Until recently, women in advertisements wore one of three things — an apron, an attractive dress or a frown. Although that is now changing, many women still feel angry about offending advertisements. “This ad degrades women.” they protested（抗议）.Why does this sort of advertising exist? How can advertisers and ad agencies still produce, sometimes, after months of research, advertising that offends the consumer?
The ASA, the body which deals with complaints about print media, is carrying out research into how women feel about the way they are pictured in advertisements. Its conclusions are likely to be what the advertising industry already knows: although women are often annoyed by the ads, few feel strong enough to complain.
Women are not the only victims of poor and boring stereotypes（老套）— in many TV commercials men are seen either as useless, childish fools who are unable to perform the simplest household tasks, or as inconsiderate fellows, always on the lookout for an escape to the pub. But it is women who seem to suffer more from the industry’s inability to put people into an authentic present-day situation. Yet according to Emma Bennett, director of a London advertising agency, women are not aggressive or extremely angry about those stereotypes and sexist （歧视妇女）advertising. “They just find it annoying or tiresome.”
She says that it is not advertising’s use of the housewife role that bothers women, but the way in which it is handled. “The most important thing is the advertisement’s tone of voice. Women hate being insincerely praised or given desperately down-to-earth common-sense advice.”
In the end, the responsibility for good advertising must be shared between the advertiser, the advertising agency and the consumer. Advertising does not set trends but it reflects them. It is up to the consumer to tell advertisers where they fail, and the process of change will remain slow until people on the receiving end take the business seriously and make their –feelings known.
小题1:Despite recent changes in attitudes, some advertisements still fail to
.
| A．change women’s opinions of themselves |
| B．show any understanding of consumers’ feelings |
| C．persuade the public to buy certain products |
| D．meet the needs of the advertising industry |
小题2:According to the writer, the commonest fault of present-day advertising is to
.
| A．condemn the role of the housewife | B．ignore protests about advertisements |
| C．present a misleading image of women | D．picture the activities of men wrongly |
小题3:Emma Bennett suggests that advertisement ought to
.
| A．give further emphasis to practical advice |
| B．change their style rather than their content |
| C．use male images instead of female ones |
| D．sing higher praise for women than before |
小题4:We can learn from the passage that advertising industry should
.
| A．take its job more eagerly | B．do more pioneering work |
| C．take notice of the public opinion | D．concentrate on the products advertised |