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Tescoispreparingalegalbattletoclearitsnameofinvolvementinthedairyprice-fixingscandalthathascostconsumers£270million.Failuretoprovethatithadnopartincollusionwithothersupermarketsanddairyprocessorsmaylanditwithafineofatleast£80million.TheOfficeofFairTrading(OFT)saidyesterdaythatAsda,Sainsbury’sandtheformerSafeway,plusthedairycompaniesWiseman,DairyCrestandCheeseCompany,hadadmittedbeinginacarteltofixpricesformilk,butterandcheese.Theywerefinedatotalofjustover£116millionaspartofaleniencydealofferedbythewatchdogtocompaniesthatownedupquicklytoanti-competitivebehaviour.
OfficialsattheOFTadmittedprivatelythattheydidnotthinktheywouldeverdiscoverwhichcompanyorindividualhadinitiatedthepricingformula.Butthewatchdogrecognisesthatatthetimesupermarketswereunderpressurefrompoliticiansandfarmerstoraisethecostofmilktosavedairyfarming,thoughitisnotcertainthatmoneyfounditswaytofarmers.TheOFTclaimedinSeptemberthatithadfoundevidencethattheretailchainshadpassedfuturemilkpricestodairycompanies,whichthenreachedafixedpriceamongthemselves.
Theaveragecosttoeachhouseholdisthoughttobe£11.25over2002and2003.Priceswentupanextra3ponapintofmilk,15ponaquarterofapoundofbutterand15ponahalfpoundofcheese.Thereisnodirectrecompenseforconsumers,however,andthemoneywillgototheTreasury.TheNationalConsumerCouncilgavewarningthattheadmissionswoulddentconsumerconfidenceinleadinghighstreetnamesandthatpeoplewouldbecomescepticaloftheirclaims.FarmersForAction,thegroupoffarmersthathasledprotestsoverlowmilkpricessince2000,isseekinglegaladviceonwhetheritcannowbringaclaimforcompensation.
TheOFTinvestigationiscontinuing,however,inrelationtoTesco,MorrisonsandthedairygroupLactalisMcLelland,andanylegalactionisexpectedtobedelayeduntilthatiscompleted.
Tescowasdefiantandsaidthatitwaspreparingarobustdefenceofitsactions.LucyNeville-Rolfe,itsexecutivedirector,said:"Aswehavealwayssaid,weactedindependentlyandwedidnotcolludewithanyone.Ourpositionisdifferentfromourcompetitorsandwearedefendingourowncasevigorously.Ourphilosophyistogiveagooddealtocustomers."
MorrisonshassupportedtheOFTininquiriesintotheformerSafewaybusinessthatittookover,butinastatementsaidthatitwasstillmaking"strongrepresentations"initsdefence.AspokeswomanforLactalisMcLellandsaidthatthecompanywas"co-operating"withtheOFT.IndustryinsiderssuggestedthatthethreecompaniesweredeliberatelystallingtheOFTinvestigation.
Sainsbury’sadmittedyesterdaythatithadagreedtopay£26millioninfines,butdeniedthatithadsoughttoprofiteer.JustinKing,thechiefexecutive,saidhewasdisappointedthatthecompanyhadbeenpenalisedforactionsmeanttohelpfarmersbutrecognisedthebenefitofaspeedysettlement.Asdadeclinedtosayhowmuchitwouldpayinfinesandalsosaidthatitsintentionhadbeentohelpfarmersunderseverefinancialpressure.
1.Fromthefirstparagraph,wemayinferthat_____
[A]Tescohascostconsumers£270million.
[B]TescohascolludedwithAsda,Wiseman,DairyCrestandCheeseCompanyinfixingthedairyprice.
[C]Tescowillbeofferedaleniencydealof£80million.
[D]Tescoistryingitsbesttoproveitsinnocenceofthescandal.
2.Whoismostprobablytheinitiatorofthepricingformula?
[A]retailchains.
[B]farmers.
[C]dairycompanies.
[D]politicians
3.Theword"defiant"(Line3,Paragraph4)mostprobablymeans_____.
[A]resisiting
[B]angry
[C]deficient
[D]confident
4.WemayinferfromMorrisons’statementthat_____.
[A]MorrisonswasuncooperativewithOFT.
[B]MorrisonswasreluctanttosupporttheinquiriesintotheformerSafewaybusiness.
[C]MorrisonswastryingtodelaytheOFTinvestigation.
[D]Morrisonswasworkinghardtodefenditsinterests.
