近10年考研英語閱讀真題

2011年全國碩士研究生入學(xué)統(tǒng)一考試英語試題

Text1

ThedecisionoftheNewYorkPhilharmonictohireAlanGilbertasitsnext

musicdirectorhasbeenthetalkoftheclassical-musicworldeversincethesudden

announcementofhisappointmentin2009.Forthemostpart,theresponsehasbeen

favorable,tosaytheleast."Hooray!Atlast!”wroteAnthonyTommasini,a

sober-sidedclassical-musiccritic.

Oneofthereasonswhytheappointmentcameassuchasurprise,however,is

thatGilbertiscomparativelylittleknown.EvenTommasini,whohadadvocated

Gilbert'sappointmentintheTimes,callshim“anunpretentiousmusicianwithnoair

oftheformidableconductorabouthim."Asadescriptionofthenextmusicdirector

ofanorchestrathathashithertobeenledbymusicianslikeGustavMahlerandPierre

Boulez,thatseemslikelytohavestruckatleastsomeTimesreadersasfaintpraise.

Formypart,IhavenoideawhetherGilbertisagreatconductororevenagood

one.Tobesure,heperformsanimpressivevarietyofinterestingcompositions,butit

isnotnecessaryformetovisitAveryFisherHall,oranywhereelse,tohear

interestingorchestralmusic.AllIhavetodoistogotomyCDshelf,orbootupmy

computeranddownloadstillmorerecordedmusicfromiTunes.

Devotedconcertgoerswhoreplythatrecordingsarenosubstituteforlive

performancearemissingthepoint.Forthetime,attention,andmoneyofthe

art-lovingpublic,classicalinstrumentalistsmustcompetenotonlywithoperahouses,

dancetroupes,theatercompanies,andmuseums,butalsowiththerecorded

performancesofthegreatclassicalmusiciansofthe20thcentury.Thererecordings

arecheap,availableeverywhere,andveryoftenmuchhigherinartisticqualitythan

today'sliveperformances;moreover,theycanbe“consumed“atatimeandplaceof

thelistener'schoosing.Thewidespreadavailabilityofsuchrecordingshasthus

broughtaboutacrisisintheinstitutionofthetraditionalclassicalconcert.

Onepossibleresponseisforclassicalperformerstoprogramattractivenew

musicthatisnotyetavailableonrecord.Gilbert'sowninterestinnewmusichas

beenwidelynoted:AlexRoss,aclassical-musiccritic,hasdescribedhimasaman

whoiscapableofturningthePhilharmonicinto“amarkedlydifferent,morevibrant

organization.^^Butwhatwillbethenatureofthatdifference?Merelyexpandingthe

orchestralrepertoirewillnotbeenough.IfGilbertandthePhilharmonicareto

succeed,theymustfirstchangetherelationshipbetweenAmerica'soldestorchestra

andthenewaudienceithopstoattract.

Text2

WhenLiamMcGeedepartedaspresidentofBankofAmericainAugust,his

explanationwassurprisinglystraightup.Ratherthancloakinghisexitintheusual

vagueexcuses,hecamerightoutandsaidhewasleaving“topursuemygoalof

runningacompany."Broadcastinghisambitionwas“verymuchmydecision/9

McGeesays.Withintwoweeks,hewastalkingforthefirsttimewiththeboardof

HartfordFinancialServicesGroup,whichnamedhimCEOandchairmanon

September29.

McGeesaysleavingwithoutapositionlinedupgavehimtimetoreflecton

whatkindofcompanyhewantedtorun.Italsosentaclearmessagetotheoutside

worldabouthisaspirations.AndMcGeeisn'talone.InrecentweekstheNo.2

executivesatAvonandAmericanExpressquitwiththeexplanationthattheywere

lookingforaCEOpost.Asboardsscrutinizesuccessionplansinresponseto

shareholderpressure,executiveswhodon'tgetthenodalsomaywishtomoveon.A

turbulentbusinessenvironmentalsohasseniormanagerscautiousoflettingvague

pronouncementscloudtheirreputations.

