2006年VOA标准英语-Indian Court Lifts Ban on Colas in Southern Sta

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
24 September 2006

		Different brands of soft drinks of Coca Cola company are displayed at a makeshift stall in New Delhi, India

produced by the U.S. companies Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.  The ruling is good news for the cola giants, which have been in the center of a storm recently over allegations that their products contain high pesticide¹ levels.

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The controversy² erupted in August after a New Delhi environmental group claimed that the beverages³ sold by the two cola companies in India had traces of pesticides⁴ far above safety levels. The study triggered a countrywide uproar⁵, and several Indian states banned the sale of the companies' products in schools, colleges, and hospitals.

The southern state of Kerala took the severest action, slapping a total ban on the manufacture and sale of soft drinks by Coca-Cola and Pepsi on the ground that they were unsafe.

But the state High Court has overturned the ban, calling it "harsh and arbitrary." It said the state government did not have the authority to ban the colas on the basis of a report by an environmental group. The ruling came after the two companies challenged the ban in court.

The judgment⁶ is being described as a victory for the drink companies, which have gone on an offensive in recent weeks to argue their products are safe and that they comply with international standards.

Consumer groups say the victory will help restore the companies' images, which took a beating after the environmental group's report.

The head of the Consumer Guidance Society of India, A.R. Shenoy, says the controversy was blown out of proportion in a country that faces more serious issues over food and water contamination.

"It was very much overblown, this was actually a non-issue," he said.  "The issue itself is very flimsy, basically I do not think a normal consumer is affected⁷."

The Kerala government says it will appeal the verdict, but the cola giants have welcomed the judgment. Coca-Cola officials say they hope the ruling will prompt other states to reconsider restrictions⁸ they imposed. Pepsi says the order validates¹⁰ the company's confidence in the quality of its products.

The judgment is the second piece of good news for the companies in the wake of the controversy. Last month, a government-appointed panel cast doubt on the findings of the environmental group, saying the sampling methods it used lacked a "scientific and statistically¹¹ valid⁹ basis."

The environmental group hit back, saying the government is pandering¹² to multinationals¹³ at the cost of public health.

Industry experts say the controversy had cut into the sales of Pepsi and Coca-Cola, which dominate India's soft drink market.

1 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

2 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

3 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

4 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

6 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

10 validates   

v.证实( validate的第三人称单数 )；确证；使生效；使有法律效力

参考例句：

• Other research validates that when it comes to chocolate, type does matter. 其他的研究也证实了不同种类的巧克力确实功效不同。 来自互联网
• Trouble shoots equipment, review and validates data and complete reports. 管理错误描述设备，审查并确认试验数据，完成试验报告。 来自互联网

11 statistically   

ad.根据统计数据来看，从统计学的观点来看

参考例句：

• The sample of building permits is larger and therefore, statistically satisfying. 建筑许可数的样本比较大，所以统计数据更令人满意。
• The results of each test would have to be statistically independent. 每次试验的结果在统计上必须是独立的。

12 pandering   

v.迎合（他人的低级趣味或淫欲）( pander的现在分词 )；纵容某人；迁就某事物

参考例句：

• This magazine is criticized for pandering to the vulgar taste of some readers. 这家杂志因迎合某些读者的低级趣味而遭到批评。 来自辞典例句
• We're four points up there; we don't need to get hit for pandering. 我们在那儿领先四个百分点；我们不必为了迎合一些选民而遭受批评。 来自电影对白

13 multinationals   

跨国公司( multinational的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These local companies are only small fry compared with the huge multinationals. 同那些跨国公司比，这些当地的公司不过是小鱼小虾。
• Some people believe that the multinationals have too much power. 有人认为跨国公司的权力太大了。