Ⅰ.阅读理解
(2015·石家庄市复习教学质量检测)You may have heard Red Bull “gives you wings”. But while most people take the advertising slogan as a metaphor (比喻), some Americans seem to have taken it very seriously.
Benjamin Careathers had been drinking the drink for 10 years, expecting to at least feel more energetic, but nothing happened. Feeling fooled by the ad, he took the issue to court in January 2013. In October, the Austria-based company agreed to pay D|S6.5 million to customers who have bought the drink since 2002. People in the US can apply for a share through energydrinksettlement. com before March 2015.
But is the case really that ridiculous? Red Bull said they had done nothing wrong and they only paid the money to save the cost and trouble of legal action. However, the suit told a different story. Even though there is no evidence that Red Bull provides more benefit to consumers than a cup of coffee, the company markets their product as a superior source of energy. “Such conduct means that Red Bull's advertising and marketing is misleading and therefore actionable，” the suit said.
Red Bull is not the first company that has gotten into trouble for misleading ads. Drinks giant Coca-Cola was sued (起诉) in 2009 by the Center for Science for its ads for Vitamin drinks. The company said that the drink could promote healthy joints and reduce the risk of eye disease. However, according to the organization, the product contains a lot of sugar, which could actually lead to many health problems. Coca-Cola agreed to pay D|S1.2 million in compensation. Truth In Advertising, another non-profit organization, took the issue to court again in late October.
