谈大学英语四级考试仔细阅读部分主旨题的解法（三）

Amtrak(美国铁路客运公司)was experiencing a downswing in ridership (客运量)along the lines comprising its rail system. Of major concern to Amtrak and its advertising agency DDB Needham，were the long-distance western routes where ridership had been declining significantly.

At one time，trains were the only practical way to cross the vast areas of the west. Trains were faster，luxurious，and quite convenient compared to other forms of transportation existing at the time. However，times change and the automobile became America's standard of convenience. Also，air travel had easily established itself as the fastest method of traveling great distances. Therefore，the task for DDB Needham was to encourage consumers to consider other aspects of train travel in order to change their attitudes and increase the likelihood that trains would be considered for travel in the west.

Two portions of the total market were targeted: 1) anxious fliers---those concerned with safety，relaxation，and cleanliness and 2) travel-lovers---those viewing themselves as relaxed，casual，and interested in the travel experience as part of their vacation. The agency then developed a campaign that focused on travel experiences such as freedom，escape，relaxation，and enjoyment of the great western outdoors. It stressed experiences gained by u sing the trains and portrayed western train trips as wonderful adventures.

Advertisements showed pictures of the beautiful scenery that could be enjoyed along some of the more famous western routes and emphasized the romantic names of some of these trains(Empire Builder，etc.).These ads were strategically placed among family-oriented TV shows and programs involving nature and America in order to most effectively reach target audiences. Results were impressive. The Empire Builder, which was focused on in one ad. enjoyed a 15 percent increase in profits on its Chicago to Seattle route.(2000年1月四级真题)

31. What's the author's purpose in writing this passage?
A) To show the inability of trains to compete with planes with respect to speed and convenience.
B) To stress the influence of the automobile on America's standard of convenience.
C) To emphasize the function of travel agencies in market promotion.
D) To illustrate the important role of persuasive communication in changing consumer attitudes.

本文首段提出了美国铁路客运量下滑的问题。第二段分析原因，铁路客运量下滑主要是由于火车在便捷性和快捷性方面分别无法与汽车和飞机相媲美。最后两段说铁路客运公司的广告机构DDB Needham 通过广告宣传攻势，竭力将火车打造成为西部旅行的重要交通工具。划线部分就是要读的主要信息，黑体字是主要的标志性词语。

这是一篇典型的问题型结构模式的文章，其特点是文章的安排遵循“提出问题——分析问题——解决问题”的模式。这种文章的主旨一般落在文章的末尾处，即重心在分析问题和解决问题处。就本文而言，主旨主要是通过广告宣传改变客户态度，故选D。

二、实验型

Communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to conveying the truth. The first study to compare honesty across a range of communications media has found that people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails. The fact that emails are automatically recorded-and can come back to haunt (困扰)you appears to be the key to the finding.

Jeff Hancock of Cornell University in Ithaca, Mew York, asked 30 students to keep a communications diary for a week. In it they noted the number of conversations or email exchanges they had lasting more than 10 minutes, and confessed to how many lies they told. Hancock then worked out the number of lies per conversation foe each medium .He found that lies made up 14 per cent of emails，21 per cent of instant messages,27 per cent of face-to-face interactions and an as