Asthefirstsignsofrecoverybegintotakehold,deputychiefsmaybemore

willingtomakethejumpwithoutanet.Inthethirdquarter,CEOturnoverwasdown

23%fromayearagoasnervousboardsstuckwiththeleaderstheyhad,accordingto

LiberumResearch.Astheeconomypicksup,opportunitieswillaboundforaspiring

leaders.

Thedecisiontoquitaseniorpositiontolookfbrabetteroneisunconventional.

Foryearsexecutivesandheadhuntershaveadheredtotherulethatthemost

attractiveCEOcandidatesaretheoneswhomustbepoached.SaysKorn/Ferry

seniorpartnerDennisCarey:'Tcan'tthinkofasinglesearchFvedonewhereaboard

hasnotinstructedmetolookatsittingCEOsfirsL^^

Thosewhojumpedwithoutajobhaven'talwayslandedintoppositionsquickly.

EllenMarramquitaschiefofTropicanaadecadeage,sayingshewantedtobea

CEO.ItwasayearbeforeshebecameheadofatinyInternet-basedcommodities

exchange.RobertWillumstadleftCitigroupin2005withambitionstobeaCEO.He

finallytookthatpostatamajorfinancialinstitutionthreeyearslater.

Manyrecruiterssaytheolddisgraceisfadingfbrtopperformers.Thefinancial

crisishasmadeitmoreacceptabletobebetweenjobsortoleaveabadone."The

traditionalrulewasit'ssafertostaywhereyouare,butthat'sbeenfundamentally

inverted,saysoneheadhunter.uThepeoplewho'vebeenhurttheworstarethose

who'vestayedtoolong.^^

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Text3

Theroughguidetomarketingsuccessusedtobethatyougotwhatyoupaidfor.

Nolonger.Whiletraditional"paid"media-suchastelevisioncommercialsandprint

advertisements-stillplayamajorrole,companiestodaycanexploitmany

alternativeformsofmedia.Consumerspassionateaboutaproductmaycreate

“owned“mediabysendinge-mailalertsaboutproductsandsalestocustomers

registeredwithitsWebsite.Thewayconsumersnowapproachthebroadrangeof

factorsbeyondconventionalpaidmedia.

Paidandownedmediaarecontrolledbymarketerspromotingtheirown

products.Forearnedmedia,suchmarketersactastheinitiatorforusers'responses.

Butinsomecases,onemarketer'sownedmediabecomeanothermarketer'spaid

media-forinstance,whenane-commerceretailersellsadspaceonitsWebsite.We

definesuchsoldmediaasownedmediawhosetrafficissostrongthatother

organizationsplacetheircontentore-commerceengineswithinthatenvironment.

Thistrend,whichwebelieveisstillinitsinfancy,effectivelybeganwithretailers

andtravelproviderssuchasairlinesandhotelsandwillnodoubtgofurther.Johnson

&Johnson,forexample,hascreatedBabyCenter,astand-alonemediapropertythat

promotescomplementaryandevencompetitiveproducts.Besidesgeneratingincome,

thepresenceofothermarketersmakesthesiteseemobjective,givescompanies

opportunitiestolearnvaluableinformationabouttheappealofothercompanies9

marketing,andmayhelpexpandusertrafficforallcompaniesconcerned.

Thesamedramatictechnologicalchangesthathaveprovidedmarketerswith

more(andmorediverse)communicationschoiceshavealsoincreasedtheriskthat

passionateconsumerswillvoicetheiropinionsinquicker,morevisible,andmuch

moredamagingways.Suchhijackedmediaaretheoppositeofearnedmedia:an

assetorcampaignbecomeshostagetoconsumers,otherstakeholders,oractivists

whomakenegativeallegationsaboutabrandorproduct.Membersofsocial

networks,forinstance,arelearningthattheycanhijackmediatoapplypressureon

thebusinessesthatoriginallycreatedthem.

