Part 1

Listen to the conversation. Then choose the correct answers.

1. The woman is

2. The woman

3. What did the woman probably say to the salesperson next?

Part 2

Listen to the conversation. Then choose the correct answers.

4. The woman is

5. The man

6. What did the woman probably say to her friend next?

Part 3

Listen to the conversation. Then circle the correct answers.

7. The two people are

8. The woman

9. What did the woman probably say to her friend next?

Part 4

Listen to the conversation. Then choose the correct answers.

10. What is the main idea of the conversation?

11. Based on the conversation, which statement is true?

12. What can you infer from the conversation?

Part 5

Complete each sentence with the correct form of the words in parentheses.

Part 6

Match the statements with the correct responses by dragging and dropping them into the blank fields.

Part 7

Read the article. Then answer the questions. Choose the correct answers.

The Advertising Spiral

How do companies choose the content of their advertisements? The answer depends on the product, but it also depends on where the product is in the advertising spiral. Consider ads for smart phones. The ads these days are quite different than the ads for the first smart phones. Lots of people bought smart phones when they first came out, which suggests that earlier ads were successful. So why did the ads need to be changed if they were so effective? Advertising experts point to the advertising spiral for the answer. The spiral is a model that can explain the stages that a product goes through from the time it hits the market until it becomes familiar to the public.
First, when a product is still a novelty, people know very little about it, so it needs to be introduced to the public. That’s the job of an advertisement at the beginning of the spiral. Later, when the product becomes familiar and develops competition, the advertising strategy needs to be adjusted. If the company is lucky, their product continues to be successful and reaches the final stage of the spiral. At this stage, the company has to make efforts to maintain their success. As a result, the advertising strategy must be changed to match the product’s position in the market.
Consider, once again, the example of smart phones. When the first smart phones emerged on the market, the public didn’t know much about their benefits. In fact, most people didn’t even know how to use them. As a result, the first ads were mostly demonstrations; they showed the public all of the things that could be done with this new device—finding a restaurant, checking the weather, etc. Such ads are designed to convince consumers to jump on the bandwagon.
Soon, however, there were lots of smart phones being offered by many different companies, so the first company needed to show that its phone was the best. This is the second stage of the spiral. Perhaps its phone has more features, or it could be dropped without breaking, or maybe it’s a bargain compared to other models. As Brian Ito of Techno.com explains, in many cases, the products from different companies are actually quite similar, so it can be difficult for consumers to distinguish among them. Companies use a variety of strategies to show their products are the best, such as including testimonials from famous people and citing impressive statistics and objective information.
Finally, we reach the end of the spiral. The public is now very familiar with the product, its features, and its benefits. However, consumers are equally familiar with competing products. At this point, the company simply wants consumers to be constantly reminded of its product’s existence. Their ads no longer need to explain the product or even why it is better than its competitors. Instead, the ads at this stage are more likely to simply show people using the product. An ad for a smart phone might, for example, just show a student using her phone to help her in school. Another ad might rely on snob appeal, perhaps showing a well-dressed man in an expensive car reaching for his phone. According to business professor, Anil Shahani, it is at this stage that most companies have trouble holding on to their customers, so the ads take on special importance.

27. Which statement best summarizes the content of the article?

28. According to the article, which image might have been used to advertise the smart phone when it first appeared on the market?

29. What might a consumer see in an ad for a laptop in the second stage of the advertising spiral?

30. Why are ads particularly important in the final stage of the spiral?

31. What is the general purpose of an advertisement in the first stage of the advertising spiral?

32. Use context to guess the meaning of a novelty.

33. Use context to guess the meaning of distinguish.

Writing Test

Part 1

Write a summary of The Advertising Spiral. Paraphrase what the author says using your own words. Your summary should be no more than a paragraph.

The Advertising Spiral

How do companies choose the content of their advertisements? The answer depends on the product, but it also depends on where the product is in the advertising spiral. Consider ads for smart phones. The ads these days are quite different than the ads for the first smart phones. Lots of people bought smart phones when they first came out, which suggests that earlier ads were successful. So why did the ads need to be changed if they were so effective? Advertising experts point to the advertising spiral for the answer. The spiral is a model that can explain the stages that a product goes through from the time it hits the market until it becomes familiar to the public.

First, when a product is still a novelty, people know very little about it, so it needs to be introduced to the public. That’s the job of an advertisement at the beginning of the spiral. Later, when the product becomes familiar and develops competition, the advertising strategy needs to be adjusted. If the company is lucky, their product continues to be successful and reaches the final stage of the spiral. At this stage, the company has to make efforts to maintain their success. As a result, the advertising strategy must be changed to match the product’s position in the market.

Consider, once again, the example of smart phones. When the first smart phones emerged on the market, the public didn’t know much about their benefits. In fact, most people didn’t even know how to use them. As a result, the first ads were mostly demonstrations; they showed the public all of the things that could be done with this new device—finding a restaurant, checking the weather, etc. Such ads are designed to convince consumers to jump on the bandwagon.

Soon, however, there were lots of smart phones being offered by many different companies, so the first company needed to show that its phone was the best. This is the second stage of the spiral. Perhaps its phone has more features, or it could be dropped without breaking, or maybe it’s a bargain compared to other models. As Brian Ito of Techno.com explains, in many cases, the products from different companies are actually quite similar, so it can be difficult for consumers to distinguish among them. Companies use a variety of strategies to show their products are the best, such as including testimonials from famous people and citing impressive statistics and objective information.

Finally, we reach the end of the spiral. The public is now very familiar with the product, its features, and its benefits. However, consumers are equally familiar with competing products. At this point, the company simply wants consumers to be constantly reminded of its product’s existence. Their ads no longer need to explain the product or even why it is better than its competitors. Instead, the ads at this stage are more likely to simply show people using the product. An ad for a smart phone might, for example, just show a student using her phone to help her in school. Another ad might rely on snob appeal, perhaps showing a well-dressed man in an expensive car reaching for his phone. According to

Part 2

Describe an advertisement that really annoyed you. Describe another advertisement that persuaded you to buy something. Write a paragraph about each, giving reasons for your views. Include what you do and don’t like being shown or told in advertisements.