unit14.ppt

Unit  14        Advertising

Part  A     

Communicative Function   Agreement or Disagreement 

        In daily conversation, we often agree or disagree with other people's opinions. This exercise is focused on how we express agreement or disagreement.

Listen to the conversations, paying attention to the ways people agree and disagree with the opinions expressed. Decide whether the second speaker agrees or disagrees with the first speaker. 

1.  a.  Agree          b.  Disagree

2.  a.  Agree          b.  Disagree

3.  a.  Agree          b.  Disagree

4.  a.  Agree          b.  Disagree

5.  a.  Agree          b.  Disagree

6.  a.  Agree          b.  Disagree

7.  a.  Agree          b.  Disagree

8.  a.  Agree          b.  Disagree

Script

1.             --Do you think we should put an ad in the newspaper to sell our apartment?

               --Sure, why not?         

2.             --Campus Daily isn't very interesting this week.

              --You can say that again.            

3.             --I hear putting an ad in a newspaper costs a lot of money.

              --It depends.  

4.             --In my opinion watching so many TV ads is a waste of time. 

              --I couldn't agree with you less. 

5.             --You don't care for commercials on TV, do you?

              --I'll say I don't. 

6.             --Didn't you think the movie we saw last night was fascinating?

              --I wouldn't say that. 

7.             --There'll be a football match between England and France on Channel 10 tonight.

              --Are you absolutely sure?          

8.             --The design of the movie ads appeals to me very much.

               --You said it. 

Useful Expressions for Agreement and Disagreement

 Expressing Agreement           

l  I agree entirely.

l  I couldn't agree with you more.

l  You can say that again.

l  I'll say / You said it.

l  That's it / You got it.

l  Why not?

l  That’s for sure/ Sure / Absolutely / Definitely / By all means / You bet.

l  That's just what I think / I feel the same way.

l  Me. too.

l  I think (guess / suppose ) so.

l  Exactly.

Expressing Disagreement        

l  I wouldn't say so.

l  I couldn't agree with you less.

l  No way.

l  It's out of the question.

l  I'm not sure I can agree.

l  I couldn't disagree more.

l  I disagree.

l  I don’t think so.

l  7. Are you absolutely sure?

l  I wonder if there's a mistake.

l  Are you kidding?

Notes

We can express disagreement either directly or indirectly. You disagree directly when you are sure of the fact or when you think your opinion is more reasonable. Otherwise indirect disagreement often sounds more polite. "Are you absolutely sure?" and "I wonder if there's a mistake" are examples of showing disagreement indirectly.

Listening   Strategy

Distinguishing  Signal  Words

Words like "but", "although" and "however" give a signal that the speaker (or writer) is going to say something different from what has been said. On the other hand, words like "and", "besides" and "also" only add something similar to what has been said. The ability to recognize these signal words while listening is a great help in understanding a text correctly.  

Listen to the short conversations and choose the right answers to the questions you hear.

Example:  --You like to go shopping in the supermarket, don't you?

               --Yes, it's so convenient. Besides, things are cheaper.

              Q: Does the woman enjoy shopping in the supermarket?

a. Yes           b. No

1.  a. Yes            b. No

2.  a. Yes            b. No

3.  a. Yes            b. No

4.  a. Yes            b. No

5.  a. Yes            b. No

6.  a. Yes            b. No

7.  a. Yes            b. No

8.  a. Yes            b. No

Script

1.             --How do you like our campus, John?

               --Well, it's very large but it's not clean enough.

               Q:  Does John have a favorable opinion of the campus? 

2.             --How do you like your English teacher, Li Ming?

        --She's very strict and her classes are always well-organized. Besides, she often gives up her free time for her students.

               Q:  Does Li Ming like her English teacher? 

3.             --How did you enjoy your vacation, Jack?

               --Although it was short, I visited many museums and art galleries.

               Q:  Did Jack enjoy his vacation?

4.             --Michael, everybody says Professor Fall is a boring teacher. What do you think?

               --Everyone falls asleep in his class. And he's hard to talk to.

               Q:  Is Professor Fall popular among his students?

5.           --What's your impression of New York, Barbara?

               --I really like the stores and the museums appeal to me, too.

               Q:  Does Barbara like New York very much?

6.             --Do you like living on campus?

               --I think so. But sometimes the dorm is so noisy that I can't get anything done.

               Q:  Does the woman have a completely favorable opinion of living on campus?         

7.             --Do you think you will major in medicine, Mary?

               --I think being a doctor means a lot of study and then working all sorts of hours. 

               Q:  Does Mary want to major in medicine? 

8.             --How do you like living with your roommates?

               --Well, sometimes it's hard to share a room with others but you get along with your roommates by compromising.

               Q:  Does the woman get along with her roommates?

Part  B                            

Pre-listening Task

Questions for Discussion    

You are going to talk about advertising. Read the following questions and discuss them with your partner.

