全新版大学英语综合教程第二册Unit2.pptVIP

Text A The Richest Man In America,  Down Home  Warm-up Questions We know Bill Gates is the richest person in the world. However , if he carries on like plain folks and gets away with it. Do you think it is strange ? Why or why not ? If you should become the richest man in China ,would you live the same kind of life as the common people ? Give the reasons. Cultural Notes Wal-Mart (1) Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. was founded by Sam Walton, a legend of American retail industry, in Arkansas in 1962. After over forty years of growth, it has become the world’s largest private employer and retailer. The company employs more than 1.6 million associates worldwide and operates more than 5,000 units in the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico（波多黎各）, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, China, South Korea, Germany and the United Kingdom. About 140 million customers visit Wal-Mart stores weekly. Wal-Mart (2) In 2004, Wal-Mart accomplished USD285.2 billion sales globally. It was ranked high on both lists of FORTUNE 500 and “Most Admired Companies in America” for many times. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart was named one of the Most Respected Companies and the “Best Companies To Work For” in many other countries. In 2004 Wal-Mart topped the China Business Competitiveness Index among commercial and trade companies and was the only retailer in the list. In August the same year Wal-Mart ranked No.8 among the “Most Admired Companies in China” elected by Fortune Chinese edition. The Founder of Wal-Mart: Sam Walton (1) If judged by appearance Sam Walton was a very ordinary man. He was raised in the Depression years, and served in the army during World War II. It was he, who from humble beginnings built the worlds most admired retail organization. (2) Sam had a passion to compete and an appetite for adventure. He realized that Wal-Mart needed to do more than offer low prices to be successful - it also had to exceed customers expectations for