Ifthathappens,passionateconsumerswouldtrytopersuadeotherstoboycott

products,puttingthereputationofthetargetcompanyatrisk.Insuchacase,the

company'sresponsemaynotbesufficientlyquickorthoughtful,andthelearning

curvehasbeensteep.ToyotaMotor,forexample,alleviatedsomeofthedamage

fromitsrecallcrisisearlierthisyearwitharelativelyquickandwell-orchestrated

social-mediaresponsecampaign,whichincludedeffortstoengagewithconsumers

directlyonsitessuchasTwitterandthesocial-newssiteDigg

Text4

It'snosurprisethatJenniferSenior'sinsightful,provocativemagazinecover

story,loveMyChildren,IHateMyLifeJisarousingmuchchatter-nothinggets

peopletalkinglikethesuggestionthatchildrearingisanythinglessthana

completelyfulfilling,life-enrichingexperience.Ratherthanconcludingthatchildren

makeparentseitherhappyormiserable,Seniorsuggestsweneedtoredefine

happiness:insteadofthinkingofitassomethingthatcanbemeasuredby

moment-to-momentjoy,weshouldconsiderbeinghappyasapast-tensecondition.

Eventhoughtheday-to-dayexperienceofraisingkidscanbesoul-crushinglyhard,

Seniorwritesthat“theverythingsthatinthemomentdampenourmoodscanlater

besourcesofintensegratificationanddelight.^^

Themagazinecovershowinganattractivemotherholdingacutebabyishardly

theonlyMadonna-and-childimageonnewsstandsthisweek.Therearealsostories

aboutnewlyadoptive-andnewlysingle-momSandraBullock,aswellastheusual

"JenniferAnistonispregnant"news.Practicallyeveryweekfeaturesatleastone

celebritymom,ormom-to-be,smilingonthenewsstands.

Inasocietythatsopersistentlycelebratesprocreation,isitanywonderthat

admittingyouregrethavingchildrenisequivalenttoadmittingyousupport

kitten-killing?Itdoesn'tseemquitefair,then,tocomparetheregretsofparentsto

theregretsofthechildren.Unhappyparentsrarelyareprovokedtowonderifthey

shouldn'thavehadkids,butunhappychildlessfolksarebotheredwiththemessage

thatchildrenarethesinglemostimportantthingintheworld:obviouslytheirmisery

mustbeadirectresultofthegapingbaby-sizeholesintheirlives.

Ofcourse,theimageofparenthoodthatcelebritymagazineslikeUsWeekly

andPeoplepresentishugelyunrealistic,especiallywhentheparentsaresingle

motherslikeBullock.Accordingtoseveralstudiesconcludingthatparentsareless

happythanchildlesscouples,singleparentsaretheleasthappyofall.Noshockthere,

consideringhowmuchworkitistoraiseakidwithoutapartnertoleanon;yetto

hearSandraandBritneytellit,raisingakidontheir"own”(read:with

round-the-clockhelp)isapieceofcake.

Ifshardtoimaginethatmanypeoplearedumbenoughtowantchildrenjust

becauseReeseandAngelinamakeitlooksoglamorous:mostadultsunderstandthat

ababyisnotahaircut.Butit'sinterestingtowonderiftheimagesweseeevery

weekofstress-free,happiness-enhancingparenthoodaren'tinsomesmall,

subconsciouswaycontributingtoourowndissatisfactionswiththeactualexperience,

inthesamewaythatasmallpartofushopedgetting“theRachel“mightmakeus

lookjustalittlebitlikeJenniferAniston.

2010年全國碩士研究生入學(xué)統(tǒng)一考試英語試題

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Text1

OfallthechangesthathavetakenplaceinEnglish-languagenewspapersduring

thepastquarter-century,perhapsthemostfar-reachinghasbeentheinexorable

declineinthescopeandseriousnessoftheirartscoverage.

Itisdifficulttothepointofimpossibilityfortheaveragereaderundertheageof

fortytoimagineatimewhenhigh-qualityartscriticismcouldbefoundinmost

big-citynewspapers.Yetaconsiderablenumberofthemostsignificantcollectionsof

criticismpublishedinthe20thcenturyconsistedinlargepartofnewspaperreviews.

Toreadsuchbookstodayistomarvelatthefactthattheirlearnedcontentswere

oncedeemedsuitableforpublicationingeneral-circulationdailies.

