# 第三册 Lesson 26 Wanted: a large biscuit tin 征购大饼干筒

## 一、课文原文

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 $10 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 2,400 pounds. It had been baked by a college student who had used over 1,000 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 $24,000.

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| influence | /'influəns/ | v./n. | 影响 | influence sb. to do 影响某人做某事 |
| pride | /praid/ | v. | 骄傲 | pride oneself on 为……自豪 |
| taste | /teist/ | n. | 鉴赏力 | good taste好品味 |
| exert | /ig'zə:t/ | v. | 施加 | exert influence on 对……施加影响 |
| subtle | /'sʌtl/ | adj. | 微妙的 | subtly adv. 微妙地 |
| advertiser | /'ædvətaizə/ | n. | 做广告的人 | advertise v. 做广告；advertisement n. 广告 |
| classify | /'klæsifai/ | v. | 分类 | class n. 类别；classification n. 分类 |
| magic | /'mædʒik/ | adj. | 有奇妙作用的 | magic word有魔力的词 |
| sample | /'sa:mpəl/ | n. | 样品 | free sample免费样品 |
| devise | /di'vaiz/ | v. | 设计，想出 | device n. 装置/设备 |
| capture | /'kæptʃə/ | v. | 吸引，赢得 | capture attention吸引注意力 |
| manufacturer | /'mænju'fæktʃərə/ | n. | 制造商 | manufacture v. 制造 |
| wheelbarrow | /'wi:l'bærəu/ | n. | 独轮手推车 | wheel+barrow |
| boot | /bu:t/ | n. | 汽车行李箱 | 英式用法，美式用trunk |
| ingredient | /in'gri:diənt/ | n. | 配料 | 食谱中的原料 |
| crane | /krein/ | n. | 起重机 | 也指"鹤" |
| anticipate | /æn'tisipeit/ | v. | 预期，预料 | anticipation n. 预期 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. 动名词的被动形式
- **No one can avoid being influenced by advertisements.**
- avoid需接动名词作宾语
- being influenced是动名词一般式的被动形式（being + 过去分词）
- 含义：没有人能避免**被**广告影响

### 2. 让步状语从句：much as
- **Much as we may pride ourselves on our good taste...**
- much as = although...very much
- 译为"尽管很……""虽然……"
- 结构：Much as + 主语 + may + 动词原形

### 3. 固定搭配

| 短语 | 释义 |
|------|------|
| get something for nothing | 免费得到（不劳而获） |
| go wrong | 出差错，出毛病 |
| the response to... | 对……的反响/回应 |
| pride oneself on | 为……感到自豪 |
| exert an influence on | 对……施加影响 |

### 4. so...that...结果状语从句
- **It was so heavy that a crane had to be used to remove it from the lorry.**
- 如此……以至于……

### 5. make it possible for sb. to do sth.
- **Radio and television have made it possible for advertisers to capture the attention...**
- it为形式宾语，真正的宾语是for...to不定式短语
- possible为宾语补足语

### 6. more...than...比较结构
- **The manufacturers had to pay more money than they had anticipated**
- 比预计付出的钱多
- had anticipated为过去完成时，表示"之前预计的"

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. Much as we may pride ourselves on our good taste
- 让步状语从句倒装结构
- =Although we may pride ourselves on our good taste very much
- pride oneself on = be proud of

### 2. An advertisement which begins with the magic word FREE can rarely go wrong.
- 以"免费"这个有魔力的词开头的广告很少会失败
- go wrong = fail 不成功

### 3. It seemed certain that this would win the prize.
- **It seems certain that...** 看来……是确定无疑的了
- it为形式主语，that从句为真正主语

### 4. The manufacturers had to pay more money than they had anticipated
- 饼干公司付出的钱比预计的多得多
- $24,000 = 2,400磅 × $10/磅
- 讽刺效果：本想用竞赛做广告，结果赔了大钱

## 五、课文翻译

没有人能避免受广告的影响。尽管我们可以自夸自己的鉴赏力如何敏锐，但我们已经无法独立自主地选购自己所需的东西了。这是因为广告在我们身上施加着一种潜移默化的影响。做广告的人在力图劝说我们买下这种产品或那种产品之前，已经仔细地研究了人的本性，并把人的弱点进行了分类。

做广告的人们多年前就发现我们大家都喜欢免费得到东西。凡是用"免费"这个神奇的词开头的广告很少会失败的。目前，做广告的人不仅提供免费样品，而且还提供免费汽车，免费住房，免费周游世界。他们设计数以百计的竞赛，竞赛中有人可赢得巨额奖金。电台、电视使做广告的人可以用这种手段吸引成百万人的注意力。

有一次，在电台播放的节目里，一个生产饼干的公司请听众自己烘制饼干送到他们的工厂去。他们愿意以每磅10美元的价钱买下由听众烘制的最大的饼干。这次竞赛在听众中引起了极其热烈的反响。不久，形状各异、大小不一的饼干陆续送到了工厂。一位女士用手推车运来一个饼干，重达500磅左右。相隔不一会儿，一个男子也带来一个大饼干，那饼干把汽车的行李箱挤得满满的。凡送来的饼干都仔细地称量。最重的一个达713磅，看来这个饼干获奖无疑了。但就在竞赛截止时间将到之际，一辆卡车驶进了工厂，运来了一个特大无比、重达2,400磅的饼干。它是由一个大学生烘制的，用去1,000多磅面粉、800磅食糖、200磅动物脂肪及400磅其他各种原料。饼干份量太重了，用了一台起重机才把它从卡车上卸下。饼干公司不得不付出比他们预计多得多的钱，因为为买下那学生烘制的饼干他们支付了24,000美元。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
- **议论+叙事**：先议论广告的影响力，再用具体事例说明
- **讽刺效果**：饼干公司本想用竞赛做广告省钱，结果花了$24,000
- **递进夸张**：500磅→713磅→2,400磅，越写越大
- **数据对比**：$10/磅 × 2,400磅 = $24,000，远超预期

### 文化背景
- **广告文化**：西方社会广告无处不在，深刻影响消费行为
- "FREE"一词在广告中的魔力效应已被大量研究证实
- 电台竞赛是20世纪中期常见的广告手段

## 七、课后练习要点

1. 词汇：掌握influence, exert, subtle, devise, capture, anticipate等重点词
2. 语法：动名词被动形式(being done)；much as让步状语从句；make it possible for...to...
3. 句型：get something for nothing; pride oneself on; go wrong; so...that...
4. 理解：谁赢了最大饼干的奖？——一个大学生，获得$24,000

## 八、本课小结

- 核心词汇：influence, exert, subtle, devise, capture, anticipate, colossal
- 核心语法：动名词被动形式、much as让步状语从句、make it possible for...to...
- 核心句型：pride oneself on, get something for nothing, go wrong, exert influence on
- 写作特色：议论+叙事、讽刺效果、递进夸张、数据对比