Lesson 26 Wanted: alarge biscuit tin

Who won the prize for the biggest biscuit?

No one can avoid being influenced by advertisements.

Much as (although) we may pride ourselves on our good taste, we are no longer free to choose thethings we want, for advertisingexerts a subtle influence on us.

In their efforts to persuade us to buythis or that(various) product, advertisers have made a close study of human nature and haveclassified 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 hundredsof competitions which will enable us to win huge sums of money.

Radio and television have made it possible for advertisers tocapture the attention of millions of people in this way.

During a radio programme, a company of biscuit manufacturersonce asked listeners to bake biscuits and send them to their factory.

They offered to pay $10 a pound for the biggest biscuitbaked by a listener.

The response to this competition wastremendous.

Before long,biscuits of all shapes and sizes began arriving at the factory.

One lady brought in a biscuit on a wheelbarrow. It weighednearly 500 pounds.

A little later, aman came along with a biscuit which occupied the wholeboot of his car.

All the biscuits that were sent were carefully weighed. Thelargest was 713 pounds.

It seemed certainthat this would win the prize.

But just before the competition closed, a lorry arrived at the factory with a trulycolossal biscuit which weighed2,400 pounds.

It had been baked by a college student who had used over1,000 pounds of flour, 800 pounds of sugar, 200 pounds of fat, and 400 poundsof various otheringredients.

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 hadanticipated, for they bought the biscuitfrom the student for $24,000.

 

 

1 much as ->although   Much as I would like tohelp you, I am simply too busy at the moment.

2 pride oneself one =take pride in  The university pridesitself on its beautiful campus.

3 tasteà品味 good/bad/poor taste

4  exert  exert influence/pressure/control

1)     bring ( a quality, skill, pressure, etc)  into use; make an effort用（力），尽力

exert all strength   He neverexerts himself to help anyone.他从不尽力帮助别人

2)     apply sth.; use fully运用，发挥，施加

He likes to exert his authority.他喜欢行使自己的权利

 exerton – put pressure ,skills , etc on sb.对..施加

His father exerted a lot of pressure on him to succeed.为了使他成功他的父母给他施加了很大的压力

Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great manypeople. – Lesson 34 A happy discovery

5 subtle

1)     delicate, not easy to notice, understand orexplain微妙的，难以捉摸的；细微的

Her whole attitude had undergone a subtle change.他的整个态度发生了微妙的变化

2)     clever in arrangement, especially so as todeceive people狡猾的，狡诈的

3)     very clever in noticing and understanding敏感的，敏锐的，有辨别力的

4)     subtle sense敏锐的感觉

      subtleness n.难以捉摸、狡诈、敏感 subtly adv.难以捉摸地；狡猾地；敏感地

6 devisevi.think out; plan, conceive; invent

1)     devise a machine   devise a plan

2)     He has devised a scheme for making money.他想出一个赚钱的方法

3)     He is devising how to do that thing.他正计划如何进行那件事情

7 anticipate  

1)     do sth. before that can be done by sb. else先于..行动

 anticipate one’s salary预支工资

 They have anticipated us andseized the bridge.他们抢在我们前面占领了那个桥

2)     think likely to happen; expect预感，期望

anticipate a change in weather预知气候的变化anticipate a friend’s visit期望朋友的来访

It’s impossible to anticipate when it willhappen要预料何时会发生是不可能的

anticipate -> anticipator  n.期望者，抢先者  expertà比anticipate要肯定

8 capture one’sattention   catch one’s attention

9 these days现在的那些天 thosedays过去的那些天

10 occupy –时间/空间的占据

11 remove from = takeaway from  Reference books can not beremoved from the library.

12 much as虽然,尽管 , as much同样地

Much as she likes him, she would never consider marryinghim.

尽管她喜欢他,但她并不打算嫁给他.

much as 同样尽量尽管虽然同样多同一程度 much as possible尽量尽可能

I would do as much for you.

我同样为你这样做.

As much as 有两种意思.1)达到.那种程度.asmuch as one can do.尽最大努力.2)几乎等于,和...差不多 ...

13 once

1)     one time

 The SmartSAQ needs to be taken within one month of joining XXX(Company) and thereafter, once in a year by an employee.

2)     at some time in the past                

        once upon a time

14 ingredient

n. any of things that formed into mixture when making sth.especially in cooking配料

Flour and fat are the most important ingredient.

Imagination and hard work are the ingredient of success.