金融時報:血汗工廠不便宜

血汗工廠不便宜

孟加拉國服裝廠倒塌事故造成數(shù)百工人死亡一事震驚了世界。英國服裝公司Primark曾要求安全生產(chǎn)，也進行過廠房安全檢查。但FT社論認為，這些還不夠。如這次事故一樣，孟加拉很多工廠的老板都是官員，他們可以輕易使法律監(jiān)管形同虛設。而跨國公司有義務用種種方法迫使工廠不再忽視工人的安全和健康，血汗工廠可不便宜。

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識：

the ruins of a Bangladesh garment factory 孟加拉國首都達卡郊區(qū)一棟八層高的服裝廠大樓本周三(4.24)發(fā)生倒塌事故，目前已導致超過300人死亡。

Primark 一家以銷售低價時尚服裝著稱的英國公司。發(fā)生事故的工廠就接這家公司的訂單。

rife [ra?f] adj.普遍的，流行的

bristle with 充滿，密集

ethical trader 有道德的商人

flout [fla?t] n./vt./vi.嘲笑，輕視，愚弄

scanty ['skænt?] adj.僅有的，缺乏的

above the law 凌駕于法律之上

clout [kla?t] n./v.影響力，勢力

Bangladeshi factory workers pay the high cost of cheap clothing (413 words)

FT Editorial

What is a fair price for a T-shirt? The tragedy unfolding in the ruins of a Bangladesh garment factory, where at last count more than 220 people have died and scores more are missing, is a stark reminder that in a world where consumers demand ever lower prices, the cost of a bargain can be too high.

The disaster in Bangladesh was first and foremost the fault of the building’s owner. A local politician, he used his influence to circumvent building regulations in order to extend a complex rented out to factories making clothes for cut-price store brands such as Britain’s Primark. But the world’s big retailers, most of which have flocked to profit from Bangladesh’s low wages and poor working conditions, also share responsibility for choosing to operate in a country where such abuse is rife and, worse, tolerated.

It is no longer enough to claim that occasional factory inspections and contracts bristling with conditions entitle a retailer to the title of ethical trader. Primark has drawn praise from campaign groups and labour unions in recent years for such efforts. The reality on the ground is that all the inspection procedures in the world are pointless if laws are flouted.

Retailers will argue that it is not their job to enforce regulation. That is true. They should focus on developing long-term relationships with trusted factories, and help manufacturers to invest in desperately needed health and safety measures. But they should also use their economic muscle to press the government to do its job. Bangladesh’s political establishment is hostage to the garment industry, which accounts for more than three-quarters of the country’s exports. Many politicians are themselves clothes factory bosses and have little reason to want even existing scanty regulations on construction, health, safety and labour enforced.

The world’s clothing brands may be under pressure from rising raw material costs and price competition. But they cannot continue to sell garments that campaigners will argue have been manufactured at the cost of innocent lives. In the end, even Bangladesh’s cost benefits may be outweighed by reputational damage. Those who died at Rana Plaza were not the first and are unlikely to be the last victims of an industry that has operated above the law.

On Thursday, thousands of factory workers marched in protest to demand safer working conditions. Big western retailers have a moral obligation, and the clout, to lead that change.

請根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內容，完成以下自測題目：

1.Who has the primary responsability for the tragedy, according to FT?

A. The local politician-factory building owner.

B. Britain’s Primark garment company.

C. Western consumers who welcome low prices.

D. Free market and free trade.

答案(1)

2.Which of the following is not a fact about Bangladesh?

A. It is a poor and underdeveloped country.

B. Its economy is famous for the garment industry.

C. In Europe, made-in-Bangladesh clothes are at lower prices.

D. Crony capitalism as a major reason why the laws are flouted.

答案(2)

3.What do we know about free trade?

A. It is important that different countries play by different rules.

B. Large corporations usually ignore corporate responsibilities.

C. Capital always seeks for low-cost labourforce around the world.

D. Free trade is incompatible with tight regulation.

答案(3)

4.What should big western retailers do?

A. Doing business only with those law abiding factories.

B. Urge the Bangladeshi government to make and enforce necessary laws.

C. Lobby their own governments to exert pressure on Bangladesh.

D. All of above.

答案(4)

* * *

(1) 答案：A.The local politician-factory building owner.

解釋：這是第二段的第一句話。工廠主是當?shù)氐墓賳T，他利用自己的影響避開了建筑監(jiān)管。

Primark公司盡管has drawn praise from campaign groups and labour unions for such efforts.但是做的還不夠。 而FT一貫堅持自由貿易立場，認為這是最能改善窮國和窮人福利的政策，因為如果沒有外資來孟加拉投資和貿易，人們只能去做更危險、更骯臟、收入更低的工作。

(2) 答案：D.Crony capitalism as a major reason why the laws are flouted.

解釋：根據(jù)文章，ABCD都是正確的。不過ABC是對客觀事實的講述，而D則是涉及到了判斷——類似于“主要原因”這種詞。 注意，“價格更低”或“更高”是事實描述，而如果說“儉樸”或“奢侈”則是觀點和判斷——每個人對50塊錢一件襯衫是否簡樸有不同的意見，但是沒有人能否認50塊比70塊便宜。

(3) 答案：C.Capital always seeks for low-cost labourforce around the world.

解釋：A顯然不正確，all the inspection procedures in the world are pointless if laws are flouted.國際貿易需要各國都遵守同樣的游戲規(guī)則。 B也不正確，事實上能夠做大的企業(yè)相對來說還是注重自己的企業(yè)責任的。

(4) 答案：D.All of above.

解釋：ABC都正確。A是文章中明確提到的。另外，文中說they should also use their economic muscle to press the government to do its job. 而BC都是常見的企業(yè)進行合法政治博弈的手段。俗話說，就是促使它成為“完全市場經(jīng)濟國家”。