5.Thewriter’sattitudetoTescocanbesaidtobe_____.
[A]biased.
[B]objective.
[C]sympathetic.
[D]optimistic.篇章剖析：
本文介绍了目前奶制品公司因内部设定价格而面临受到的调查和处罚的状况。第一段由Tesco公司目前正在通过法律解决自己面临的困境引出本文的话题；第二段是追溯牛奶价格上涨的原因；第三段是讲述牛奶价格上涨对消费者的损害；第四段又回到Tesco事件上，描述了其态度；第五段和第六段讲述其他相关公司对该事件的看法和态度。
词汇注释：
processorn.加工者
carteln.卡特尔,联合企业,垄断集团
leniencyn.宽大，慈悲,慈悲宽厚的行为
dentv.使凹下,凹进,削弱
defiantadj.挑战的,挑衅的,目中无人的
stallv.(使)停转,(使)停止,迟延
profiteervi.牟取暴利
难句突破:
(1)Theywerefinedatotalofjustover£116millionaspartofaleniencydealofferedbythewatchdogtocompaniesthatownedupquicklytoanti-competitivebehaviour.
主体句式:Theywerefinedatotalofjustover£116millionaspartofaleniencydeal...
结构分析:这是一个复合句，其成分比较复杂。offeredbythewatchdogtocompanies作为一个分词短语来修饰前面的deal,而后面that引导的定语从句又修饰companies.
句子译文:他们总共的罚金只有一亿一千六百万多点，这是监察部门对积极坦白反竞争行为公司的一种宽大处理。
(2)TheNationalConsumerCouncilgavewarningthattheadmissionswoulddentconsumerconfidenceinleadinghighstreetnamesandthatpeoplewouldbecomescepticaloftheirclaims.
[主体句式]TheNationalConsumerCouncilgavewarning...
[结构分析]这是一个复合句，句子的宾语warning带着两个同位语从句，以that引导；第一个同位语从句中，confidencein后面是一个分词短语作介词的宾语。
[句子译文]全国消费者委员会警告说长此以往会损害消费者的信心，人们也会逐渐怀疑委员会的声明。
题目分析：
1.Fromthefirstparagraph,wemayinferthat_____由第一段可以推断出______
[A]Tescohascausedalossof£270milliontoconsumers.[A]Tesco给消费者造成了两亿七千万的损失。
[B]TescohascolludedwithAsda,Wiseman,DairyCrestandCheeseCompanyinfixingthedairyprice.[B]Tesco和Asda,Wiseman,DairyCrest及CheeseCompany联合确定牛奶价格。
[C]Tescowillbeofferedaleniencydealof£80million.[C]Tesco会被轻罚八千亿元作为宽大处理。
[D]Tescoistryingitsbesttoproveitsinnocenceofthescandal.[D]Tesco竭力证明自己和传闻无关。
[答案]D
[分析]推理题。第一段主要讲述了Tesco公司已被卷入和其他公司联手划定牛奶价格的丑闻中，目前正在通过法律手段来证明自己与此无关。选项A,从本段第一句可以看出给消费者造成损失这一事项还未证实，Tesco正在诉诸法律手段。选项B,也是Tesco可能存在但还未被证实的事项。选项C，是如果Tesco的丑闻被证实后会被处以的处罚，但文章也并未指出是一种宽大措施。选项D，Tesco正在竭力证明自己和传闻无关，这正是第一段论述的内容。
2.Whoismostprobablytheinitiatorofthepricingformula?2.谁最有可能是价格形成的始作俑者？
[A]supermarkets.[A]超市。
[B]farmers.[B]牧场主。
[C]dairycompanies.[C]牛奶公司。
[D]politicians[D]政治家。
[答案]B
[分析]细节题。关于价格形成最初由谁引起，第二段和第三段由相关论述。第二段提到，监察部门发现超市受到政治家和农民的压力要求上调牛奶价格，而OFT发现了零售商将牛奶未来的价格信息传递给了牛奶公司，牛奶公司内部自己确定了价格。第三段又提到牧场主机构和牧场主一直在抗议低廉的牛奶价格。由此可以推断，最有可能引发牛奶价格确定的源头就是牧场主。
3.Theword"defiant"(Line3,Paragraph4)mostprobablymeans_____.3."defiant"(第四段第三行)最可能的意思是______.
[A]resisiting[A]抗议的
[B]angry[B]愤怒的
[C]deficient[C]不完善的
[D]confident[D]自信的
[答案]A |
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发表于 2017-8-6 15:46:55