It was a ruling that had consumers seething with anger and many a free trader crying foul. On November 20th the European Court of Justice decided that Tesco, a British supermarket chain, should not be allowed to import jeans made by America s Levi Strauss from outside the European Union and sell them at cut-rate prices without getting permission first from the jeans maker. Ironically, the ruling is based on an EU trademark directive that was designed to protect local, not American, manufacturers from price dumping. The idea is that any brand-owning firm should be allowed to position its goods and segment its markets as it sees fit: Levi s jeans, just like Gucci handbags, must be allowed to be expensive. Levi Strauss persuaded the court that, by selling its jeans cheaply alongside soap powder and bananas, Tesco was destroying the image and so the value of its brandswhich could only lead to less innovation and, in the long run, would reduce consumer choice. Consumer groups and Tesco say that Levi s case is specious. The supermarket argues that it was just arbitraging the price differential between Levi s jeans sold in America and Europea service performed a million times a day in financial markets, and one that has led to real benefits for consumers. Tesco has been selling some 15,000 pairs of Levi s jeans a week, for about half the price they command in specialist stores approved by Levi Strauss. Christine Cross, Tesco s head of global non-food sourcing, says the ruling risks creating a Fortress Europe with a vengeance。 The debate will rage on, and has implications well beyond casual clothes 。 The question at its heart is not whether brands need to control how they are sold to protect their image, but whether it is the job of the courts to help them do this. Gucci, an Italian clothes label whose image was being destroyed by loose licensing and over-exposure in discount stores, saved itself not by resorting to the courts but by ending contracts with third-party suppliers, controlling its distribution better and opening its own stores. It is now hard to find cut-price Gucci anywhere. Brand experts argue that Levi Strauss, which has been losing market share to hipper rivals such as Diesel, is no longer strong enough to command premium prices. Left to market forces, so-so brands such as Levi s might well fade away and be replaced by fresher labels. With the courts protecting its prices, Levi Strauss may hang on for longer. But no court can help to make it a great brand again. 1. Which of the following is not true according to Paragraph 1? [A]Consumers and free traders were very angry. [B]Only the Levis maker can decide the prices of the jeans. [C] The ruling has protected Levis from price dumping. [D] Levis jeans should be sold at a high price . 2. Guccis success shows that _______. [A]Gucci has successfully saved its own image. [B] It has changed its fate with its own effort. [C]Opening its own stores is the key to success. [D] It should be the courts duty to save its image. 3. The word specious in the context probably means _______. [A]responsible for oneself [B] having too many doubts [C] not as it seems to be [D]raising misunderstanding 4. According to the passage, the doomed fate of Levis is caused by such factors except that ________. [A]the rivals are competitive [B]it fails to command premium prices [C]market forces have their own rules [D]the court fails to give some help 5. The authors attitude towards Levis prospect seems to be _______. [A] biased [B] indifferent [C] puzzling [D] objective 答案:BBCDD
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2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业1:Unit 1《Friendship》(新人教版必修1浙江专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业18:Unit 3《A taste of English humour》(新人教版必修4浙江专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业7:Unit 2《The Olympic Games》(新人教版必修2浙江专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业19:Unit 4《Body language》(新人教版必修4福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业3:Unit 3《Travel journal》(新人教版必修1浙江专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业16:Unit 1《Women of achievement》(新人教版必修4福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业8:Unit 3《Computers]》(新人教版必修2福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业13:Unit 3《The Million Pound Bank Note》(新人教版必修3福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业26:Unit 1《Art》(新人教版选修6福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业15:Unit 5《Canada—“The True North”》(新人教版必修3浙江专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业28:Unit 3《A healthy life》(新人教版选修6福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业19:Unit 4《Body language》(新人教版必修4浙江专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业37:Unit 2《Cloning》(新人教版选修8福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业22:Unit 2《The United Kingdom》(新人教版必修5福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业11:Unit 1《Festivals around the world》(新人教版必修3福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业17:Unit 2《Working the land》(新人教版必修4福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业10:Unit 5《Music》(新人教版必修2福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业16:Unit 1《Women of achievement》(新人教版必修4浙江专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业5:Unit 5《Nelson Mandela—a modern hero》(新人教版必修1浙江专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业29:Unit 4《Global warming》(新人教版选修6福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业11:Unit 1《Festivals around the world》(新人教版必修3浙江专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业38:Unit 3《Inventors and inventions》(新人教版选修8福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业30:Unit 5《The power of nature》(新人教版选修6福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业18:Unit 3《A taste of English humour》(新人教版必修4福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业13:Unit 3《The Million Pound Bank Note》(新人教版必修3浙江专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业27:Unit 2《Poems》(新人教版选修6福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业12:Unit 2《Healthy eating》(新人教版必修3浙江专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业36:Unit 1《A land of diversity》(新人教版选修8福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业39:Unit 4《Pygmalion》(新人教版选修8福建专用)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业33:Unit 3《Under the sea》(新人教版选修7福建专用)