparentsandreceivesagiftofmoney.Friendsandrelativesareinvitedtolunch,andnoodlesareservedtowishthebirthdaychildalonglife.Denmark–Aflagisflownoutsideawindowtoshowthatsomeonewholivesinthathouseishavingabirthday.Presentsareplacedaroundthechild’sbedwhiletheyaresleepingsotheywillseethemimmediatelywhentheywakeup.TheNetherlands–Specialyearbirthdayssuchas5,10,15,20,21arecalled“crown”yearsandthebirthdaychildreceivesanespeciallylargegift.Thefamilyalsodecoratesthebirthdaychild’schairwithflowersorpaperstreamers,paperflowersandballoons.India–UsuallyIndianchildrenwearwhitetoschool.However,ontheirbirthdaychildrenwearcolouredclothestoschoolandgiveoutchocolatestoeveryoneintheclass.Theirbestfriendhelpsthemtodothis.Japan–Thebirthdaychildwearsnewclothestomarktheoccasion.Certainbirthdaysaremoreimportantthanothersandthesearecelebratedwithavisittothelocalshrine.Thesearethethirdandseventhbirthdaysforgirlsandthefifthforboys.Questions1-5Matchthecountriesintheboxwiththeirdescriptions.1 Acountrywherelongevityiscelebratedbyaspecialdish ________2 Acountrywherecandiesaredistributedamongpeers ________3 Acountrywherethebirthdayismadeknowntothecommunity ________4 Acountrywherethehouseholdisfullofbirthdayornaments ________5 Acountrywherereligiousworshipissometimesinvolved ________ReadingPassage2TheAmericanRevolutionwasnotarevolutioninthesenseofaradicalortotalchange.Itwasnotasuddenandviolentoverturningofthepoliticalandsocialframework,suchaslateroccurredinFranceandRussia,whenbothwerealreadyindependentnations.Significantchangeswereusheredin,buttheywerenotbreathtaking.Whathappenedwasaccelerateevolutionratherthanoutrightrevolution.Duringtheconflictitselfpeoplewentonworkingandpraying,marryingandplaying.Mostofthemwerenotseriouslydisturbedbytheactualfighting,andmanyofthemoreisolatedcommunitiesscarcelyknewthatawarwason.America’sWarofIndependenceheraldedthebirthofthreemodernnations.OnewasCanada,whichreceiveditsfirstlargeinfluxofEnglish-speakingpopulationfromthethousandsofloyalistswhofledtherefromtheUnitedStates.AnotherwasAustralia,whichbecameapenalcolonynowthatAmericawasnolongeravailableforprisonersanddebtors.Thethirdnewcomer–theUnitedStates–baseditselfsquarelyonrepublicanprinciples.Yeteventhepoliticaloverturnwasnotsorevolutionaryasonemightsuppose.Insomestates,notablyConnecticutandRhodeIsland,thewarlargelyratifiedacolonialself-rulealreadyexisting.Britishofficials,everywhereousted,werereplacedbyahome-growngoverningclass,whichpromptlysoughtalocalsubstituteforkingandParliament.Questions6-106.Whichofthefollowingwouldbethebesttitleforthepassage?ATheUnitedStates:AnIsolatedCommunityBBreathtakingEventsDuringtheAmericanRevolutionCCanadaandtheAmericanWarofIndependenceDTheAmericanRevolution:EvolutionNotRevolution7.Inthefirstparagraph,whatdoestheauthorsuggestabouttheFrenchandRussianRevolutions?ATheywereexplosiveandabrupt.BTheywereineffective.CTheyinvolvedonlythosepeoplelivinginurbanareas.DTheyledtothereleaseofallpoliticalprisoners.8.Inline5,whatdoestheauthormeanby“peoplewentonworkingandpraying,marryingandpraying”?AMorepeoplegotmarriedthandivorced.BThewarcreatednewjobs.CLifewentonasusual.DPeoplehadmorethanenoughleisuretime.9.Inthesecondparagraph,theauthorstatesthatthecolonies’struggleforself-governmentprecededthecreationofallofthefollowingcountriesEXCEPTACanadaBTheUnitedStatesCAustraliaDTheUnitedKingdom10.ItcanbeinferredfromthepassagethattheloyalistswhoescapedtoCanadawereARussianBFrenchCBritishDAustralianReadingPassage3PufferyinAdvertisingA“Ourcoffeeislovedbymillionsworldwide.”Doyouoftenseethiskindofadvertisinginyourcountry?Statementslikethese,thatno-onecanprove,arecalledpufferyThisisatermthathasbeendevelopedforexaggeratedclaimsthataremadeinadvertising.Pufferyislegal,eventhoughsuchclaimscannotbeproved.Infact,pufferyhasbeentermed“alicencetolie”,asitisvagueenoughtobeclassedasopinion,anexpressionofthesalesperson'sevaluationoftheproduct,ratherthananobjectivestatement.BUsingpufferytoraiseawarenessofproductsandtogenerateincreasedsalesisacommonadvertisingstrategy.Goodsandservicesaredescribedintermsofsuperlatives,subjectiveopinionsandexaggerations;variouskindsofgeneralclaimsaremade,withnospecificfacts.So,whydosomepeopleworryaboutpuffery?Oneoftheconcernsiswhetherconsumersaremisledbyfalseadvertising.Legalguidelinesandgovernmentcontrolsarerequiredtopreventdishonestadvertising.Companiesunderstandablyobjecttountruthfuladswhichgiveacompetitoranunfairadvantageinthemarket.Theseclaimscanbetestedinthecourts,andthedecisionsthataremadehelptomaketheboundarybetweenacceptablepufferyandillegaladvertising.CPufferyisnothingnew.Ithasbeenidentifiedindocumentsdatingfromaslongagoasthesixteenthcentury,whenthenotionof“caveatemptor”or“letthebuyerbeware”developedinbusinesstransactions.Althoughthisinitiallyappliedtopropertydeals,itcametobeusedmoregenerally.ThisLatintermbasicallymeantthatanyonebuyingaproducthadaresponsibilitytocheckitcarefullybeforepayment.Thesellerdidnotneedtotakeresponsibilityfordefects(unlessaproblemhadbeendeliberatelyconcealed).Inthosedays,ofcourse,therewasnonotionofconsumerrightsorreturnspolicies.DThesedays,however,ifacompanyclaimstosellthecountry's“best-loved”or“favourite”product,whetherabrandofcoffeeoramakeofcar,thisisheldtobepuffery,ratherthananobjectiveclaimofmarketshare.Similarly,thecompanydoesnothavetoproduceproofthatthisclaimisactuallybackedupbynumbersorfacts.Inotherwords,claimssuchas“theworld'sbestcupofcoffee”areimpossibletoprove.Theyarealsosoexaggeratedthatitisexpectedthatanyconsumerwillunderstandhowsubjectivetheyare.Ineffect,thecompanyinquestionissaidtobe“boasting”ratherthanmakingobjectiveclaims.Theclaimsarethereforenotconsideredtobedeceptive.Infact,pufferyisoftenconsideredtoaddtotheentertainmentvalueofadvertisements,especiallytelevisioncommercials.EOntheotherhand,acompanythatstatestheirproductisthe“safest”or“cheapest”needstoshowproof,becausetheseclaimscandirectlyaffecttheircompetitors.Statementsthatareobjectiveneedtobebackedupbyprooforstatistics,asconsumerrightsorganisationscanrunteststocompareproductssuchaswashingmachinesandvacuumcleaners.Theyalsoinvestigatecompaniesinvolvedininsurance,finance,property,creditcardsandothersuchservices.Companiesandsalespeopleshouldthereforebeverycarefulwhenmakingfactualstatementsaboutaproduct,orassertionsregardingthequalityofgoodsandservices.Inmostdevelopedcountries,thereislikelytobeanofficialorganisationwhichoverseesthevalidityofadvertisingclaims.Inaddition,theremaybeagovernmentcouncilwiththeauthoritytotakelegalactionagainstcompaniesthatoverstepthelimit.FAprimaryfunctionofadvertisingistocreateproductawareness.Asconsumers,weneedtoknowaboutcompetingproducts,sowecanmakeinformeddecisionsonwhichonetobuy.Whileitisimportantthatadvertisersaremonitoredtoensuretheydonotmisleadconsumers,itcanbearguedthatpufferyisagoodtechniqueforraisingawarenessofnewproductsthatotherwisewouldgounnoticedinacrowdedmarket.Aslongasthereareeffectivewaysofmonitoringtheclaimsofadvertisers,topreventdeliberatedeceptionintermsofsafetyorparticularaspectsofperformance,itseemsthatmostpufferyisrelativelyharmless.Rather,itshouldbeseenasanintegralpartofadvertising,whichmostconsumerscandetectandlaughatratherthanbeingmisled.Questions11-16Thereadingpassagehassixparagraphs,A-EChoosethecorrectheadingforeachparagraphfromthelistofheadingsbelow.Writethecorrectnumber,i-vii,nexttotheappropriateparagraph.Therearemoreheadingsthanparagraphs.ListofHeadingsi.HistoryofPufferyii.ChecksonDeceptiveAdvertisingiii.ExamplesofCompaniesGuiltyofDeceptiveAdvertisingiv.ReasonsforMonitoringAdvertisingv.SummaryofRoleofPufferyinAdvertisingvi.DefinitionofPufferyvii.PufferythatisAcceptable11)ParagraphA12)ParagraphB13)ParagraphC14)ParagraphD15)ParagraphE16)ParagraphFQuestions17-23Dothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeinformationgiveninthereadingpassage?WriteTRUEifthestatementagreeswiththeinformationFALSEifthestatementcontradictstheinformationNOTGIVENifthereisnoinformationonthis______Somepeopleargueagainstpufferybecausebuyersmightbelieveeverythingi