考研英语阅读unit-16

Unit 16

The shortest answer is doing.

最简单的回答就是干。

P art A

Directions：Read the following texts. Answer the questions blow each text by choosing [A],[B],[C] or [D].

Text 1

Truth in advertising is a concept central to the American free market economic system. According to this theory, companies that advertise their products to mass audiences must strictly deliver on their promises, and the quality of their goods must live up to the hype put out by the sellers. In order to examine just how important truthful advertising is, let us consider for a moment a world in which there was no such constraint imposed upon sellers. It would be a world where advertisers were free to exaggerate or even lie as they pleased, doing anything to make their products look great, even when it’s of inferior quality.

Firstly, the unreliability of the goods in question would no doubt shatter consumer confidence. Wary buyers would shop much less, thus decreasing the volume of trade and leading to a weakened overall economy. Further, the market would find itself stagnating, the lack of growth attributable to the fact that everyone is reluctant to buy products of which they are uncertain. Without growth, no progress is achieved.

Innovation on all fronts would suffer as well. With consumers constantly on guard against getting ripped off, brand loyalty, would be more important than ever; Buyers would simply stick with products that they know to be of good quality and be very hesitant to spend their money on “riskier,”unfamiliar ones. This would make entry into the market by new sellers or producers almost impossible, even if their products were of better quality than existing ones, simply because no one would be willing to give them a try. With new players effectively barred from the game，we’re left with the same goods in the market, day after day, year after year.

In the real world, however, truth in advertising allows American consumers to trust the boasts of producers. Thus, brand loyalty is less of an impenetrable barrier to entry. In order to enter into the market, new sellers or producers would simply have to create a better product and then announce the fact. Those who violate the principle of truth in advertising by making false claims of quality are punished on two fronts. The first is by the law and the second, perhaps more effectively, is by the buyers themselves, who will refuse to do business with the dishonest seller in the future. Imposed by both law and market forces, the principle of truth in advertising is a useful