At the end of last week, Bodega Aurrer, a Mexican subsidiary of the world s biggest retailer, Wal-Mart, opened a new store in the village of San Juan Teotihuacn, just north of Mexico City. Normally, such an event would cause little stir. Wal-Mart is already Mexico s biggest retailer too. And its shops seem to go down very well with its millions of bargain-hungry customers. But this particular opening was, in fact, the culmination of months of protests, legal actions, hunger strikes and hyperbole by those determined to stop it. The reason is the location. Just 2.5km away is the ancient city of Teotihuacn, probably Mexico s most famous archaeological site. Amongst other attractions, it boasts the third-largest pyramid in the world. For many Mexicans, the ancient site, abandoned by its mysterious inhabitants centuries before the Spanish conquerors arrived, remains the ultimate symbol of Mexican identity and nationhood. Thousands troop up to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun to celebrate the summer solstice. To them, the idea of having a Wal-Mart next door is abhorrent. In the words of Homero Aridjis, a writer and one of the leading opponents, it is like driving the stake of globalisation into the heart of old Mexico. The controversy is only the latest in a string of protesters attempts to save Mexican culture from what they see as a creeping menace. They won a famous victory by blocking a McDonalds restaurant from opening in the main square of the pretty southern colonial town of Oaxaca. But this time they were on much thinner ground. For a start, Wal-Mart went through all the appropriate regulatory hoops, even getting permission from the Paris-based International Council on Monuments and Sites, which judged that the store would cause no harm to the nearby ruins. A small stone platform was indeed found during construction of the new car park, but was preserved. Just as importantly, the claim that the new store spoils the famous view from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun is clearly bogus, as anyone who cares to get to the top can testify. The problem is not so much that you can see the Wal-Mart, but one of trying to distinguish it from the 30-odd other ugly, squat buildings that litter the surrounding countrysideto say nothing of the car parks, the electricity pylons and the large power station. Sadly, unrestricted building long ago ruined this particular view, as well as many others in Mexico. To the diehards, the issue counts more than the view. But neither mattered much to the hundreds of locals who queued up for the opening, delighted to be freed of the small and expensive local shops. Despite a legal case pending against Wal-Mart and local officials, brought by an irate local left-wing politician, this is one battle that the American retailer has probably won. 1. Why the opening of Wal-Mart caused stir? [A]Wal-Mart would have severe competition with the local stores. [B]War-Mart would provide them with a larger choice and more benefits. [C]It was said to have ruined the scene of the ancient site. [D]There shouldnt be a store near the ancient site. 2. From Paragraph 2 we can infer that _________. [A]the ancient city means a lot to the Mexicans [B]a store will be too noisy for the ancient city [C]the ancient city is very mysterious [D]the pyramid is a good place for holding big ceremony 3. According to Wal-Mart, it has a good reason to build store there because _______. [A]it proves no harm to the nearby ruins [B]the scene of the ancient sites has been damaged [C]customers want to buy some cheap products [D]it has been widely accepted by the customers there. 4. It can be learned from Paragraph 5 that _________. [A]the famous view is not as good as it used to be [B]the city lacks planning in building [C]the ancient site is littered with ugly buildings [D]Wal-Mart shouldnt be fully responsible for the ruined view. 5. Toward the fate of Wal-Mart, the writers attitude can be said to be _________. [A]objective [B]optimistic [C]pessimistic [D]biased 答案:CADDB
国内英语资讯:Xi pledges joint efforts with Germany to safeguard multilateralism, open economy
国际英语资讯:Israels Netanyahu talks with UN secretary general over operation against Hezbollah tunnels
双语阅读:母亲给过你哪些宝贵的建议
国内英语资讯:Trips made by China-Europe freight trains surge in 2018
国际英语资讯:S. African president vows to fight corruption in state-owned enterprises
体坛英语资讯:Australian cyclist wins 5th stage of Tour de Singkarak in West Sumatra
国内英语资讯:Sino-US trade talks advance amid close contact: MOC
国内英语资讯:Cross-Strait entrepreneurs annual conference concludes
国际英语资讯:Interpol rejects Ecuadors request to arrest ex-president Correa
体坛英语资讯:Mbappe injured in Frances 1-0 victory over Uruguay
双语阅读:中老年人多蒸桑拿 有助降低心血管病死亡风险
国际英语资讯:11th summit of global forum on migration, development kicks off in Morocco
国际英语资讯:Mongolia, Japan issue joint statement to strengthen cooperation
双语阅读:中国科学家开发用于皮肤再生的生物活性物质
《龙猫》今日国内上映 中国版海报“暗藏玄机”
2018年12月英语六级易考范文: 太空探索
国际英语资讯:French presidency announces cancellation of planned fuel tax rise: report
体坛英语资讯:Chelsea beat BATE 1-0 in Europa League
国内英语资讯:China to implement new set of policies to boost innovation
体坛英语资讯:Manchester United to play two 2019 pre-season games in Australia
国内英语资讯:Chinese top legislator meets Ecuadorean president
国内英语资讯:China, France agree on closer ties, upholding multilateralism
体坛英语资讯:British Olympian Levine banned for failing drugs test
体坛英语资讯:Germany held 2-2 by Netherlands in UEFA Nations League
体坛英语资讯:Mongolias Baasankhuu and Chinas Zhou win in stage 4 at Yunnan cycling event
国内英语资讯:China takes coercive measures against two Canadians: FM spokesperson
2018年12月英语六级易考范文:论老龄人口
国内英语资讯:China committed to upholding peace, regional stability: defense experts
体坛英语资讯:Cuba upset hosts Chile in Pan America quarterfinal
国内英语资讯:Xi meets president of Portuguese parliament, pledging legislative cooperation
| 不限 |
| 英语教案 |
| 英语课件 |
| 英语试题 |
| 不限 |
| 不限 |
| 上册 |
| 下册 |
| 不限 |