Wal-Mart is not just the world's largest retailer （零售商）. It's the world's largest pany, which sells in three months what number-two retailer Home Depot sells in a year.
Wal-Mart exercises its power for just one purpose: to bring the lowest possible prices to its customers. At Wal-Mart, that goal is never reached. The retailer has a clear policy for suppliers: On basic products that don't change, the price Wal-Mart will pay, and will charge shoppers, must drop year after year. But what almost no one outside the world of Wal-Mart and none of its 21,000 suppliers know is the high cost of those low prices. To survive in the face of its pricing demands, makers of everything from bikes to jeans have had to close US plants in favor of obtaining products from abroad.
Indeed, the real story of Wal-Mart, the story that never gets told, is the story of the pressure the biggest retailer constantly applies to its suppliers in the name of bringing us every day low prices.
The giant retailer' s low prices often e with a high cost. Wal-Mart' s pressure can crush the panies it does business with and force them to send jobs overseas. Are we shopping our way straight to the unemployment line? Of course, US panies have been moving jobs offshore for decades, long before Wal-Mart was a retailing power. But there is no question that the chain is helping accelerate the loss of American jobs to low-wage countries such as Thailand.
People ask, How can it be bad for things to e into the US cheaply? Sure, it's great to have bargains. But you can' t buy anything if you' re not employed.
There is no question that Wal-Mart's drive to squeeze out cost has benefited consumers. By now, it is accepted wisdom that Wal-Mart makes the panies it does business with more efficient and focused. Wal-Mart itself is known for continuous improvement in its ability to handle, move, and track goods. It is legendary （传奇） for forcing its suppliers to redesign everything from their packaging to their puter systems. It is also legendary for quite straightforwardly telling them what it will pay for their goods.
【小题1】How do suppliers meet the requirements of Wal-Mart?A．To sell even more goods in three months.B．To cut down the employment rate sharply. C．To charge shoppers at a much higher price. D．To run the business in a well-organized way.【小题2】 Wal-Mart's low price policy results in .A．more high-paying jobsB．better designed packagesC．bigger profit of its partnersD．more jobless American workers【小题3】What can we infer from the passage? A．Still more quality goods will be provided.B．The food you get at Wal-Mart costs least. C．The value of Mal-Mart is over assessed. D．Wal-Mart is a very demanding pany.【小题4】What's the best title for the passage?A．The Fortune Wal-Mart MakesB．The Wal-Mart you don't KnowC．The Biggest Retailer—Wal-MartD．The Money Saving Tip in Wal-MartD
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(答案→)D
解析：这篇文章告诉读者在沃尔玛提供消费者低价商品的背后，却是要付出代价的，为了使价格降低，很多供应商把工厂开到海外，导致很多美国的工人会因此失业。
【小题1】细节题：从最后一段的句子：By now, it is accepted wisdom that Wal-Mart makes the panies it does business with more efficient and focused.可知为了满足沃尔玛的要求，供应商需要以组织有序的方式运作。选D
【小题2】推理题：从第四段的句子：The giant retailer' s low prices often e with a high cost. Wal-Mart' s pressure can crush the panies it does business with and force them to send jobs overseas. Are we shopping our way straight to the unemployment line? 可知沃尔玛的低价格会导致美国的工人失业，选D
【小题3】推理题：从最后一段的句子Wal-Mart itself is known for continuous improvement in its ability to handle, move, and track goods. It is legendary （传奇） for forcing its suppliers to redesign everything from their packaging to their puter systems.可知沃尔玛公司是非常苛刻的，选D
【小题4】标题确定题：从全篇文章和第三段的句子：Indeed, the real story of Wal-Mart, the story that never gets told, is the story of the pressure the biggest retailer constantly applies to its suppliers in the name of bringing us every day low prices.可知这篇文章告诉读者在沃尔玛提供消费者低价商品的背后，却是要付出代价的，就是美国的工人会因此失业。这是很多人不知道的事情，标题The Wal-Mart you don't Know 和主题很贴切。选B