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欢迎大家来到“英语阅读”，本栏目旨在提升各位同学的阅读、听力水平及阅读理解能力，内容精选自《英语周报》高中阅读专版。
The Downfall of a Fashion Giant
掌握“美式发音”技巧，一个句子就GO了！
"D&G = DEAD AND GONE," reads one internet meme (网络爆红现象) after the fashion brand's spectacular social media storm two weeks ago.
On November 18, the popular fashion brand, Dolce & Gabbana, posted three short videos on social media sites in the hopes of promoting their big fashion show in Shanghai. However, they did not get the reaction they were hoping for. Instead, thousands of netizens replied by calling the videos racist (种族歧视的) and disrespectful to the Chinese people. Later, the situation got worse when remarks insulting China from co-founder Stefano Gabbana's personal account were released. The company quickly released a statement saying that their accounts had been hacked, and the messages were not sent by Gabbana. But the damage was already done. Numerous models and celebrities decided to boycott (*制抵**) the event by not attending it. Hours before the big fashion show was set to take place, it was cancelled.
I don't care much about fashion, nor do I think the original videos were intended to offend. However, like many others, I found Gabbana's comments made against China to be incredibly insulting. In a world as interconnected as ours, it should be much easier for people to learn about other cultures. A simple online search yields hundreds if not thousands of results about the customs, traditions and history of just about any country on the planet. As such, we should make an effort to understand and respect the ways that other people live.
The Greeks have a custom of spitting (吐口水) on the bride at her wedding; in Hungary, people don't clinks their glasses (碰杯) together before taking a drink; in America, one is supposed to tip people who work in the service industry. We might find these practices odd and joke about them between friends, but surely we know better than to show disrespect or (stupidly) mock (嘲笑) them online. In this case, the result was obvious.
What started as an innocent — perhaps a little ignorant — poke at Chinese culture, has resulted in the cancellation of a $12 million fashion show. What follows is the loss of millions in sales and maybe even the entire Chinese market. If there's one thing the designers have learned from this fiasco (惨败), it's that the pen isn't just mightier (强有力的) than the sword, it can become the sword itself.
教案
PRE-READING
1. Have you been following Dolce & Gabbana's social media storm last month?
2. Do you know of any other brands that allegedly have shown disrespect to or insulted China?
Note:
Toyota: In 2003, Toyota made two stone lions salute and bow to Toyota's Prado GX car in an advertisement. It drew widespread criticism from Chinese people.
Philipp Plein: In 2015, German fashion company Philipp Plein was boycotted by Chinese consumers for its racist history. The brand released a limited edition T-shirt in 2007 with insulting words against China printed on it.
WHILE READING
Sentences
1. A simple online search ① yields hundreds if not thousands of ② results about the customs, traditions and history of just about any country on the planet.
① 英语表达中有很多物称表达法，即不用人称来叙述，而让事物以客观的口气呈现出来。这个句子也可以改写为人作主语，如：If they search online, they will find hundreds if not thousands of ...。但这样一来就达不到原句表达出来的客观效果。
② 这个短语含有强调的意味，它的意思是“不说成千上万，也有成百上千”。
2. We might find these practices odd ① and joke about them between friends, but surely we know better than ② to show disrespect or (stupidly) mock them online.
① 这里的find后接的是不定式的复合结构，odd的前面省略了to be。find的后面还可以接名词的复合结构、现在分词的复合结构、过去分词的复合结构等。
e.g. I didn't find her an easy woman to work with.
e.g. I found the boy hiding behind the door.
e.g. He found the city much changed.
② know better than的意思是“很懂得(而不至于)，”“明白事理(而不至于)”。
Vocabulary
Complete each sentence using one word from the box in its correct form. Note that there is one word more than you need and you can use each word only once.
promoting reaction easier results personal intended
1. He did not know them ________, but he was familiar with their names.
2. When the cells don't move about normally, it affects how a person thinks and how quickly they ________.
3. You can have a(n) ________ time of it now that the kids have all left home.
4. You don't have to sacrifice the environment to ________ economic growth.
5. We are still dealing with problems ________ from errors made in the past.
Key: personally react easy promote resulting
Translation
1. 两国首脑的会面未能按照预定的计划进行。(take place)
2. 为了节省资金，这家公司遣散了150名工作人员。(effort)
3. 点燃奥林匹克圣火的习俗可以追溯到几个世纪前。(custom)
Possible answers:
1. The meeting between the leaders of the two countries failed to take place as planned.
2. The company has laid off 150 workers in an effort to save money.
3. The custom of lighting the Olympic flame goes back centuries.
Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. The author's attitude toward the anti-China remarks from Stefano Gabbana is ______.
A. favorable B. neutral
C. doubtful D. critical
2. According to the article, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
A. The three videos posted by D&G to promote the fashion show in Shanghai were the main reason why they were boycotted.
B. D&G's claim that their accounts had been hacked made many Chinese people very angry.
C. In today's society, it's easy for people to learn about any country's culture if they want to.
D. Other foreign brands should learn a lesson from the heavy loss that D&G suffered due to its cultural insensibility.
3. What's the author's intention in mentioning the customs in Greece, Hungary and America?
A. To express his interest in different cultures.
B. To tell people that there are many odd customs in the world.
C. To suggest people not to make fun of these customs in public.
D. To inspire people to show respect to the culture of other countries.
Key: DAD
after reading
What have you learnt from D&G's social media storm? What attitude should we have toward other countries' and regions' culture? What should we pay attention to during intercultural communication? Write an article of 150-200 words.
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