Britain’ s competition regulator is escalating its investigation into whether Amazon’ s planned investment in UK food delivery c

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问题     Britain’ s competition regulator is escalating its investigation into whether Amazon’ s planned investment in UK food delivery company Deliveroo would reduce competition and harm consumers. The Competition and Markets Authority said in a statement Friday that it had opened a "phase 2" probe after the companies failed to address its concerns about how the deal would affect the market for online deliveries of restaurant meals and groceries.
    "There’s a real risk that it could leave customers, restaurants and grocers facing higher prices and lower quality services as these markets develop," Andrea Gomes da Silva, the regulator’s executive director, said in statement earlier this month.
    The in-depth investigation could delay the completion of the deal, hurting Deliveroo in the ultracompetitive UK market while giving rivals Just Eat (JSTTY) and Uber (UBER) Eats a boost. A spokesperson for Deliveroo said the company would continue to work closely with the regulator. "We are confident that we will persuade the Competition and Markets Authority of the facts that this minority investment will add to competition, helping restaurants to grow their businesses, creating more work for riders, and increasing choice for customers," the spokesperson said in a statement.
    Amazon (AMZN) did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company previously defended the deal, saying it would bolster innovation, create jobs and lead to the development of new products. Amazon led a $575 million funding round into Deliveroo in May, signaling that the company could become a key part of its global food delivery ambitions.
    Deliveroo operates in 14 countries including Australia and France. It is present in more than 100 towns and cities across Britain, offering online delivery services for restaurants and convenience stores.
    The Competition and Markets Authority ordered Amazon (AMZN) to pause its investment in July while it investigated whether the deal amounted to a takeover. Earlier this month, the regulator said that it was also concerned that the deal would discourage Amazon from re-entering the online food delivery market as a competitor to Deliveroo in the future. The companies fought for the same customers before Amazon shuttered its Amazon Restaurants business last year.
    Amazon’s direct participation in the restaurant delivery business would "significantly increase competition in online restaurant food delivery," the regulator said. The antitrust authority also warned that the deal would damage competition in the emerging market for online grocery delivery, where Amazon and Deliveroo are two of the strongest players. Food and groceries have been a growing focus for Amazon since its $13.7 billion purchase of grocery chain Whole Foods in 2017.
What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?

选项 A、The investment in Deliveroo will bring more benefits than drawbacks.
B、The investment will promote the development of Just Eat and Uber Eats.
C、Further inquiry will be beneficial to Deliveroo’ s competitors.
D、Further inquiry will make Amazon’ s investment in Deliveroo a failure.

答案C

解析 推断题。根据题干关键词定位到第三段。文中提及in-depth investigation could delay the completion of the deal, hurting Deliveroo in the ultracompetitive UK market while giving rivals…a boost“这项深入调查可能会推迟交易的完成,在竞争异常激烈的英国市场损害Deliveroo的利益,同时促进其竞争对手……的发展”,因此B项“投资会促进即食和优步外卖的发展”错误,C项“深入调查对Deliveroo的竞争对手有利”正确,promote the development与giving…a boost是同义替换。文中第三句Deliveroo的发言人提到注资的好处,但并未提及注资的不利之处,因此A项“在Deliveroo的注资带来的好处比坏处多”错误。D项 “深入调查会使亚马逊在Deliveroo的注资失败”原文没有提及,故错误。故本题选C。
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