考研英语：历年真题阅读要点之1995-Text 1（三）

　　Advertising does more for the material benefit of the community than any other force I can think of.

　　material benefit“物质利益”;force“力量”，armed force“武装力量”，military force“军事力量”;这句话说的是“广告给大众带来的物质利益多于我能想到的其他任何力量。”

　　There is one point I feel I ought to touch on. Recently I heard a well-known television personality declare that he was against advertising because it persuades rather than informs. He was drawing excessively fine distinctions. Of course advertising seeks to persuade.

　　point“要点”;I feel为插入语;ought to do“应该做某事”;touch on“提及，谈及”;personality“名人”，也可以表示“个性，品格”;declare“宣称”，名词declaration;persuade“说服，劝说”，名词persuasion;rather than“而不是”;inform“告知”;excessively“过分地，极度”，形容词excessive，过度消耗或过度消费，可以用excessive consumption;fine“细致的”，也可以表示“优良的”，还可以充当名词“罚款”;distinction“区分”，distinct“有区别的，截然不同的”，distinctive则表示“有特色的，与众不同的”;“他做了过于细致的区分”excessively这个词说明作者对其观点持不赞同态度;seek to do“试图做某事”。

　　If its message were confined merely to information -- and that in itself would be difficult if not impossible to achieve, for even a detail such as the choice of the colour of a shirt is subtly persuasive -- advertising would be so boring that no one would pay any attention. But perhaps that is what the well-known television personality wants.

　　if引导虚拟条件句，与现在事实相反;message“消息，广告词”;be confined to“局限于”;in itself“就其本身而言，本质上”;if not impossible to achieve双重否定表肯定，为了便于理解，这种情况可以削减否定，即if possible to achieve“如果可能实现的话”;for引导原因状语从句;subtly“微妙地”;persuasive“有说服力的，说服性的”;两个破折号之间为插入语，起到补充说明的作用，可以略过;so...that...“如此...，以致于...”;boring“无聊的”;结尾转折又一次点明作者对著名电视人观点的不赞同。