Late-night comedians had a field day in the summer of 2002 when a lawsuit accusing McDonald's of making two teenage customers in New York fat and unhealthy was filed.
But thousands of restaurant owners were not amused:Pelman v. McDonald's was the second time in a month that lawyers had tried to hold food companies responsible for America's obesity crisis.
Food and restaurant companies, fearing they would be hammered with enormous judgments, as the tobacco industry was. immediately began fighting back, waging an aggressive campaign to make it impossible for anyone to sue them successfully for causing obesity or obesity-related health problems.
Almost three years later, they have had astounding success. Twenty states have enacted versions of a"commonsense consumption"law. They vary slightly in substance, but all prevent lawsuits seeking personal injury damages related to obesity from ever being tried in their courts. Another 11 states have similar legislation pending.
Although plaintiffs' lawyers are confident there are ways around the new state laws, the measures, along with a class- action overhaul bill President Bush signed into law this year, will probably make it harder for lawyers in obesity cases to win the kind of large awards seen in tobacco cases.
The National Restaurant Association, based in Washington, and its 50 state organizations, which represent large chains like McDonald's and small independent businesses, led the campaign. In most states, lobbyists for food companies and restaurants helped write the legislation and did much of the legwork in state capitols.
Restaurant owners and food company executives personally visited state lawmakers, testified at hearings and steered campaign contributions to pivotal lawmakers. Executives from Kraft and Coca-Cola showed up in Texas, for instance, to lobby for that state' s commonsense consumption bill, which was signed into law by Gov. RickPerry last month.
According to data from the Institute on Money in State Politics. a nonpartisan research group based in Helena, Mont. , in the 2002 and 2004 election cycles, the food and restaurant industry gave a total of $5. 5 million to politicians in the 20 states that have passed laws shielding companies from obesity liability.
Adoption of commonsense consumption laws by almost half the states reveals how an organized and impassioned lobbying effort, combined with a receptive legislative climate, can quickly alter the legal framework on a major public health issue like obesity.
Consumer advocates, who knew about the state efforts but were preoccupied trying to prevent similar measures from being enacted on a national level, are not pleased. Michael Jacobson executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, calls it "shameful" that food companies are trying to get special exemptions from lawsuits.
"If someone is saying that a 64-ounce soda at 7-Eleven contributed to obesity, that person should have his day in court, "Mr. Jacobson said. "If it's frivolous, the courts are accustomed to throwing those out. "
The purpose of the "commonsense consumption" law is to_____.
A.to protect the customers' rights in obesity cases
B.to shield the food companies from obesity charges
C.to uphold the judicial justice
D.both A and C
时间:2023-10-08 13:09:30
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We have had a new computer system()
A . install
B . installed
C . installing
D . to install
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He had been kept in quarantine for a week.()
A . 他接到隔离审查长达一周。
B . 他接受了一星期的检疫隔离。
C . 有一周时间,他无法和外界联络。
D . 一周以来,他一直在接受审查。
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When I came through the customs at the airport, I had to pay()on a clock I had bought.
A . taxes
B . duty
C . fines
D . fee
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Harry, who had failed in the final exam, had a great worry()his mind.
A、 on
B、 in
C、 with
D、 at
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A police had been told that bomb had been planted on plane.
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The woman had always been a slow driver.
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Her whole attitude had undergone a _____ change.
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He had a pain______his back.
A.on
B.with
C.in
D.onto
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Washington's administration had been a______.
A.failure
B.success
C.good example followed by other presidents
D.miracle
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2 We had a long conversation about her parents.
A speech Bquestion
C talk Ddebate
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I had() to visit my grandmother last week, but unfortunately I had a bad cold and the
I had() to visit my grandmother last week, but unfortunately I had a bad cold and therefore couldnt go.
A.refused
B.saved
C.intended
D.managed
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we had a long conversation about her parents.
<img src='https://img2.soutiyun.com/ask/uploadfile/2469001-2472000/917d0331ca85cde0756553ac55c573d0.gif' />
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Napoleon had.a genius for war and politics.
A.an ability
B.a quality
C.a talent
D.a taste
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The comedian didn't seem to be able to _____ to his audience — they didn't laugh at all.
A. get his jokes around
B. get his jokes by
C. get his jokes across
D. get his jokes down
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We just had soup _____a full meal.
A.instead
B.instead of
C.except
D.beside
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The invention of machinery had brought into the world a new era — the Industrial Age. Money had become king.
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He had never spent a___day.
A.more worry
B.most worrying
C.more worrying
D.most worried
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A double room with a balcony overlooking the sea had been conserved for him. ()
对
错
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He gave a () account of what had happened yesterday.
A.distorted
B.dismissed
C.discarded
D.disputed
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A farmer had a donkey. One day it fell into a deep...
A farmer had a donkey. One day it fell into a deep hole. The poor animal cried ____36____ forhours as the farmer tried to figure out what to ____37____ . Finally, he decided the ____38____ was too old,so it just wasn’t worth it to try to ____39____ it, and the hole needed to be ____40____ up anyway. Heinvited all his neighbors to come over and ____41____ him. They each ____42____ a shovel(铲子)andbegan to cover the ____43____ with dirt(泥土). Realizing what was ____44____ , the donkey at first criedmiserably. But as more dirt fell into the hole, it quieted down ____45____ . The farmer looked down intothe hole, and was ____46____ by what he saw. When the dirt hit its ____47____ , the donkey shook it off andtook a step up on the new layer(一层)of dirt. As the farmer’s neighbors ____48____ to put dirt ontop of the animal, it would shake it off and ____49____ a step up. Pretty soon, the donkey stepped upover the ____50____ of the hole and ran away, to the shock and astonishment of ____51____ .
Life is going to shovel dirt ____52____ you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to get out of the hole is tostop ____53____ , and not to let the dirt ____54____ you, but to shake it off and take a step up. Each one ofour troubles in life is a stepping stone. We can ____55____ difficulties just by not stopping, never giving up!
36___________
A.angrily
B.loudly
C.hopefully
D.slowly
37A.see
B.say
C.do
D.take
38A.farm
B.neighbor
C.hole
D.animal
39A.save
B.punish
C.feed
D.sell
40A.cleaned
B.shut
C.climbed
D.covered
41A.visit
B.replace
C.help
D.pay
42A.made
B.took
C.bought
D.broke
43A.farmhouse
B.ground
C.neighbor
D.hole
44A.rising
B.existing
C.happening
D.appearing
45A.completely
B.unwillingly
C.fortunately
D.comfortably
46A.surprised
B.worried
C.moved
D.disappointed
47A.eyes
B.tail
C.back
D.legs
48A.wanted
B.learned
C.decided
D.continued
49A.follow
B.move
C.watch
D.change
50A.bottom
B.edge
C.center
D.ceiling
51A.everyone
B.someone
C.no one
D.others
52A.behind
B.under
C.around
D.on
53A.climbing
B.working
C.crying
D.sleeping
54A.cover
B.pollute
C.cure
D.protect
55A.cause
B.overcome
C.avoid
D.admit
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Their costume had a sixties ring ().
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Only we hen he had caused an accident,()that he had made a driving mistake.
A.A.he realized
B.B.does he realize
C.C.he then realized
D.D.did he realize
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Nothing was said, but it was easy to tell that a message had been sent and had also been received.(英译中)
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Mike and Jane had () with each other for many years before they had a chance to meet.
A.approached
B.corresponded
C.accomplished
D.consumed