GMAT考试写作指导：Issue写作范文三二

　　32. In order to determine whether advertisements reflect a nations ideas, it is

　　necessary to determine whether advertisements present real ideas at all, and, if so,

　　whose ideas they actually reflect. On both counts, it appears that advertisements fail to

　　accurately mirror a nations ideas.

　　Indisputably, advertisements inform us as to a nations values, attitudes, and

　　priorities―what activities are worthwhile, what the future holds, and what is

　　fashionable and attractive. For instance, a proliferation of ads for sport-utility vehicles

　　reflects a societal concern more for safety and machismo than for energy conservation

　　and frugality, while a plethora of ads for inexpensive on-line brokerage services reflects

　　an optimistic and perhaps irrationally exuberant economic outlook. However, a mere

　　picture of a social more, outlook, or fashion is not an idea―it does not answer

　　questions such as why and how?

　　Admittedly, public-interest advertisements do present ideas held by particular

　　segments of society―for example, those of environmental and other public-health

　　interest groups. However, these ads constitute a negligible percentage of all

　　advertisements, and they do not necessarily reflect the majoritys view. Consequently, to

　　assert that advertisements reflect a nations ideas distorts reality. In truth, they mirror

　　only the business and product ideas of companies whose goods and services are

　　advertised and the creative ideas of advertising firms. Moreover, advertisements look

　　very much the same in all countries. Western and Eastern alike. Does this suggest that

　　all nations have essentially identical ideas? Certainly not.

　　In sum, the few true ideas we might see in advertisements are those of only a few

　　business concerns and interest groups; they tell us little about the ideas of a nation as a