A US court has ordered the country’s second largest cigarette company to pay $23.6 billion (£13.8bn) to the wife of a smoker who died of lung cancer. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company was hit with the punitive fine in addition to $16.8m (£9.8m) in compensatory damages. A company official said the verdict was “extremely excessive and unallowable under state and constitutional law.”
    Cynthia Robinson took action against the firm in 2008, seeking compensation for her husband’s death in 1996.
    During the four-week trial, lawyers for Ms Robinson argued that RJ Reynolds neglected to inform consumers of the dangers of smoking tobacco. This negligence, the lawyers said, led to her husband Michael Johnson Sr becoming a victim to lung cancer from smoking after becoming “addicted” and failing numerous attempts to quit.
   “RJ Reynolds took a risk by manufacturing cigarettes and selling them to consumers without properly informing them of the harm,” Ms Robinson’s lawyer Willie Gary said. “We hope that this verdict will send a message to RJ Reynolds and other big tobacco companies that will force them to stop putting the lives of innocent people in danger,” he added.
    RJ Reynolds plans to appeal against the court’s decision, vice president and assistant general counsel Jeffery Raborn said in a statement. “This verdict goes far beyond reasonableness and fairness, and is completely in disagreement with the evidence presented,” he said. “We plan to file post-trial motions with the trial court right away, and are confident that the court will follow the law and not allow this runaway verdict to stand.”
    The punitive damages awarded to Ms Robinson were said to be the largest of any individual case coming from a class action lawsuit charged in Florida. Several similar cases have resulted in smaller payouts after the state’s highest court ruled that smokers and their families only had to prove addiction and that smoking caused their illness.

本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！

1.How much was RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company ordered to pay Cynthia Robinson?

A $23.6 billion.

B $16.8 billion.

C $40.4 billion.

D $6.4 billion.

解析：选A。A。细节理解题。根据文章第一段…pay $23.6 billion (£13.8bn) to the wife of a smoker…及下文…with the punitive fine in addition to $16.8m (£9.8m) in compensatory damages可知，RJ Reynolds烟草公司被判赔偿给罗宾逊夫人共236亿美元。包括罚金及1680万美元的赔偿金。

2.What was RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company charged for according to Willie Gary?

A It put the lives of innocent people in danger.

B It didn’t manufacture and sold cigarettes properly.

C It led its consumers to suffer from lung cancer.

D If failed to inform its consumers of the harm.

解析：选D。D。细节理解题。根据文章第四段…without properly informing them of the harm可知，罗宾逊夫人的代理律师认为，RJ烟草公司的罪责在于未能告知消费者吸烟的危害。

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A The judgment was reasonable with the evidence.

B The court didn’t give the verdict based on law.

C RJ Reynolds will not accept the judgment.

D The court often gives uncontrollable judgments

解析：选C。C。推理判断题。根据文章第五RJ Reynolds plans to appeal against the court’s decision… far beyond reasonableness and fairness可知，RJ烟草公司将提起上诉，因为他们认为这个判决根本不合理，不公平。由此判断，RJ烟草公司是不会接受这个判决的。

4.What does the author really want to say in the last paragraph?

A Ms Robinson will receive the biggest punitive damages ever paid by a company.

B The court demands proof that the smokers’ illnesses have a connection with smoking.

C Other cases of smoking victims had smaller payout at last.

D Ms Robinson is likely to be awarded less payout on the second judgment.

解析：选D。D。细节理解题。根据文章第六段Several similar cases have resulted in smaller payouts after the state’s highest court ruled that smokers…可知相似的案子经最高法院核准后给予原告的赔偿数额没有一审判决那么多，因此选D。

5.What can best describe the author’s view about the case?

A He hates the tobacco companies.

B He only reports the fact of the judgment.

C He shows sympathy to the tobacco victims.

D He doesn’t think the verdict reasonable or fair.

解析：选B。B。推理判断题。通读全文可知，作者报道了佛罗里达州立法院对RJ烟草公司赔偿罗宾逊夫人的一审判决，报道客观详实，不偏不倚，作者最后还提出质疑，有读者推断结果，由此判断，作者的态度是客观中立的。