High Risk, High Reward These are tough times for Wal-Mart, America’s biggest retailer. Long accused of implementing Always L

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问题                             High Risk, High Reward
    These are tough times for Wal-Mart, America’s biggest retailer. Long accused of implementing Always Low Prices(ALP) and condemned for the stinginess of its pay, the company has lately come under fire for its meanness over employees’ health-care benefits. The charge is arguably unfair: the firm’s health coverage, while admittedly less extensive than the average for big companies, is on a par with other retailers’. But bad publicity, coupled with rising costs, has stirred the Bentonville giant to action. Wal-Mart is making changes that should shift the ground in America’s health-care debate.
    One strategy is to slash the prices of many generic, or out-of-patent, prescription drugs. Wal-Mart recently announced that its Florida stores would sell a list of some 300 generic drugs at $4 for a month’s supply; other states will follow. That is above cost but far less than the prices charged by many pharmacy chains, which get profits from fat margins on generics .

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答案 不经历风雨,怎么见彩虹 对于美国最大的零售商沃尔玛而言,现在是困难时期。由于实行低价策略而把美国搞得土里土气,并且支付薪水也很“抠”,该公司长期以来备受责难。最近它又因为在员工医疗保险待遇上的吝啬而遭到指责。有证据表明,这一指责是不公平的——尽管该公司医疗保险所涵盖的项目不及大公司平均水平,但与其他零售商相比都是一样的。不过,由于舆论宣传不利,加之成本不断增长,这个位于本顿维尔的巨无霸一气之下再也坐不住了。沃尔玛的改革将会把人们讨论的话题转移到对美国医疗保险制度的争论之上。 策略之一就是对许多普通类(或非专利类)处方药品进行大减价。沃尔玛最近宣布,其在佛罗里达州的门店将把大约300种药品按每月用量4美元的价格出售,其他州的门店也将效仿这一做法。这一价格高于成本,但远远低于许多连锁药店的价格,而这些连锁药店就是从普通类药品高额的差价中获利的。

解析     这篇文章节选自《经济学人》(The Economist),有改动,文章重点探讨了美国最大的零售商沃尔玛的一系列改革带来的美国医疗改革论战。
1.  对于题目的翻译,借鉴歌曲《真心英雄》的歌词,High risk,high reward译为“不经历风雨,怎么见彩虹”。
2.long accused of implementing…,注意句序的调整和意群的分割,“由于……并且……该公司长期以来备受责难”。
3.  under fire:under attack(遭到攻击),这里的come under fire引申为“遭到批评指责”,例如,come under heavy criticism(遭到严厉的批评)。
4.  over employees’health-care benefits:在员工医疗保险待遇上。
5.  coverage:inclusion within the scope of an insurance policy or protective plan(保险所涵盖的项目),故health coverage译为“医疗保险所涵盖的项目”。
6.  on a par with:与……同等。
7.  bad publicity:舆论宣传不利。
8.  Bentonville为美国城市本顿维尔,沃尔玛总部所在地,the Bentonville giant代指零售商巨头沃尔玛公司。
9.  slash the prices:大减价。
10.generic:a genetic product(as a drug),也可以作名词,表示药品。
11.fat margins:高额的差价。
12.genetics:非专利药物(术语)。
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