【時事聚焦】美國消費者產(chǎn)品安全委員會6月4日宣布,由快餐巨頭麥當(dāng)勞銷售的1200萬個飲水杯已被緊急召回,因為這批產(chǎn)品含有致癌物質(zhì)鎘。麥當(dāng)勞公司當(dāng)天發(fā)表聲明說,它已主動召回這批問題產(chǎn)品,并將向消費者賠款。聲明說,這批問題產(chǎn)品是為了宣傳剛上映的動畫影片《永遠的史瑞克》而制作的,水杯上印有影片中的動畫形象。詳見以下的原版新聞:

McDonald's pulls ‘Shrek’ glasses for cadmium

Toxic cadmium has been discovered in the painted design on "Shrek"-themed drinking glasses being sold nationwide at McDonald's, forcing the fast food company to recall 13.4 million of the collectibles in the U.S. and Canada.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the voluntary recall early Friday, warned consumers to immediately stop using the glasses; McDonald's said it would post instructions on its website next week regarding refunds.

The 16-ounce glasses, being sold for about $2 each as part of a promotional campaign for the movie "Shrek Forever After," were available in four designs depicting the characters Shrek, Princess Fiona, Puss in Boots and Donkey.

Known carcinogen

The CPSC noted in its recall notice that "long-term exposure to cadmium can cause adverse health effects." Cadmium is a known carcinogen that research shows also can cause bone softening and severe kidney problems.

In the case of the Shrek-themed glassware, the potential danger would be long-term exposure to low levels of cadmium, which could leach from the paint onto a child's hand, then enter the body if the child puts that unwashed hand to his or her mouth.

Cadmium can be used to create reds and yellows in paint. McDonald's USA spokesman Bill Whitman said a pigment in paint on the glasses contained cadmium. "A very small amount of cadmium can come to the surface of the glass, and in order to be as protective as possible of children, CPSC and McDonald's worked together on this recall," said CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson. He would not specify the amounts of cadmium that leached from the paint in tests, but said the amounts were "slightly above the protective level currently being developed by the agency."

McDonald's said it was asking customers to stop using the glasses "out of an abundance of caution." "We believe the Shrek glassware is safe for consumer use," Whitman said. "However, again to ensure that our customers receive safe products from us, we made the decision to stop selling them and voluntarily recall these products effective immediately."

Whitman said that as the CPSC develops new protocols and standards for cadmium in consumer products, "we adjust as necessary to ensure that our customers can continue to trust what they receive from McDonald's."

【熱點話題】作為一個大型食品生產(chǎn)企業(yè),麥當(dāng)勞出現(xiàn)這樣的問題令人憂慮。但是,其迅速的危機反應(yīng)速度及勇于承擔(dān)責(zé)任的態(tài)度,導(dǎo)致其口碑和公信力并未受到很大影響。分析認為,此話題與雅思考試中corporate crime以及health and disease聯(lián)系緊密。

Corporate crime(企業(yè)的犯罪行為)

在劍橋4的Test 2 Section 4中,討論了Corporate Crime的話題,我們一起來了解一下相關(guān)的內(nèi)容。

何為Corporate Crime?如何區(qū)分Corporate Crime以及一般犯罪?

Corporate crime is generally committed for companies. 其是為了公司利益而進行的犯罪。

Corporate Crime為何會長久被媒體及學(xué)術(shù)界忽視?

三個原因:1、Corporate Crime通常非常復(fù)雜(complex),涉及很多的專業(yè)知識(specific knowledge);2、與傳統(tǒng)的犯罪相比,Corporate Crime當(dāng)中涉及更少的個人利益;3、許多Corporate Crime的受害者(victim)自身并為意識到。