哈工大博士英语考试冲刺试题三

哈工大博士英语考试冲刺试题三

Passage 1

The realm of product liability is one that has always put legal scholars and practitioners at odds. Viewed by some as genuine efforts to protect the public from dangerous goods and others as an excuse for dirty lawyers to sue rich companies, the matter has yet to be resolved. Product liability, and its implications for disgruntled consumers wishing to sue the makers of what they buy, continues to be debated.

Those who argue that current product liability laws are positive assert that without such laws, manufacturers would be free to do as they please without regard for the safety of the consumers who buy their products. As a result, they argue, shoddy merchandise would emerge, with every possible corner cut in order to lower costs, at the expense of quality. Not only would the shoddy merchandise be a rip-off, however, but the products could likely be harmful as well. Proponents of this point of view hail the new wave of warning labels and increased quality assurance that has resulted from recent product liability legislation, confident in their conviction that it has made the American marketplace a safer place to shop.

Opponents of the current status-quo, however, cite the overwhelming amount of litigation that has taken place as a result of stricter product liability. A moderate approach id advised by this group, between the necessary safeguards that would prevent abuse of the system by the companies and the excessive consumer-protection laws that allow producers to be sued at the drop of a hat. These people argue that greed and the alluring possibility of easy money lead unscrupulous buyers to look for any excuse to bring minor grievances to court, hoping for a million-dollar outcome.

As the situation stands now, the former camp is getting its way, reflecting society's priority of safety over economics. Recent lobbying by producers have begun to shift the tide, however, as abuse of product liability laws continues and grows, courts are beginning to note the trend and take appropriate measures, casting a keener eye on such cases so as to distinguish between frivolous cases and more serious claims. In regard to the future of product liability legislation and its relation to our ever increasingly litigious society, only time will tell.

1.It is stated that consumers who bring product liability problems to litigation ____

A.Are primarily motivated by the possibility of quick money through a lawsuit

B.Suffer injures from faulty merchandise and deserve appropriate compensation

C.Will find their options limited in the future as product liability laws will move toward a

more moderate position

D.Bring their issues to litigation based on both legitimate and profit-seeking groups

2.Manufacturers in the text tend to ____

A.Invariable produce dangerous products that require legislation to ensure safety

B.Hold profit and cost-cutting in higher regard than consumer safety

C.Be the victims of a legal institution that unfairly targets them

D.Be bound by the current system, causing them to take caution in producing their

products

3.Those who favor less strict product liability laws believe that ____

A.Such laws curb producers' ability to create shoddy merchandise to attain greater profit

B.The laws need to be modified to better serve the needs both consumers and producers