阅读理解。
Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before
lunchtime, you'll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn't enough
for consumers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store.
First, you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need
these things. In other words, don't buy anything just because it's cheaper than usual! "New and Improved!"
or "All Natural" on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list of ingredients (成分) on the
back. Third, compare prices; that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands and different
sizes of the same brand.
Another suggestion for consumers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in
supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don't spend much money
on packing or advenising. The quality, however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands.
In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands that are not
famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren't
very attractive, and they usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you
can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores.
Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials,but they do this with one advantage:
knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well-informed consumers watch for information
and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions:Is the advertiser hiding something in small print
at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing
an attractive image? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice.
1. Before you decide to buy things you should _____.
A. make sure whether they are on sale
B. consider if you really need them
C. examine the prices of different brands
D. read the words on the front of the package
2. The writer suggests consumers buy ordinary products because _____.
A. they come in plain packages
B. they are advertised on newspapers
C. they are both good and cheaper
D. the quality is better than that of famous ones
3. The main idea of the last paragraph is that _____.
A. ads and commercials sometimes tell lies
B. advertisers sometimes hide some information
C. good consumers never read ads and commercials
D. we should make good use of ads and commercials
