Lesson 26Wanted: a large biscuit tin Part 1: Text 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 $2 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 in a 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 2400 pounds. It had been baked by a college student who had used over 1000 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 $4800. Part 2: New words and expressions 1.influence ['influ ns] v.影响 2.pride [praid] v.骄傲 3.taste [teist] n.鉴赏力;品尝 4.exert [ig'z :t] v.施加 5.subtle ['s btl] a.微妙的，难以捉摸的 6.advertiser [' dv taiz ] n.做广告的人 7.classify ['kl sifai] v.分类 8.magic ['m d ik] a.有奇妙作用的 9.sample ['sa:mpl] n.样品 10.devise [di'vaiz] v.设计，想出 11.capture ['k pt ] v.吸引，赢得 12.manufacturer ['m nju'f kt r ] n.生产厂家，制造商 13.wheelbarrow ['wi:l'b r u] n.独轮手推车 14.boot [bu:t] n.(汽车尾部的)行李箱 15.ingredient [in'gri:dj nt] n.配料 16.crane [krein] n.起重机 17.anticipate [ n'tisipeit] v.预期，预料 ★influence ['influ ns] v.影响 1. v.影响 （= have effect on） Literature and art have great influence on people’s ideology.文学和艺术对人们的思想形态有很大的影响力。 Don’t influenced by bad examples. 不要受这些坏事的影响。 2.n. 影响 Under the influence of 受 的影响 We are under the influence of advertisement. 3.Have influence over sb. 有左右某人的能力 A teacher has in ... ...
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