考研英語一閱讀

1、Text1（2010）OfallthechangesthathavetakenplaceinEnglish-languagenewspapersduringthepastquarter-century,perhapsthemostfar-reachinghasbeentheinexorabledeclineinthescopeandseriousnessoftheirartscoverage.Itisdifficulttothepointofimpossibilityfortheaveragereaderundertheageoffortytoimagineatimewhenhigh-qual

2、ityartscriticismcouldbefoundinmostbig-citynewspapers.Yetaconsiderablenumberofthemostsignificantcollectionsofcriticismpublishedinthe20thcenturyconsistedinlargepartofnewspaperreviews.Toreadsuchbookstodayistomarvelatthefactthattheirlearnedcontentswereoncedeemedsuitableforpublicationingeneral-circulatio

3、ndailies.WeareevenfartherremovedfromtheunfocusednewspaperreviewspublishedinEnglandbetweentheturnofthe20thcenturyandtheeveofWorldWarII,atatimewhennewsprintwasdirt-cheapandstylishartscriticismwasconsideredanornamenttothepublicationsinwhichitappeared.Inthosefar-offdays,itwastakenforgrantedthatthecritic

4、sofmajorpaperswouldwriteindetailandatlengthabouttheeventstheycovered.Theirswasaseriousbusiness,andeventhosereviewerswhoworetheirlearninglightly,likeGeorgeBernardShawandErnestNewman,couldbetrustedtoknowwhattheywereabout.Thesemenbelievedinjournalismasacalling,andwereproudtobepublishedinthedailypress.“

5、Sofewauthorshavebrainsenoughorliterarygiftenoughtokeeptheirownendupinjournalism,”Newmanwrote,“thatIamtemptedtodefinejournalismasatermofcontemptappliedbywriterswhoarenotreadtowriterswhoare.”Unfortunately,thesecriticsarevirtuallyforgotten.NevilleCardus,whowrotefortheManchesterGuardianfrom1917untilshor

6、tlybeforehisdeathin1975,isnowknownsolelyasawriterofessaysonthegameofcricket.Duringhislifetime,though,hewasalsooneofEnglandforemostclassical-musiccritics,astylistsowidelyadmiredthathisAutobiography(1947)becameabest-seller.Hewasknightedin1967,thefirstmusiccritictobesohonored.Yetonlyoneofhisbooksisnowi

7、nprint,andhisvastbodyofwritingsonmusicisunknownsavetospecialists.IsthereanychancethatCarduscriticismwillenjoyarevivalTheprospectseemsremote.Journalistictasteshadchangedlongbeforehisdeath,andpostmodernreadershavelittleusefortherichlyupholsteredVicwardianproseinwhichhespecialized.Moreover,theamateurtr

8、aditioninmusiccriticismhasbeeninheadlongretreat.ItisindicatedinParagraphs1and2that_.artscriticismhasdisappearedfrombig-citynewspapers.English-languagenewspapersusedtocarrymoreartsreviews.high-qualitynewspapersretainalargebodyofreaders.youngreadersdoubtthesuitabilityofcriticismondailies.Newspaperrevi

9、ewsinEnglandbeforeWorldWarIIwerecharacterizedby_.Afreethemes.Bcasualstyle.Celaboratelayout.Dradicalviewpoints.WhichofthefollowingwouldShawandNewmanmostprobablyagreeonItiswritersdutytofulfilljournalisticgoals.Itiscontemptibleforwriterstobejournalists.Writersarelikelytobetemptedintojournalism.Notallwr

10、itersarecapableofjournalisticwriting.WhatcanbelearnedaboutCardusaccordingtothelasttwoparagraphsHismusiccriticismmaynotappealtoreaderstoday.Hisreputationasamusiccritichaslongbeenindispute.Hisstylecaterslargelytomodernspecialists.Hiswritingsfailtofollowtheamateurtradition.Whatwouldbethebesttitleforthe

11、textNewspapersoftheGoodOldDaysTheLostHorizoninNewspapersMournfulDeclineofJournalismProminentCriticsinMemoryText2（2010）Overthepastdecade,thousandsofpatentshaveseengrantedforwhatarecalledbusinessmethods.Amazoncomreceivedoneforits“one-click”onlinepaymentsystemMerrillLynchgotlegalprotectionforanassetall

12、ocationstrategy.Oneinventorpatentedatechniqueforlyingabox.Nowthenationtopspatentcourtappearscompletelyreadytoscalehackonbusiness-methodpatents,whichhavebeencontroversialeversincetheywerefirstauthorized10yearsago.Inamovethathasintellectual-propertylawyersabuzztheU.ScourtofAppealsforthefederalcircuits

13、aiditwoulduseparticularcasetoconductabroadreviewofbusiness-methodpatents.InreBilski,asthecaseisknown,is“averybigdeal,”saysDennisD.CrouchoftheUniversityofMissouriSchooloflaw.It“hasthepotentialtoeliminateanentireclassofpatents.”Curbsonbusiness-methodclaimswouldbeadramaticabout-facebecauseitwasthefeder

