38. From the passage we can infer that real happiness of life belongs to those ________.
[A] who are at the bottom of the society [B] who are higher up in their social status [C] who prove better than their fellow-competitors [D] who could keep far away from this competitive world
39. To solve the present social problems the author suggests that we should ________.
[A] resort to the production mode of our ancestors [B] offer higher wages to the workers and employees [C] enable man to fully develop his potentialities [D] take the fundamental realities for granted
40. The author‘s attitude towards industrialism might best be summarized as one of ________.
[A] approval [B] dissatisfaction [C] suspicion [D] tolerance
Text 3
When an invention is made, the inventor has three possible courses of action open to him: he can give the invention to the world by publishing it, keep the idea secret, or patent it.
A granted patent is the result of a bargain struck between an inventor and the state, by which the inventor gets a limited period of monopoly (垄断) and publishes full details of his invention to the public after that period terminates.
Only in the most exceptional circumstances is the lifespan of a patent extended to alter this normal process of events.
The longest extension ever granted was to Georges Valensi; his 1939 patent for color TV receiver circuitry was extended until 1971 because for most of the patent‘s normal life there was no colour TV to receive and thus no hope of reward for the invention.
Because a patent remains permanently public after it has terminated, the shelves of the library attached to the patent office contain details of literally millions of ideas that are free for anyone to use and, if older than half a century, sometimes even re-patent. Indeed, patent experts often advise anyone wishing to avoid the high cost of conducting a search through live patents that the one sure way of avoiding violation of any other inventor‘s right is to plagiarize a dead patent.
Likewise, because publication of an idea in any other form permanently invalidates further patents on that idea, it is traditionally safe to take ideas from other areas of print. Much modern technological advance is based on these presumptions of legal security.
Anyone closely involved in patents and inventions soon learns that most ―new‖ ideas are, in fact, as old as the hills. It is their reduction to commercial practice, either through necessity or dedication, or through the availability of new technology, that makes news and money. The basic patent for the theory of magnetic recording dates back to 1886. Many of the original ideas behind television originate from the late 19th and early 20th century. Even the Volkswagen rear engine car was anticipated by a 1904 patent for a cart with the horse at the rear.
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41. The passage is mainly about ________.
[A] an approach to patents [B] the application for patents [C] the use of patents [D] the access to patents
42. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
[A] When a patent becomes out of effect, it can be re-patented or extended if necessary. [B] It is necessary for an inventor to apply for a patent before he makes his invention public. [C] A patent holder must publicize the details of his invention when its legal period is over. [D] One can get all the details of a patented invention from a library attached to the patent
office. 43. George Valensi‘s patent lasted until 1971 because ________.
[A] nobody would offer any reward for his patent prior to that time [B] his patent could not be put to use for an unusually long time [C] there were not enough TV stations to provide colour programmes [D] the colour TV receiver was not available until that time
44. The word ―plagiarize‖ (line 8, Para. 5) most probably means ―________.‖
[A] steal and use [B] give reward to [C] make public [D] take and change
45. From the passage we learn that ________.
[A] an invention will not benefit the inventor unless it is reduced to commercial practice [B] products are actually inventions which were made a long time ago [C] it is much cheaper to buy an old patent than a new one
[D] patent experts often recommend patents to others by conducting a search through dead
patents
1994年
Text 1
The American economic system is organized around a basically private-enterprise, market-oriented economy in which consumers largely determine what shall be produced by spending their money in the marketplace for those goods and services that they want most. Private businessmen, striving to make profits, produce these goods and services in competition with other
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businessmen; and the profit motive, operating under competitive pressures, largely determines how these goods and services are produced. Thus, in the American economic system it is the demand of individual consumers, coupled with the desire of businessmen to maximize profits and the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes, that together determine what shall be produced and how resources are used to produce it.
