Question

    Picture this: You’re searching the Internet and come across a website with interesting articles. Some are news stories. Their goal is to share information. Others only look like news stories. They’re actually advertisements, or ads. The goal of an ad is to get you to buy something. How do you, the reader, tell the difference between a news story and an ad?

Back when I was growing up, it was easier. We got most of our information from newspapers. Big news stories appeared on the front page, and ads were boxed off and clearly labeled. But on the Internet, the two are often presented together. It can be hard to tell which is which.

That’s why the research group I direct conducted a study. My research team showed kids like you the home page of a popular digital magazine. We asked them to tell us what was a news story and what was an ad.

Most were great at identifying certain types of ads. “It has a coupon (优惠券) code, a big company logo, and the words ‘limited time offer’,” one student wrote about an ad on the site. So where did kids get stumped (难倒)？

Some ads seem identical to real news stories. They have headlines and contain information. But they may also include the words “sponsored content”. Sponsored means “paid for,” and content refers to the information in the story. “Sponsored content” is a way of saying that something is an ad. Most kids in our study, even if they used the Internet often, didn’t know this.

Something sponsored doesn’t necessarily mean it’s false. It means someone paid money for it to appear. Companies pay so that readers will see their stories, buy their products, and like what the company stands for.

As a reader, you have a right to know who’s behind the information you’re consuming. So, look for the phrase sponsored content. (And look carefully. Sometimes, it will be written in tiny letters.) The Internet is a vast sea of information. To use it well, we not only have to know how to swim but also how to avoid the sharks.

1.Why was it easier for the author to distinguish ads from news stories?

A.Because news stories were clearly labeled.

B.Because ads had a very big company logo.

C.Because ads were printed on separate sections.

D.Because news stories appeared on the front page.

2.The underlined word “shark” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A.tricky advertisements B.information consumers

C.underwater rocks. D.content sponsors

3.Which would be the best title for this passage?

A.Identify News Stories B.Be digital smart.

C.Research into the Internet D.Be a smart advertiser

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了读者上网时会碰到新闻报道和广告，读者要学会分辨新闻报道和广告之间的区别。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段中的“We got most of our information from newspapers. Big news stories appeared on the front page, and ads were boxed off and clearly labeled.”可知，我们从报纸上获得了大多数信息。重大新闻报道出现在首页上，报纸对广告与新闻报道进行了分隔，并清晰地标记广告所处的位置。因此作者更容易区分广告和新闻报道是因为广告与新闻报道被印刷在报纸不同的位置上。故选C。

2.词义猜测题。根据最后一段中的“As a reader, you have a right to know who’s behind the information you’re consuming. So, look for the phrase sponsored content. The Internet is a vast sea of information. To use it well, we not only have to know how to swim but also how to avoid the sharks.”可知，作为一个读者，你有权知道谁是你所阅读的信息的提供者。因此要寻找赞助方的信息。为了很好地使用互联网，我们不仅要知道如何“游泳”，而且还应该知道如何避免“鲨鱼”。这里的“游泳”根据前一句可判断出它指的是在无穷尽的信息海洋里阅读。而“鲨鱼”则根据“So, look for the phrase sponsored content.”进行判断。由倒数第三段中的““Sponsored content” is a way of saying that something is an ad.”可知，出现赞助方的信息意味着读者读到的是一则广告。读者查找有无赞助方的信息是为了避免被狡猾的广告所欺骗。因此shark一词用在avoid(避免)一词之后意为“狡猾的广告”。故选A。

3.主旨大意题。第一段中的“You’re searching the Internet and come across a website with interesting articles. Some are news stories. Their goal is to share information. Others only look like news stories. They're actually advertisements, or ads. The goal of an ad is to get you to buy something. How do you, the reader, tell the difference between a news story and an ad? ”提出了文章的话题：网站上有趣的文章中有一些是新闻报道，有些是广告。新闻报道的目的是分享信息，而广告的目的是让你买点东西。作为读者该如何分辨新闻报道和广告呢？结合第2小题中对最后一段的分析可知，上网时读者要查找有无赞助方的信息为了避免被狡猾的广告所欺骗，即上网时头脑要保持灵敏。B项中的digital指的就是Internet，Be digital smart. (要保持敏锐的头脑)符合文意，因此作为标题是合适的。故选B。