14、alcircuititselfthatintroducedsuchpatentswithis1998decisionintheso-calledstateStreetBankcase,approvingapatentonawayofpoolingmutual-fundassets.Thatrulingproducedanexplosioninbusiness-methodpatentfilings,initiallybyemerginginternetcompaniestryingtostakeoutexclusivepintstospecifictypesofonlinetransactio

15、ns.Later,moveestablishedcompaniesracedtoaddsuchpatentstotheirfiles,ifonlyasadefensivemoveagainstrivalsthatmightbentthemtothepunch.In2005,IBMnotedinacourtfilingthatithadbeenissuedmorethan300business-methodpatentsdespitethefactthatitquestionedthelegalbasisforgrantingthem.Similarly,someWallStreetinvest

16、mentfilmsarmedthemselveswithpatentsforfinancialproducts,evenastheytookpositionsincourtcasesopposingthepractice.TheBilskicaseinvolvesaclaimedpatentonamethodforhedgingriskintheenergymarket.TheFederalcircuitissuedanunusualorderstatingthatthecasewouldbeheardbyall12ofthecourtsjudges,ratherthanatypicalpan

17、elofthree,andthatoneissueitwantstoevaluateiswhetheritshould“reconsider”itsstatestrruling.TheFederalCircuitsactioncomesinthewakeofaseriesofrecentdecisionsbythesupreme.Countthathasnarrowedthescopeofprotectionsforpatentholders.LastApril,forexamplethejusticessignaledthattoomanypatentswerebeingupheldfor“

18、inventions”thatareobvious.ThejudgesontheFederalcircuitaretheanti-patenttrendatthesupremecourt”saysdC.HarolWegner,apatentattorneyandprofessoratWashingtonUniversityLawSchool.Business-methodpatentshaverecentlyarousedconcernbecauseof_.theirlimitedvaluetobusinesstheirconnectionwithassetallocationthepossi

19、blerestrictionontheirgrantingthecontroversyoverauthorizationWhichofthefollowingistrueoftheBilskicaseItsrulingcomplieswiththecourtdecisionsItinvolvesaverybigbusinesstransactionIthasbeendismissedbytheFederalCircuitItmaychangethelegalpracticesintheU.S.Theword“about-face”(Line1,Para3)mostprobablymeans_.

20、AlossofgoodwillBincreaseofhostilityCchangeofattitudeDenhancementofdisunityWelearnfromthelasttwoparagraphsthatbusiness-methodpatents_.areimmunetolegalchallengesareoftenunnecessarilyissuedlowertheesteemforpatentholdersincreasetheincidenceofrisksWhichofthefollowingwouldbethesubjectofthetextAloomingthre

21、attobusiness-methodpatentsProtectionforbusiness-methodpatentholdersAlegalcaseregardingbusiness-methodpatentsAprevailingtreadagainstbusiness-methodpatentsText3（2010）InhisbookTheTippingPointMalcolmAladuellarguesthat“socialepidemicsaredriveninlargepartbytheactionsofatinyminorityofspecialindividuals,oft

22、encalledinfluentials,whoareunusuallyinformed,persuasive,orwellconnected.The”ideaisintuitivelycompelling,butitdoesntexplainhowideasactuallyspread.Thesupposedimportanceofinfluentialsderivesfromaplausible-soundingbutlargelyuntestedtheorycalledthe“two-stepflowofcommunication：”Informationflowsfromthemedi

23、atotheinfluentialsandfromthemtoeveryoneelse.Marketershaveembracedthetwo-stepflowbecauseitsuggeststhatiftheycanjustfindandinfluencetheinfluentials,thoseselectedpeoplewilldomostoftheworkforthem.Thetheoryalsoseemstoexplainthesuddenandunexpectedpopularityofcertainlooks,brands,orneighborhoods.Inmanysuchc

24、ases,acursorysearchforcausesfindsthatsomesmallgroupofpeoplewaswearing,promoting,ordevelopingwhateveritisbeforeanyoneelsepaidattention.Anecdotalevidenceofthiskindfitsnicelywiththeideathatonlycertainspecialpeoplecandrivetrends.Intheirrecentwork,however,someresearchershavecomeupwiththefindingthatinflue

25、ntialshavefarlessimpactonsocialepidemicsthanisgenerallysupposed.Infact,theydontbseemrequiredtoatall.Theresearchersargumentstemsfromasimpleobservationaboutsocialinfluence:WiththeexceptionofafewcelebritieslikeOprahWinfreywhoseoutsizepresenceisprimarilyafunctionofmedia,notinterpersonal,influenceeventhe

