TOEFL Speaking Task 4 Practice 011Environment

Narrator:Listen to part of a lecture in a Business class.

Professor:Okay, so we've been discussing how companies use advertising to help sell their products. Now, although advertisements can benefit companies, there are people who are critical of advertising, because of certain environmental problems it can cause. So let's talk about two ways advertising can be seen to negatively affect the environment. One way is by wasting natural resources, like trees. By advertising to consumers who do not have a need for the product or service, the advertisement is irrelevant or useless for them. For instance, a piece of mail I got advertising a kitchen renovation service, a whole big booklet, lots of paper, about different ways to remodel your kitchen, changing the floors, adding new cupboards or appliances. But this was all a lot of wasted paper, wasted trees, because I don't even own my place, I rent an apartment. So a kitchen renovation service is irrelevant to me, I can't use it. And I'm sure that booklet was mailed to lots of other people who also rent, and who just threw the booklet in the trash, because they have no need for a kitchen renovation. Now, additionally, advertising can have a negative effect on the natural beauty of the environment. People are often less able to enjoy the beauty of the natural surroundings, if there are large advertisements blocking their view of the landscape, or distracting them from the natural beauty around them. Let's face it. No matter how beautiful an area of nature is to begin with, its beauty is damaged by visible advertisements. So like, for example, this happens with big advertisements on the side of roads, huge billboards. Say there's a road passing through a beautiful area in the mountains. But there are all these big billboards, advertising restaurants and products along the side of the road. The land is naturally very beautiful, but you can't fully appreciate it. The big billboard advertisements get in the way.