There is undeniably a great deal of advertising currently which is aimed at children from toddlers to teenagers, promoting not o

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问题         There is undeniably a great deal of advertising currently which is aimed at children from toddlers to teenagers, promoting not only toys and sweets but also products such as food, drink, music, films and clothing. Increasingly this practice is coming under attack from parents’ organizations, politicians and pressure groups in many countries. Some countries have currently imposed national restrictions. The following are opinions on the advertising towards children.
        Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should:
        1. summarize briefly the opinions;
        2. give your comment.
        James Rouse, lawmaker in the US
        Advertising specifically to children is unethical because they have little or no money of their own and have to persuade their parents to buy the products for them. Rather than advertising directly to parents, companies use this campaign that leads to hostility between parents and children. They rely on pester power to make adults spend money they don’t have on things they don’t want to buy, and which their children may well only play with for a few hours for example. Advertising which presents products to children as "must-have" is also socially divisive, making children whose parents cannot afford them appear inferior, and creating feelings of frustration and inadequacy, as well as leading families into debt.
        Natasha Smith, British journalist
        Advertising has no magical power to create unnatural desires for material possessions, Children who persistently nag are simply badly brought up. Poor parenting and undisciplined children cannot be solved by banning advertising, as children have many influences upon them which can stimulate their desires for toys, particularly their friends. It is also untrue that children have no spending power of their own; many children receive pocket money, and teenagers are often able to earn a little themselves. Learning to manage money is also an important part of growing up, advertisements help assist children to not only choose what they would like but also motivates them to save and subsequently to learn the true value of money.
        Robert Quinn, parent of a ten-year-old son, Australia
        Advertising aimed at children brings negative social consequences, as much of it is for food and drinks that are very unhealthy. It is estimated that in the US over $10 billion is spent annually advertising fast food towards children. Encouraging children to consume so much fatty, sugary and salty food is unethical because it creates obese, unhealthy youngsters, with bad eating habits that will be with them for life. Society also has to pay a high price in terms of the extra medical care such children will eventually require, so the government has a direct interest in preventing advertisements which contribute to this problem.
        James O’Barr, entrepreneur from the UK
        Children naturally like foods that are rich in fats, proteins and sugar; they give them the energy they need to play energetically and grow healthily. It is true that eating only such foods is bad for people, but this is a problem of bad parenting rather than the fault of advertising. To suggest that the eating habits, good or bad, stay with children throughout the rest of their lives is ridiculous, when children become adults they will for better or for worse make their own decisions. Also if advertising to children were banned then governments would not be able to use this means of promoting healthy eating, road safety, hygiene, and other socially useful messages.

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答案 Advertising to Children Should Be Regulated Recently, the number of advertising aiming directly at children rather than their parents is increasing. Whether the practice of this advertising should be restrained has aroused a heated discussion. Supporters insist that this advertising is immoral because it manipulates children to persuade their parents into spending money on undesired goods, which might generate hostility on parent-children relationship and create frustration for those who cannot afford the products. Government should interfere as advertising on unhealthy diets may bring unhealthy consequences to youngsters and foster lifelong bad eating habits. However, defenders blame bad parenting for children’s inappropriate reaction to the advertising. They claim that advertising can help children learn to manage money and also promote healthy and useful information. Regarding the nature of children and the need to protect them, I believe advertising directly to children should be regulated. To start with, children usually lack life experience and therefore are not as capable of resisting temptation as adults. Ads makers could take advantage of this and incite them to force money out of their parents’ wallets. It would be helpful if there were regulations on wording of the advertising, such as limiting the use of advocated phrases and exaggerated expressions. Secondly, instructions should be put on advertisements of products like fast food or sugary drinks to protect children from overeating junk food. For example, suggestions on daily intake of the product and guidance on enjoying the food while maintaining a healthy diet should be shown on the screen or poster. Moreover, requesting ads makers to pay extra fee on advertising to children may also assist in putting the number in control. In short, with effective control on the content, proper guidance on the use of the products and higher cost on advertising production, negative effects of advertising aiming at children can be minimized.

解析         材料给出了四段关于针对儿童的广告的评价,指出了其优缺点。
        第一、三段分别从个人和社会两方面指出针对儿童的广告的弊端。从个人的角度看,针对儿童的广告利用没有消费能力的孩子劝服其父母购买产品,是不道德的(unethical),这将导致亲子关系恶化(hostility between parents and children);从社会的角度看,那些无力承担的家长将产生自卑感(appear inferior),甚至带来家庭债务(leading families into debt),导致社会矛盾(socially divisive);而且,这类广告会引导孩子形成不健康的饮食方式,带来消极的社会影响(negative social consequences),社会最终也必须为这些孩子承担额外的医疗服务(extra medical care)。
        第二、四段则持支持意见。首先指出儿童并非都是没有支付能力的群体,许多孩子都有零花钱(pocket money),青少年还能自己赚钱;其次这类广告有助于孩子学习理财技能(manage money);最后将问题的来源归结于失败的家庭教育(bad parenting),而不是针对儿童的广告。
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