26、mostinfluentialmembersofapopulationsimplydontinteractwiththatmanyothers.Yetitispreciselythesenon-celebrityinfluentialswho,accordingtothetwo-step-flowtheory,aresupposedtodrivesocialepidemics,byinfluencingtheirfriendsandcolleaguesdirectly.Forasocialepidemictooccur,however,eachpersonsoaffectedmusttheni

27、nfluencehisorherownacquaintances,whomustinturninfluencetheirs,andsoon;andjusthowmanyotherspayattentiontoeachofthesepeoplehaslittletodowiththeinitialinfluential.Ifpeopleinthenetworkjusttwodegreesremovedfromtheinitialinfluentialproveresistant,forexample,thecascadeofchangewontpropagateveryfaroraffectma

28、nypeople.Buildingonthebasictruthaboutinterpersonalinfluence,theresearchersstudiedthedynamicsofsocialinfluencebyconductingthousandsofcomputersimulationsofpopulations,manipulatinganumberofvariablesrelatingtopeoplesabilitytoinfluenceothersandtheirtendencytobeinfluenced.Theyfoundthattheprincipalrequirem

29、entforwhatiscalled“globalcascades”thewidespreadpropagationofinfluencethroughnetworksisthepresencenotofafewinfluentialsbut,rather,ofacriticalmassofeasilyinfluencedpeople.BycitingthebookTheTippingPointtheauthorintendsto_.analyzetheconsequencesofsocialepidemicsdiscussinfluentialsfunctioninspreadingidea

30、sexemplifypeoplesintuitiveresponsetosocialepidemicsdescribetheessentialcharacteristicsofinfluentials32.Theauthorsuggeststhatthe-step-flow“twotheory”.servesasasolutiontomarketingproblemshashelpedexplaincertainprevalenttrendshaswonsupportfrominfluentialsrequiressolidevidenceforitsvalidityWhattheresear

31、chershaveobservedrecentlyshowsthat_.thepowerofinfluencegoeswithsocialinteractionsinterpersonallinkscanbeenhancedthroughthemediainfluentialshavemorechannelstoreachthepublicmostcelebritieaenjoywidemediaattentionTheunderlinedphrase“thesepeople”inparagraph4referstotheoneswho_.Astayoutsidethenetworkofsoc

32、ialinfluenceBhavelittlecontactwiththesourceofinfluenceCareinfluencedandtheninfluenceothersDareinfluencedbytheinitialinfluential35.WhatistheessentialelementinthedynamicsofsocialinfluenceATheeagernesstobeacceptedBTheimpulsetoinfluenceothersCThereadinesstobeinfluencedDTheinclinationtorelyonothersText4（

33、2010）Bankershavebeenblamingthemselvesfortheirtroublesinpublic.Behindthescenes,theyhavebeentakingaimatsomeoneelsetheaccountingstandard-setters.Theirrules,moanthebanks,haveforcedthemtoreportenormouslosses,anditnotfair.Theserulessaytheymustvaluesomeassetsatthepriceathirdpartywouldpay,notthepricemanager

34、sandregulatorswouldlikethemtofetch.Unfortunately,bankslobbyingnowseemstobeworking.Thedetailsmaybeunknowable,buttheindependenceofstandard-setters,essentialtotheproperfunctioningofcapitalmarkets,isbeingcompromised.And,unlessbankscarrytoxicassetsatpricesthatattractbuyers,revivingthebankingsystemwillbed

35、ifficult.AfterabruisingencounterwithCongress,AmericasFinancialAccountingStandardsBoard(FASB)rushedthroughrulechanges.Thesegavebanksmorefreedomtousemodelstovalueilliquidassetsandmoreflexibilityinrecognizinglossesonlong0termassetsintheirincomestatement.BobHerz,theFASBschairman,criedoutagainstthosewho“

36、questionourmotives.”Yetbanksharesroseandthechangenhanceswhatonelobbygrouppolitelycalls“theuseofjudgmentbymanagement.”EuropeanministersinstantlydemandedthattheInternationalAccountingStandardsBoard(IASB)dolikewise.TheIASBsaysitdoesnotwanttoactwithoutoverallplanning,butthepressuretofoldwhenitcompletesi

37、treconstructionofruleslaterthisyearisstrongCharlieMcCreevy,aEuropeancommissioner,warnedtheIASBthatitdid“notliveinapoliticalvacuum”but“intherealworld”andtheEuropecouldyetdevelopdifferentrules.Itwasbanksthatwereonthewrongplanet,withaccountsthatvastlyovervaluedassets.Todaytheyarguethatmarketpricesoverstatelosses,becausetheyLargelyreflectthetemporaryilliquidityofmarkets,notthelikelyextentofbaddebts.Thetruthwillnotbeknownforyears.Butbanksharestradebelowtheirbookvalue,suggestingthatinvestorsareskeptical.Anddeadmarketspartlyreflecttheparalysisofbankswhichwillnotsellassetsforfearofbookinglosses