An important factor in a market-oriented economy is the mechanism by which consumer demands can be expressed and responded to by producers. In the American economy, this mechanism is provided by a price system, a process in which prices rise and fall in response to relative demands of consumers and supplies offered by seller-producers. If the product is in short supply relative to the demand, the price will be bid up and some consumers will be eliminated from the market. If, on the other hand, producing more of a commodity results in reducing its cost, this will tend to increase the supply offered by seller-producers, which in turn will lower the price and permit more consumers to buy the product. Thus, price is the regulating mechanism in the American economic system.
The important factor in a private-enterprise economy is that individuals are allowed to own productive resources (private property), and they are permitted to hire labor, gain control over natural resources, and produce goods and services for sale at a profit. In the American economy, the concept of private property embraces not only the ownership of productive resources but also certain rights, including the right to determine the price of a product or to make a free contract with another private individual.
51. In Line 8, Paragraph 1, ―the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes‖ means
________.
[A] Americans are never satisfied with their incomes [B] Americans tend to overstate their incomes [C] Americans want to have their incomes increased
[D] Americans want to increase the purchasing power of their incomes 52. The first two sentences in the second paragraph tell us that ________.
[A] producers can satisfy the consumers by mechanized production [B] consumers can express their demands through producers [C] producers decide the prices of products [D] supply and demand regulate prices
53. According to the passage, a private-enterprise economy is characterized by ________.
[A] private property and rights concerned [B] manpower and natural resources control [C] ownership of productive resources [D] free contracts and prices
54. The passage is mainly about ________.
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[A] how American goods are produced [B] how American consumers buy their goods [C] how American economic system works [D] how American businessmen make their profits
Text 2
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the ―cashless society‖ is not on the horizon -- it‘s already here.
While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when, and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how fast they are moving. Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customers for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer-analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future, and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself. Numerous other commercial enterprises, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers.
55. According to the passage, the credit card enables its owner to ________.
[A] withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes [B] obtain more convenient services than other people do [C] enjoy greater trust from the storekeeper [D] cash money wherever he wishes to
56. From the last sentence of the first paragraph we learn that ________.
[A] in the future all the Americans will use credit cards [B] credit cards are mainly used in the United States today [C] nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash
[D] it is now more convenient to use credit cards than before
57. The phrase ―ring up sales‖ (Line 3, Para. 2) most probably means ―________‖.
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[A] make an order of goods [B] record sales on a cash register [C] call the sales manager
[D] keep track of the goods in stock 58. What is this passage mainly about?
[A] Approaches to the commercial use of computers. [B] Conveniences brought about by computers in business. [C] Significance of automation in commercial enterprises. [D] Advantages of credit cards in business.
Text 3
Exceptional children are different in some significant way from others of the same age. For these children to develop to their full adult potential, their education must be adapted to those differences.
Although we focus on the needs of exceptional children, we find ourselves describing their environment as well. While the leading actor on the stage captures our attention, we are aware of the importance of the supporting players and the scenery of the play itself. Both the family and the society in which exceptional children live are often the key to their growth and development. And it is in the public schools that we find the full expression of society‘s understanding -- the knowledge, hopes, and fears that are passed on to the next generation.
Education in any society is a mirror of that society. In that mirror we can see the strengths, the weaknesses, the hopes, the prejudices, and the central values of the culture itself. The great interest in exceptional children shown in public education over the past three decades indicates the strong feeling in our society that all citizens, whatever their special conditions, deserve the opportunity to fully develop their capabilities.
―All men are created equal.‖ We‘ve heard it many times, but it still has important meaning for education in a democratic society. Although the phrase was used by this country‘s founders to denote equality before the law, it has also been interpreted to mean equality of opportunity. That concept implies educational opportunity for all children -- the right of each child to receive help in learning to the limits of his or her capacity, whether that capacity be small or great. Recent court decisions have confirmed the right of all children -- disabled or not -- to an appropriate education, and have ordered that public schools take the necessary steps to provide that education. In response, schools are modifying their programs, adapting instruction to children who are exceptional, to those who cannot profit substantially from regular programs.
59. In Paragraph 2, the author cites the example of the leading actor on the stage to show that
________.
[A] the growth of exceptional children has much to do with their family and the society [B] exceptional children are more influenced by their families than normal children are [C] exceptional children are the key interest of the family and society
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