考研英语（阅读）-试卷64
(总分60,考试时间90分钟)
2. Reading Comprehension
Section II Reading Comprehension
Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D.
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Over the past decade, thousands of patents have been granted for what are called business methods. received one for its "one-click" online payment system. Merrill Lynch got legal protection for an ast allocation strategy. One inventor patented a technique for lifting a box. Now the nation" s top patent court **pletely ready to scale back on business-method patents, which have been controversial ever since they were first authorized 10 years ago. In a move that has intellectual-property lawyers abuzz, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said it would u a particular ca to conduct a broad review
of business-method patents. In re Bilski, as the ca is known, is "a very big deal," says Dennis D. Crouch of the University of Missouri School of law. It "has the potential to eliminate an entire class of patents." Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramaticabout-face, becau it was the Federal Circuit itlf that introduced such patents with its 1998 decision in the so-called State Street Bank ca, approving a patent on a way of pooling mutual-fund asts. That ruling produced an explosion in business-method patent filings, initially by emerging **panies trying to stake out exclusive rights to specific types of online transactions. Later, move **panies raced to add such patents to their files, if only as a defensive move against rivals that might beat them to the punch. In 2005, IBM noted in a court filing that it had been issued more than 300 business-method patents, despite the fact that it questioned the legal basis for granting them. Similarly, some Wall Street investment films armed themlves with patents for financial products, even as they took positions in court cas opposing the practice. The Bilski ca involves a claimed patent on a method for hedging risk in the energy market. The Federal Circuit issued an unusual order stating that the ca would be heard by all 12 of the court
" s judges, rather than a typical panel of three, and that one issue it wants to evaluate is whether it should "reconsider" its State Street Bank ruling. The Federal Circuit" s **es in the wake of a ries of recent decisions by the supreme Court that has narrowed the scope of protections for patent holders. Last April, for example, the justices signaled that too many patents were being upheld for "inventions" that are obvious. The judges on the Federal Circuit are "reacting to the anti-patent trend at the Supreme Court," says Harold C. Wegner, a patent attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.
1. Business-method patents have recently aroud concern becau of
A. their limited value to business.
B. their connection with ast allocation.
C. the possible restriction on their granting.
D. the controversy over their authorization.
2. Which of the following is true of the Bilski ca?
乳扇是什么做的A. Its **plies with the court decisions.
B. It involves a very big business transaction.
C. It has been dismisd by the Federal Circuit.
D. It may change the legal practices in the U.S..
3. The word "about-face"(Para. 3)most probably means
A. loss of good will.
筒骨莲藕汤B. increa of hostility.
C. change of attitude.
D. enhancement of dignity.
4. We learn from the last two paragraphs that business-method patents
A. are immune to legal challenges.
B. are often unnecessarily issued.
C. lower the esteem for patent holders.
D. increa the incidence of risks.
5. Which of the following would be the subject of the text?
A. A looming threat to business-method patents.
B. Protection for business-method patent holders.
C. A legal ca regarding business-method patents.
D. A prevailing trend against business-method patents.
When it comes to the slowing economy,Ellen Spero isn"t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn" t cutting, filing or polishing as many nails as she" d like to, eith
er. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. "I"m a good economic indicator," she says. "I provide a rvice that people can do without when they"re concerned about saving some dollars." So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middlebrow Dillard"s department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. "I don"t know if other clients are going to abandon me, too." she says. Even before Alan Greenspan"s admission that America" s red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already en signs of the slowdown themlves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year"s pace. But don"t sound any alarms just yet. Consumers em only mildly concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy" s long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening. Consumers say they"re not in despair becau, despite the dre
adful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, "there" s a new gold rush happening inthe $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonus," says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. "Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three," says John Tealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel **fortable about their ability to find and keep a job. Many folks e silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn"t mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers em to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might e an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattan"s hot new Alain Ducas restaurant ud to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.
6. By "Ellen Spero isn"t biting her nails just yet"(Para. 1), the author means遗憾的经典句子
A. Spero can hardly maintain her business.
B. Spero is too much engaged in her work.
C. Spero has grown out of her bad habit
D. Spero is not in a desperate situation.
7. How do the public feel about the current economic situation?
A. Optimistic. B. Confud.
C. Carefree. D. Panicked.
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8. When mentioning "the $4 million to $ 10 million range"(Para. 3)the author is talking about
A. gold market. B. real estate.
宝宝腹泻吃什么C. stock exchange. D. venture investment.
9. Why can many people e "silver linings" to the economic slowdown?
歌舞青春电影A. They would benefit in certain ways.
B. The stock market shows signs of recovery.
C. Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom.
D. The purchasing power would be enhanced.
10. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
A. A new boom, on the horizon.
B. Tighten the belt, the single remedy.
C. Caution all right, panic not.
D. The more ventures, the more chances.
Over the past decade, **panies had perfected the art of creating automatic behaviors— habits—among consumers. The habits have **panies earn billions of dollars when cust
omers eat snacks or wipe counters almost without thinking, often in respon to a carefully designed t of daily cues. "There are fundamental public health problems, like dirty hands instead of a soap habit, that remain killers only becau we can" t figure out how to change people" s habits," said Dr. Curtis, the director of Hygiene Center at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. "We wanted to learn from private industry how to create new behaviors that happen automatically." **panies that Dr. Curtis turned to—Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever—had invested hundreds of millions of dollars finding the subtle cues in consumers" lives that corporations could u to introduce new routines. If you look hard enough, you" 11 find that many of the products we u every day—chewing gums, skin moisturizers, disinfecting wipes, air fresheners, water purifiers, health snacks, teeth whiteners, fabric softeners, vitamins—are results of manufactured habits. A century ago, few people regularly brushed their teeth multiple times a day. Today, becau of shrewd advertising and public health campaigns, many Americans habitually give their pearly whites a cavity-preventing scrub twice a day, often with Colgate, Crest or one of the other brands. A few decades ago, m
any people didn"t drink water outside of a meal. Then **panies start-ed bottling the production of far-off springs, and now office workers unthinkingly sip bottled water all day long. Chewing gum, once bought primarily by adolescent boys, is now featured in commercials as a breath freshener and teeth cleanr for u after a meal. Skin moisturizers are advertid as part of morning beauty rituals, slipped in between hair brushing and putting on makeup. "Our products succeed when they become part of daily or weekly patterns," said Carol Berning, a consumer psychologist who recently retired from Procter & Gamble, **pany that sold $76 billion of Tide, Crest and other products last year. "Creating positive habits is a huge part of improving our consumers " lives, and it" s esntial to making new **mercially viable." Through experiments and obrvation, social scientists like Dr. Berning have learned that there is power in tying certain behaviors to habitual cues through ruthless advertising. As this new science of habit has emerged, controversies have erupted when the tactics have been ud to ll questionable beauty creams or unhealthy foods.
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