英伦广角 纽卡斯尔投资商SportsDirect就工作环境丑闻公开道歉

The billionaire founder¹ of Sports Direct demonstrating the improved security check his main warehouse². 

Check now turn to you,most confess your pocket into the grill³ so far.

Casually⁴ taking out the wallet a 50-pound notes, in a place you see payment does scrutiny⁵, for zero-hour contracts and paying below the national minimum wage. 

a little cash

yes frankly⁶, you're seeing that.

This one time occlusive Mike Ashley was all smiles with cameras, while leading journalists and investors⁷ on a rare tour on the Warehouse floor, pointing out the changes he’s making after a series of scandals surrounding paying conditions. 

“But when you ask me my sorry, so I said ‘yes, I’m sorry’, I mean I’m sorry.”

But the company’s investors want changes at the very top management, 53% voting for the chairman Keith Hellawell to go. His position is  only safe because Mike Ashley, the majority shareholder⁸ wants him to stay.

“Keith Hellawell knows my strengths, he knows my weaknesses, and we are beginning to learn some of the company’s weaknesses together. So we are gonna fix it. Please give us 12 months to fix it. What difference is in 12 months? We’ve done some good work in 90 days -- so let’s do some fantastic work in the next 12 months. And if we failed? I’ll be stood here, he would be stood here in a year’s time, facing your TV cameras, saying: ‘I’m sorry. I got it wrong again’. When is this ever going to end.“

Despite the overwhelming opposition⁹ from shareholders¹⁰, Mr. Hellawell says he’ll only quit this time next year if investors are still unhappy.

“You represent investors at Sports Direct. We suppose yesterday you were planning to vote against the chairman Keith Hellawell. How did you vote and how did you feel with the result?”

“We believe it’s time for Keith Hellawell to step down.”

“And what if it doesn’t happen?”

“If it doesn’t happen, you know, we only have so much power, and what we can do is to use the power as much as we can and seek to influence the board.”

For the most part of the day, Mike Ashley was engaging under apologetic, trying to show how much he cares. But there’s still one big issue that needs to be addressed. And that’s the 4,000 agency staff the working site this Sport Direct Warehouse who are not benefiting from some of the measures to improve working conditions.

“Would have slim employ done more effectively,zero-loss contract for an unacceptable. And the proposal to transform them to direct employment like you tell their mom, minuite 20 at a year, we still we're trying froeign people.”

Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley is still under pressure to make real change, but he says he’s confident he can turn it around. All he needs is a year.

1 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

2 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

3 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

4 casually   

adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地

参考例句：

• She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
• I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

5 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

6 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

8 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任