A new report has concluded that advertising managers are becoming increasingly interested in children. Studies show that children influence about 50 percent of things that families buy, so they’re an attractive target for advertisers.
John Taylor, the author of the report, says：“Advertisers can reach their target in many ways. They can, for example, show an ad many times during school holidays, they can make the TV advertisements a little louder than the programmes to attract attention, or they can sponsor programmes and show their advertisements just before the programme begins.”
Most advertisements aimed at children are short, imaginative and often in the form of animated cartoons(动画片)．“Children love the ads and watch them in the same way as any entertainment programme，” Taylor says.
There’re concerns about advertising aimed at young people. The concerns are shared by Sarah Durham, a writer and journalist specialising in media analysis.“The most worrying thing is that children don’t think carefully when they see television advertisements. They’re less critical than adults and don’t usually realise the advertisement has a persuasive message, to encourage them or their parents to spend as much money as possible on the product or service，”she says.
There’re also concerns over the vast sums of money that junk food producers spend on advertising to persuade children to buy their food products. Many advertisements, argues Durham, sell food that is a lot higher in fat, salt and sugar than healthier alternatives. “Many companies target children with offers of free toys, models of cartoon characters and gimmicky(耍花招的) packaging.”
Government approaches to controlling advertising to children vary. In Sweden, one of the strictest countries where advertising is concerned, TV advertising to children under the age of 12 is banned. Greece bans television advertisements for children’s toys between 7 a．m. and 10 p．m. Denmark and the Netherlands also have legal controls whereas France, Britain and Germany prefer selfregulation(自动调节)．
Some countries are not as certain as the Swedes that advertising to children is harmful. The French argue that children need to see many advertisements so that they can develop their ability to think as they grow up. The belief is that advertising will help children to be more aware of its persuasive power.
【解题导语】 本文是一篇说明文。最新报告显示，儿童已经成为商业广告的新目标群体，儿童广告已引发社会的担忧。
1．What does John Taylor mainly talk about in Paragraph 2?
A．Ways in which advertisers reach children.
B．The time children spend watching television.
C．Examples of successful advertising to children.
D．The serious problems of advertising to children.
A 解析：段落大意题。由第二段的描述可知，John Taylor主要介绍了广告商推广儿童广告的三种方法。
2．Why is Sarah Durham concerned about advertising aimed at children?
A．TV ads limit children’s imagination.
B．TV ads affect children’s brain development.
C．Children lack the good sense to make decisions.
D．Children may spend lots of time watching television.
C 解析：推理判断题。由第四段中的The most worrying thing is that children don’t think carefully...They’re less critical than adults and don’t usually realise the advertisement has a persuasive message可知，Sarah Durham担心儿童广告会误导儿童，她认为儿童在看电视广告时，对于广告的推销缺乏理性判断。
3．What does Durham say about the food advertised?
A．It’s tasty. B．It’s cheap.
C．It’s unhealthy. D．It’s readymade.
C 解析：细节理解题。由倒数第三段中的Many advertisements, argues Durham, sell food that is a lot higher in fat, salt and sugar than healthier alternatives.可知，Durham认为很多广告推销的食物比健康食物的脂肪、盐和糖的含量高很多。
4．What is the French’s attitude toward advertising to children?
A．Doubtful. B．Relaxed.
C．Objective. D．Unfavorable.
B 解析：观点态度题。由最后一段的描述可知，法国人并不认为儿童广告是有危害的，相反，他们认为儿童广告有助于培养儿童的思考能力，并且有助于让儿童认识到广告的说服性力量。
