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
实用职场口语:劝告-不要看那么多电视了
职场英语口语:或许你能给我提些建议:VOA职场口语对话建议篇
职场英语口语:让我们一起来表达对他们服务的不满吧
职场英语口语:你说这能管用吗
职场英语口语:我不要跟你吃工作午餐
职场英语口语:每天做很多阅读理解试试
职场英语口语:你竟然泄露消息给竞争对手
实用职场口语:意见与看法-隐形眼镜太难戴了
职场英语口语:希望你不介意一些善意的忠告
职场英语口语:你想听我讲一些鬼的事情吗
实用职场口语:担心与惊恐-除了等待就没有别的办法了吗
职场英语口语:我实在不习惯在不卫生的地方吃饭
实用职场口语:劝告-你能给我推荐个牌子吗
实用职场口语:意见与看法-众人拾柴火焰高
实用职场口语:信任与怀疑-那是因为我太了解你了
实用职场口语:意见与看法-我考虑一下这件事然后再给你答复
外企工作必备英语口语精讲(2)
实用职场口语:高兴与快乐-我拿到奥运会开幕式的入场券了
实用职场口语:信任与怀疑-以后不要听风就是雨
实用职场口语:高兴与快乐-奶奶过生日美颠儿颠儿的
职场英语口语:我一点儿也不喜欢第三部指环王
职场英语口语:毛衣好看而且和你的裤子很配
职场英语口语:培养一个优秀的运动员很不容易
实用职场口语:担心与惊恐-原来是你干的啊
实用职场口语:意见与看法-迟到三次就要扣一个月工资
实用职场口语:信任与怀疑-中国人的名字都有讲究
职场英语口语:如何在英语上超前你老板
实用职场口语:信任与怀疑-你买这车花了多少钱
职场英语口语:戒烟是你明智的选择
实用职场口语:担心与惊恐-我看我是趕不上火車了
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