Consumers are faced with increasing numbers of advertisements from competing companies. To what extent do you think are consumers influenced by advertisements? What measures can be taken to protect them?

　　各種各樣的廣告充斥電視屏幕、報紙、公交車和幾乎所有城市街道。這對于消費者而言既有利也有弊。消費者不可避免會受到影響，但程度是因人而異的。

　　Television screens, newspapers, buses, and almost all city streets are flooded by all kinds of advertisements. This has both advantages and disadvantages to consumers who are unavoidably influenced, though the degrees vary from person to person.

　　因為很多相互競爭的公司所打的廣告，消費者得以迅速了解某些新產品。如果一樣產品恰好是一些消費者所需要的，他們也許會受到吸引而去購來一試。假如該產品經證實確實好，人們便會開始響朋友推薦，其銷售也會快速上升。所以，我們看到這對于消費者和生產商來講是個雙贏的局面。而且，我們還看到：消費者不會馬上就受到影響、難以自拔。他們對廣告產品樹立信心是要花點時間的。

　　Because of the advertisements placed by many competing companies, consumers are able to learn about certain new products rapidly. If a product happens to be what some consumers need, they might be attracted to make a purchase and have trial use. If it turns out to be really good, people would set about recommending it to friends and the sales of this product will go up very quickly. So, we see this is a win-win situation both to consumers and manufacturers and we also see that consumers are not just influenced profoundly all at once. It takes time for them to establish faith in the advertised products.

　　多數情況下，廣告產品都不錯，值得一買。但也有某樣產品的效果和功能被大加夸張了的情況，這肯定會愚弄一些人，讓他們立馬受到吸引去購買。鑒于一樣產品只能憑質量和長期建立起來的聲望贏得市場，我們有充足的理由相信：那些虛假的或者是言過其實的產品將最終失去市場份額并走向滅亡。因此，我們看到市場是有選擇性的，而消費者從長遠角度講也是理性的。

　　In most cases, the advertised products are good and worth buying. But there are also cases where the effects or functions of a certain product are much exaggerated and it will definitely fool some people when they are attracted all at once and go to buy it. Since a product can only win the market through its quality and its long established fame, theres every reason to believe that those fake or much exaggerated products will eventually lose their market shares and die out. Thus, we see that the market is selective and consumers are sensible in the long term.

　　發達國家有嚴格的廣告審查和監督體系。如果一家公司打出的一則廣告未能產生廣告詞所宣稱的效果就會被定性為欺詐，由此便會違法，導致極為嚴重的后果。多數情況下，生產廠家會被重罰，從而難以繼續生存下去。

　　In developed countries, there are strict censorship and supervising systems regarding advertising. If the advertisement put up by a company fails to honor the advertised effects, it would be termed as fraud, thus violating the law which could lead to really serious result. In most cases, the manufacturing company would be fined so heavily that it would be difficult for it to survive any longer.

　　從前面的論證我們看到：廣告的對消費者的影響有積極的一面，也有消極的一面，影響力也因人而異。為了保護消費者，政府可以采用發達國家的做法，執行真正嚴格的廣告審查和監督法。

　　From the foregoing discussion, we can see that advertisements influence consumers both favorably and unfavorably and the degrees of this influence differ from person to person. To protect consumers, governments can follow the practice of developed countries by enforcing really strict censorship and supervising laws in regard to advertising as a whole.

　　Consumers are faced with increasing numbers of advertisements from competing companies. To what extent do you think are consumers influenced by advertisements? What measures can be taken to protect them?

　　各種各樣的廣告充斥電視屏幕、報紙、公交車和幾乎所有城市街道。這對于消費者而言既有利也有弊。消費者不可避免會受到影響，但程度是因人而異的。

　　Television screens, newspapers, buses, and almost all city streets are flooded by all kinds of advertisements. This has both advantages and disadvantages to consumers who are unavoidably influenced, though the degrees vary from person to person.

　　因為很多相互競爭的公司所打的廣告，消費者得以迅速了解某些新產品。如果一樣產品恰好是一些消費者所需要的，他們也許會受到吸引而去購來一試。假如該產品經證實確實好，人們便會開始響朋友推薦，其銷售也會快速上升。所以，我們看到這對于消費者和生產商來講是個雙贏的局面。而且，我們還看到：消費者不會馬上就受到影響、難以自拔。他們對廣告產品樹立信心是要花點時間的。

　　Because of the advertisements placed by many competing companies, consumers are able to learn about certain new products rapidly. If a product happens to be what some consumers need, they might be attracted to make a purchase and have trial use. If it turns out to be really good, people would set about recommending it to friends and the sales of this product will go up very quickly. So, we see this is a win-win situation both to consumers and manufacturers and we also see that consumers are not just influenced profoundly all at once. It takes time for them to establish faith in the advertised products.

　　多數情況下，廣告產品都不錯，值得一買。但也有某樣產品的效果和功能被大加夸張了的情況，這肯定會愚弄一些人，讓他們立馬受到吸引去購買。鑒于一樣產品只能憑質量和長期建立起來的聲望贏得市場，我們有充足的理由相信：那些虛假的或者是言過其實的產品將最終失去市場份額并走向滅亡。因此，我們看到市場是有選擇性的，而消費者從長遠角度講也是理性的。

　　In most cases, the advertised products are good and worth buying. But there are also cases where the effects or functions of a certain product are much exaggerated and it will definitely fool some people when they are attracted all at once and go to buy it. Since a product can only win the market through its quality and its long established fame, theres every reason to believe that those fake or much exaggerated products will eventually lose their market shares and die out. Thus, we see that the market is selective and consumers are sensible in the long term.

　　發達國家有嚴格的廣告審查和監督體系。如果一家公司打出的一則廣告未能產生廣告詞所宣稱的效果就會被定性為欺詐，由此便會違法，導致極為嚴重的后果。多數情況下，生產廠家會被重罰，從而難以繼續生存下去。

　　In developed countries, there are strict censorship and supervising systems regarding advertising. If the advertisement put up by a company fails to honor the advertised effects, it would be termed as fraud, thus violating the law which could lead to really serious result. In most cases, the manufacturing company would be fined so heavily that it would be difficult for it to survive any longer.

　　從前面的論證我們看到：廣告的對消費者的影響有積極的一面，也有消極的一面，影響力也因人而異。為了保護消費者，政府可以采用發達國家的做法，執行真正嚴格的廣告審查和監督法。

　　From the foregoing discussion, we can see that advertisements influence consumers both favorably and unfavorably and the degrees of this influence differ from person to person. To protect consumers, governments can follow the practice of developed countries by enforcing really strict censorship and supervising laws in regard to advertising as a whole.