1.       Do you think ads are necessary or a nuisance?

2.       Do you like watching or reading advertisements? Why or why not?

3.       Why do manufacturers spend so much money on advertising?

4.       Do ads influence you (or people in general) in buying things? How?

5.       Has any particular ad had an effect on you in your decision to buy something?

6.       Do you have anything to advertise?

7.       Suppose you've got some second-hand course books to sell, where would you place your ad and how?

Demo

2. Do you like watching or reading advertisements? Why or why not?

      I’d like to watch advertisements on TV. The reasons are as follows: First, I can see the actual product as it is shown on TV. Second, I can see the demonstration of the product and how it is used. Lastly, the person who shows the product to the audience is usually a celebrity. So I can see the celebrity often by watching advertisements.

3. Why do manufacturers spend so much money on advertising?

      Manufacturers are no fools. They spend so much money on ads because advertising is an effective way of their marketing products. When you want to sell something in the market, you have to tell as many people as you can so that they will become interested in what you offer. If somebody else has the same thing to sell in the market, then you will have to tell people that your goods are better than others so that people will choose yours. All manufacturers know this very well and that is why they spend large amounts of money on advertising.

Language Focus    

Here are some sentences and structures that you might find handy in discussing the above questions:

l  I like / dislike watching / reading ads. They are amusing / interesting / vivid / fascinating / funny / persuasive / misleading / exaggerated…  

l  I come across ads every time I turn on TV / radio / open a newspaper / magazine.

l  Ads are part of our life / something unavoidable no matter whether you like them or not.

l  To sell a product, the first thing to do is make it known to potential customers. That’s why manufacturers are ready to spend a lot of money on advertising their products.

l  The cost of making ads is actually included in the prices of goods.

l  Ads provide us with useful information on commodities / services / jobs …

l  Ads influence us in the kind of goods we buy. When we do shopping, we automatically choose to buy advertised goods without hesitation.

l  With ads, we save a lot of time in shopping / choosing the kind of product we want / looking for jobs / getting better services …

l  Without ads, manufacturers may find it difficult to sell their products /make their products known to consumers.

l  Without commercial ads, newspapers, radio and television companies cannot survive.

l  TV commercials are a nuisance / waste of time / interrupt programs too frequently.

l  Ads take advantage of our longing for wealth / good looks / good health / comfort …

l  Ads exploit our fear of danger / growing old / falling ill …  

l  I once put an ad in a local newspaper to look for a roommate/ to sell some used textbooks/ to sell some electronic appliances and it really worked.

l  I don’t want to spend money on ads.  I always sell the books that I no longer use to a second-hand bookstore.

Listening  Tasks

A Conversation

Placing an Ad

Word  Bank

classification      n.   category  类别

read             v.   to be worded  措辞

utilities ( pl )      n.   a service such as gas, water or electricity that is provided to the public公用事业

matching         a.  agreeing in color or pattern with another thing和……相配的

offer            n.   an amount of money that sb. is willing to pay for sth.出价

run             v.   to publish in a newspaper, magazine  刊登

take up          v.    to fill or use space or time, to occupy  占用          

Script

Placing  an  Ad

(Ring …Ring … Sound of phone being picked up)

John:   Hello, Campus Daily, advertising department. This is John speaking.

Maggie:  Hi. I'm calling to place a couple of ads.

                               John:   Sure. Under what classification?

Maggie:  Well, I'd like one in the "Roommates Wanted" section.

                               John:   All right. And how would you like your ad to read?

Maggie:  It should read "Female roommate wanted for pleasant, sunny two-bedroom apartment on Fifth Avenue, three blocks from campus. Share rent and utilities. Available September first. Call between 5 and 9 p.m. and ask for Maggie."

John:   Fine. And what about your other ad?           

Maggie:  That one I'd like under "Merchandise for Sale", and I'd like it to read "Matching blue sofa and easy chair for sale, excellent condition, $350 or best offer. Call between 5 and 9 p.m. and ask for Maggie." Did you get all that?

                               John:   Uh, huh. You'll want your phone number on these, right?

Maggie:  Oh sure. Thanks for reminding me. It's 555-6792.

John:   And how long do you want these ads to run?

Maggie:  For a week, I guess. How much would that be?

John:   Let's see—it's $8 a week per line. Your two ads will both take up three lines, so that's $24 per ad.

Maggie:  All right. 

Language and Culture Notes

1. Background information  University and college students often run their own newspapers to keep the university community informed of what happens on campus. They cover major school events, notices issued by the school authorities, sports and entertainment news, and articles written by students to air different viewpoints. A special column called "classifieds", or "classified ads", is devoted to advertisements for jobs, accommodation news, sale of used things --  books, furniture, cars, etc.— under such headings as "Help Wanted", "Services", "Furniture for Sale", "Roommates Wanted", "Miscellaneous". To place an ad, one can call the advertising department of the paper to arrange it and pay a small fee. For example, a student-run paper at an American university in New York charges the following advertising rates: 8 dollars for the first 20 words, 25 cents for each individual word and 50 cents for a box. 

