BBC新闻：美法官裁定谷歌垄断搜索市场

US Judge Rules Google Monopolized Search Market

常速 | CET-6 偏难 | 146词 | 57s

刘立军供稿

Part I. QUESTIONS

Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

Q1. What is the text mainly about?

A. Legal actions against tech companies for violating environmental laws.

B. Alphabet’s strategic moves to dominate the internet.

C. The judicial ruling on Google’s monopolistic practices in online searches.

D. Changes in antitrust laws under different US administrations.

Q2. What was the main accusation against Google by the Department of Justice?

A. Overcharging for online advertisements.

B. Unfairly dominating the online search market.

C. Sharing user data without consent.

D. Undermining cybersecurity measures.

Q3. Who did Alphabet make payments to in order to secure Google search as the default option?

A. Apple and Samsung.

B. Yahoo and Amazon.

C. Microsoft and Hulu.

D. Facebook and Twitter.

Q4. What was the intended effect of Alphabet’s payments to Apple and Samsung according to the federal judge?

A. To improve the user experience.

B. To finance new innovations.

C. To enhance data privacy.

D. To block market rivals.

Q5. What can be inferred about the future actions of the Justice Department from the text?

A. They will soften their stance on tech companies’ market dominance.

B. They will likely continue to enforce antitrust laws rigorously.

C. They will shift focus to international tech regulations.

D. They will stop pursuing cases started under the Trump administration.

Part II. TRANSCRIPT

US Judge Rules Google Monopolized Search Market

(Q1) A district judge in the United States has ruled that Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online searches and related advertising. (Q2) Antitrust regulators from the Department of Justice had sued Google over its control of 90% of the online search market.

sue v. 起诉

Michelle Flurry has more details.

(Q3) A federal judge ruled that payments by Alphabet to the likes of Apple and Samsung to make Google search the default option on their smartphones and web browsers violated US antitrust law. (Q4) He said Google was a monopolist and the money it had spent in effect blocked rivals from succeeding in the market. The ruling represents a major setback for Alphabet which plans to appeal. (Q5) The Justice Department, which filed the case nearly four years ago when Donald Trump was president, hailed the outcome as an historic win and said it would continue to vigorously enforce antitrust laws.

default adj. 默认的

monopolist n. 垄断者

hail v. 赞扬

Part III. KEY

Q1. C. 主旨题。这段文字主要讨论了法院对谷歌非法垄断行为的裁决。题目出处为：“A district judge in the United States has ruled that Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online searches and related advertising.” 意为：“美国的一名地方法官裁定，谷歌为了维持在线搜索和相关广告的垄断地位采用了非法行为。”因此答案为C。

Q2. B. 细节题。题目出处为：“Antitrust regulators from the Department of Justice had sued Google over its control of 90% of the online search market.” 意为：“美国司法部的反垄断监管机构因谷歌对90%的在线搜索市场拥有控制权而起诉了谷歌。” 由此可以看出答案为B。

Q3. A. 细节题。题目出处为：“A federal judge ruled that payments by Alphabet to the likes of Apple and Samsung to make Google search the default option on their smartphones and web browsers violated US antitrust law.” 意为：“一名联邦法官裁定，Alphabet向苹果和三星等公司支付费用以使其搜索引擎成为其智能手机和网络浏览器上的默认选项的行为违反了美国的反垄断法。” 因此答案为A。

Q4. D. 细节题。题目出处为：“He said Google was a monopolist and the money it had spent in effect blocked rivals from succeeding in the market.” 意为：“他说谷歌是一家垄断企业，并且其所花费的资金实际上阻断了竞争对手在市场上取得成功的机会。” 因此答案为D。

Q5. B. 推理题。题目出处为：“The Justice Department ... hailed the outcome as an historic win and said it would continue to vigorously enforce antitrust laws.” 意为：“司法部称结果是具有历史意义的胜利，并表示将继续大力执行反垄断法。” 由此可以推断出司法部坚定打击垄断行为，因此答案为B。

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