"Consequently, Apple and its suppliers have been improving their performance in the labor rights field because they don't want to project a negative image to consumers."

Wang Kan, a researcher in labor rights at the China Institute of Industrial Relations in Beijing, added that working conditions at Apple's contractors are much better than those at many other electronics factories.

"Compared to the time when Steve Jobs managed the company, Apple now is paying more attention to its image in consumers' eyes when it comes to labor rights," Wang said. "I am not saying it is perfect, but it is fair to say that the company has improved substantially in this regard."

Wang said most underage young people working at manufacturing plants are students sent by vocational schools as interns, and are prone to working with hazards due to loopholes in laws.

"Education laws and regulations do not cover their internships at factories, while labor codes do not categorize them as employees," Wang said.

Questions:

1. What electronics company is looking into worker deaths at its factories?

2. Who was the contractor firm?

3. How many people died?

Answers:

1. Apple Inc.

2. Pegatron, a Taiwan-based manufacturing company that supplies Apple, Sony and Dell.

3. Four workers at Pegatron’s Shanghai factory, which has nearly 100,000 employees, died of illness.

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