2. Campus Daily  Name of a school newspaper

3. How would you like your ad to read?  What words would you like to put in your advertisement?

4. Roommates Wanted  A type of classified advertisement. You place your ad in this column in order to find others to share your apartment.

5. utilities  Supplies of water, gas, electricity and sometimes, telephone.   

6. Available September first.  The earliest date for the roommate to move in will be September 1st. 

7. Matching blue sofa and easy chair  The sofa and easy chair are of the same design and color 

8. ... or best offer  Or highest price offered by a potential buyer

9. it's $8 a week per line  It costs $8 for one line to run /appear a week in the paper.

Exercise 1: Listening for general understanding  

Listen to the recording once and choose the right answers to the questions you hear.

1. Who are the two speakers in the telephone conversation?

      a. A newspaperman and a reader.

      b. An advertising agent and a client.

      c. A real estate agent and a tenant.

      d. A shop assistant and a customer.

2. What is Maggie doing in the conversation?

      a. She is applying to work for a newspaper.

      b. She is trying to sell her apartment through a local newspaper.

      c. She is running the ads column of a campus newspaper.

      d. She is having two ads run in a school newspaper.

3. What can you infer about Maggie?

a. She will graduate soon.

b. She feels lonely living in an apartment all by herself.

c. She will move out of a two-bedroom apartment.

d. She might be unable to afford a two-bedroom apartment alone.

Exercise 2: Listening for details                             

Listen to the recording once again and fill in the blanks with the missing information.

1) Roommate Wanted

2) Female roommate wanted for pleasant, sunny two-bedroom apartment on 3) Fifth Avenue, 4) three blocks from campus. Share 5) rent and utilities. Available 6) September 1st. Call Maggie at 7) 555-6792 between 8) 5 and 9) 9 p.m. 

Merchandise 10) for Sale

Matching blue 11) sofa and 12) easy chair for sale, 13) excellent

condition, 14) $350 or best 15) offer. Call Maggie at 16) 555-6792 between 17) 5 and 18) 9 p.m.

Speaking   Tasks

Pair Work

Listen to the conversations and repeat after the recording. Practise the conversations with your partner, playing the role of A or B. Then work with your partner to create your own conversations by replacing the underlined parts with your own words. 

Conversation  1

A:            Have you ever placed an ad in the Campus Daily?

B:           Yes. I once did to sell 1) some books I no longer needed.

A:            When was that?

B:            2) Let me see. Last April, I think. Why do you ask? 

A:           I'm thinking of getting rid of 3) my bicycle.

B:            Is it in good condition? 

A:           4) Pretty good.

B:           Well, you can call Bernard Wang. He's head of the advertising department of the paper. 

A:            Do you know what rates they charge?

B:           5) Last April it was 10 yuan for the first 20 words and 50 fen for each word added.  I don't know the rates now, though.

A:           Ten yuan for the first 20 words. 6) That's not too bad.

B:          7) Yeah, it's reasonable.

A:            Do they charge extra for bold or italic type?

B:           No, that's free.  But they do 8) charge you more if you want to put in a box or something

A:            I see.  Thanks. 9) That's very helpful.

B:            10) It's a pleasure.

Conversation  2

A:          Wow. Who's that beautiful girl 1) on the billboard over there?

B:           Oh, 2) she's a pop star from Hong Kong. 3) Very popular these days.  

A:            Mmm. I can see why the company wants her to sell their soda for them.  

B:        Don't you think all this advertising is silly?

A:            Silly? What do you mean?

B:           Well, why should it matter if she drinks that particular brand of soda or not? There's probably a good chance that she doesn't, -- but of course she'd never admit that.  

A:           6) So what? That's only 7) a selling technique.

B:           But all ads imply that unless you use a particular product, you cannot possibly be intelligent or attractive.

A:           What's so bad about that? Don't we all secretly 8) long to be as intelligent as a Nobel Prize winner or as attractive as a 9) movie star? That's human nature.  

B:           But what has using a certain product got to do with it?  You're only 10) deceiving yourself.

A:           11) I wouldn't say that . I'd call it a beautiful dream.  

B:            Or 12) vanity.

A:            Don't be so13) hard on .other people.

B:            OK.  I'm just 14) kidding.

Substitution 2

1.         in the newspaper / on the cover of that magazine

2.         She’s a movie star from Hangzhou/ She’s a super model.

3.         Very popular / Quite well-known

4.         Coke cola / Pepsi

5.         I guess so / I think so.

6.         What’s the big deal?

7.         a technique to sell a product / a method to promote sales

8.         want / wish

9.         pop star / fashion model

10.     fooling yourself

11.     I don’t think I’d agree/ I don’t think so

12.     self-satisfaction

13.     critical on

14.     joking