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  3. A sharply divided federal appeals court on Monday exposed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to billions of dollars in legal damages when it r

A sharply divided federal appeals court on Monday exposed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to billions of dollars in legal damages when it r

admin2022-08-27  11
问题     A sharply divided federal appeals court on Monday exposed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to billions of dollars in legal damages when it ruled a massive lawsuit alleging gender discrimination over pay for female workers can go to trial.
    The Court said the world’s largest private employer will have to face charges that it pays women less than men for the same jobs and that female employees receive fewer promotions and have to wait longer for those promotions than male counterparts.
    Wal-Mart successfully convinced the court that women who allege discrimination should file individual lawsuits. Wal-Mart employs 2.1 million workers in 8,000 stores worldwide and argued that the conventional rules of class action suits should not apply because each outlet operates as an independent business. Since it doesn’t have a company-wide policy of discrimination, Wal-Mart argued that women alleging gender bias should file individual lawsuits against individual stores.
    The ruling was a "big black eye for Wal-Mart, and it’s not going to heal anytime in the near future," said retail consultant Burt P. Flickinger. Flickinger said the ruling could turn off women shoppers—the company’s critical base—at a time it faces increased pressure from a host of competitors, ranging from Kroger to J.C. Penney.
    Wal-Mart’s fourth-quarter results, announced in February, showed that total sales at its US Wal-Mart stores fell for the first time since the company went public in 1969. The company also reported its third consecutive quarter of declines in sales at stores opened at least a year. Sales at stores opened at least a year are considered a key indicator of a retailer’s health.
    Wal-Mart’s top lawyer Jeff Gearhart said the company disagreed with the ruling and was considering its next step, which could include an appeal to the US Supreme Court.
    "We do not believe the claims alleged by the six individuals who brought this suit are representative of the experiences of our female associates," said Gearhart, an executive vice president. "Wal-Mart is an excellent place for women to work and fosters female leadership among our associates and in the larger business world."
    Unions and other critics have long complained that Wal-Mart’s workplace practices needed improvement, especially in the areas of diversity and career advancement. The company employs 1.4 million workers in the United States and the unions claim the company’s labor practices are widely followed.
    Wal-Mart responded to the pressure last year at its annual shareholders’ meeting by announcing a plan to address the issue of promoting women, creating a "global council" comprised of 14 Wal-Mart female executives.
    "We are proud of the strides we have made to advance and support our female associates and have been recognized for our efforts to advance women through a number of awards and accolades (荣誉)," Gearhart said.
What does the author mean by the phrase "a big black eye" (Line 1, Para. 4) ?
选项 A、A symbol for success.
B、A shame on Wal-Mart.
C、Pressure from its foes.
D、A large and attractive eye.
答案C
解析 根据题干信息将答题线索定位至第四段的第一句。文章提到：“这一判决‘对于沃尔玛来说是一个耻辱，而且在短时间内情况丝毫不会好转’。”从heal一词也可以看出，这次诉讼给沃尔玛带来了损害，所以可推断出a big black eye传达的是消极的意义。选项A“成功的象征”和选项D“一只大而漂亮的眼睛”单从感情色彩上判断就是错误的。选项B意为“来自对手的压力”，虽然在文中提到了来自竞争对手的压力，但是对于沃尔玛来说，它是与a big black eye并列的两大影响，不能混为一谈。选项C“沃尔玛的一个耻辱”与文章意思符合，所以本题选C。
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