1. 教学文本原文
To Sue or Not to Sue?
—— The Rise and Rise of the Compensation Culture
Imagine on your way out of class today you trip on a loose piece of carpet and twist your ankle. As a result of the injury, you lose your place in the local sports team, and have to miss an important job interview. Bad luck? Just one of those things? Or an opportunity to get rich quick?
Perhaps it's not surprising that Roslyn Darch of Houston, Texas, USA felt annoyed when she tripped over a toddler running around a furniture store, and broke her ankle. But a few months later, she was $780,000 richer after successfully suing the shop. The owners were clearly surprised at the size of Roslyn's payout. Particularly since the toddler she tripped over was her own son.
Some argue that this is just greed—that the amount of money is far too much for the injury suffered—and it's not the shop's fault a mother can't control her child anyway. Others would say that it's good to see the law taking the side of the individual against the big corporations, for a change. Take the example of the hundreds of smokers who have received millions of dollars from the tobacco companies, after saying they were responsible for the terminal illnesses they had developed because of smoking. Whatever you think, the compensation culture which has grown up in the USA is spreading, and it will affect all of us.
And it's not only claims for physical injuries that are keeping the lawyers busy. A group of overweight New York teenagers sued a giant fast-food company claiming that they had not had enough warning that a diet of burgers, fries and milk shakes would make them fat. The parents of one nineteen-year-old English schoolgirl successfully sued her school for 42,000 compensation when she failed to get a top grade in a university entrance exam: and in perhaps the most bizarre case of all, Sandra York received $113,000 from a Philadelphia restaurant after slipping on a spilt soft drink. However, the drink was on the floor because York had thrown it over her boyfriend thirty seconds earlier, during an argument.
If you think that going on holiday is a good way to get away from all this trouble, think again — millions of people complain to the British Tourists Authority every year, and many receive some form of compensation. Staff at British travel company Thomson Holidays are used to dealing with requests for compensation following poor weather, cancelled flights and lost luggage, but one spokesman revealed “We recently had a claim from someone who said their holiday was ruined because they didn't get on with their travelling companion. And we regularly get complaints from holidaymakers travelling abroad who say the locals don't speak English.”
Who knows where it will end? Some say there should be penalties for excessive claims, or that there should be a limit on payouts. But one thing's for sure—in the end, the only certain winner is the lawyer!
2. 教学文本改编版（全国展示课使用）
To Sue or Not to Sue?
Imagine on your way out of class today you trip (knock your foot) on a rock and twist your ankle. As a result of the injury, you lose your place in the local sports team, and have to miss an important job interview. Bad luck? Or an opportunity to get rich quick?
Perhaps it's not surprising that an American woman, Roslyn Darch of Houston, Texas, USA felt annoyed when she tripped over a child running around a furniture store, and broke her ankle. But a few months later, she was $780,000 richer after successfully suing the shop. The owners were clearly surprised at the size of Roslyn's payout (money paid), particularly since the child she tripped over was her own son. And it's not only suing cases of physical injuries that are keeping the lawyers busy. A group of overweight New York teenagers sued a giant fast-food company saying that they had not had enough warning that a diet of burgers, fries and milk shakes would make them fat. Apart from shops and restaurants, schools are not a safe place, either. In an even more bizarre (strange) case, the parents of one 19-year-old English schoolgirl successfully sued her school for a compensation (money paid) of ￡42,000 when she failed to get a top grade in a university entrance exam.
If you think that going on holiday is a good way to get away from all this trouble, think again—in Britain, millions of people sued travel companies, and many receive some form of compensation. Staff at those companies are used to dealing with requests for compensation following poor weather, cancelled flights and lost luggage. And recently there was a claim from someone who said his holiday was ruined because the locals didn't speak English.
Who knows where it will end? Maybe there should be punishment for unreasonable claims, or there should be a limit on payouts. But one thing is for sure—in the end, the only certain winner is the lawyer!
3. 拼图式阅读材料
[Case A]
Perhaps it's not surprising that an American woman, Roslyn Darch of Houston, Texas, USA felt annoyed when she tripped over a child running around a furniture store, and broke her ankle. But a few months later, she was $780,000 richer after successfully suing the shop. The owners were clearly surprised at the size of Roslyn's payout (money paid), particularly since the child she tripped over was her own son.
[Case B]
And it's not only suing cases of physical injuries that are keeping the lawyers busy. A group of overweight New York teenagers sued a giant fast-food company saying that they had not had enough warning that a diet of burgers, fries and milk shakes would make them fat.
[Case C]
Apart from shops and restaurants, schools are not a safe place, either. In an even more bizarre (strange) case, the parents of one nineteen-year-old English schoolgirl successfully sued her school for a compensation (money paid) of ￡42,000 when she failed to get a top grade in a university entrance exam.
[Case D]
If you think that going on holiday is a good way to get away from all this trouble, think again—in Britain, millions of people sued travel companies, and many receive some form of compensation. Staff at those companies are used to dealing with requests for compensation following poor weather, cancelled flights and lost luggage. And recently there was a claim from someone who said his holiday was ruined because the locals didn't speak English.