Weareevenfartherremovedfromtheunfocusednewspaperreviewspublished

inEnglandbetweentheturnofthe20thcenturyandtheeveofWorldWarII,ata

timewhennewsprintwasdirt-cheapandstylishartscriticismwasconsideredan

ornamenttothepublicationsinwhichitappeared.Inthosefar-offdays,itwastaken

forgrantedthatthecriticsofmajorpaperswouldwriteindetailandatlengthabout

theeventstheycovered.Theirswasaseriousbusiness,andeventhosereviewers

whoworetheirlearninglightly,likeGeorgeBernardShawandErnestNewman,

couldbetrustedtoknowwhattheywereabout.Thesemenbelievedinjournalismas

acalling,andwereproudtobepublishedinthedailypress."Sofewauthorshave

brainsenoughorliterarygiftenoughtokeeptheirownendupinjournalism,59

Newmanwrote,“thatIamtemptedtodefine'journalism'as'atermofcontempt

appliedbywriterswhoarenotreadtowriterswhoare.'"

Unfortunately,thesecriticsarevirtuallyforgotten.NevilleCardus,whowrote

fortheManchesterGuardianfrom1917untilshortlybeforehisdeathin1975,is

nowknownsolelyasawriterofessaysonthegameofcricket.Duringhislifetime,

though,hewasalsooneofEngland'sforemostclassical-musiccritics,astylistso

widelyadmiredthathisAutobiography(1947)becameabest-seller.Hewasknighted

in1967,thefirstmusiccritictobesohonored.Yetonlyoneofhisbooksisnowin

print,andhisvastbodyofwritingsonmusicisunknownsavetospecialists.

IsthereanychancethatCardus'scriticismwillenjoyarevival?Theprospect

seemsremote.Journalistictasteshadchangedlongbeforehisdeath,andpostmodern

readershavelittleusefortherichlyupholstered\^cwardianproseinwhichhe

specialized.Moreover,theamateurtraditioninmusiccriticismhasbeeninheadlong

retreat.

Text2

Overthepastdecade,thousandsofpatentshavebeengrantedforwhatare

calledbusinessmethods.Areceivedoneforits"one-click"online

paymentsystem.MerrillLynchgotlegalprotectionforanassetallocationstrategy.

Oneinventorpatentedatechniqueforliftingabox.

Nowthenation'stoppatentcourtappearscompletelyreadytoscalebackon

business-methodpatents,whichhavebeencontroversialeversincetheywerefirst

authorized10yearsago.Inamovethathasintellectual-propertylawyersabuzzthe

U.S.courtofAppealsforthefederalcircuitsaiditwoulduseaparticularcaseto

conductabroadreviewofbusiness-methodpatents.InreBilski,asthecaseis

known,is"averybigdeal",saysDennisD.CrouchoftheUniversityofMissouri

Schooloflaw.It"hasthepotentialtoeliminateanentireclassofpatents."

Curbsonbusiness-methodclaimswouldbeadramaticabout-face,becauseit

wasthefederalcircuititselfthatintroducedsuchpatentswithis1998decisioninthe

so-calledstateStreetBankcase,approvingapatentonawayofpoolingmutual-fund

assets.Thatrulingproducedanexplosioninbusiness-methodpatentfilings,initially

byemerginginternetcompaniestryingtostakeoutexclusiverightstospecifictypes

ofonlinetransactions.Later,moveestablishedcompaniesracedtoaddsuchpatents

totheirfiles,ifonlyasadefensivemoveagainstrivalsthatmightbeatthemtothe

punch.In2005,IBMnotedinacourtfilingthatithadbeenissuedmorethan300

business-methodpatentsdespitethefactthatitquestionedthelegalbasisfor

grantingthem.Similarly,someWallStreetinvestmentfilmsarmedthemselveswith

patentsforfinancialproducts,evenastheytookpositionsincourtcasesopposingthe

practice.

TheBilskicaseinvolvesaclaimedpatentonamethodforhedgingriskinthe

energymarket.TheFederalcircuitissuedanunusualorderstatingthatthecase

wouldbeheardbyall12ofthecourt*sjudges,ratherthanatypicalpanelofthree,

andthatoneissueitwantstoevaluateiswhetheritshould"reconsider"itsstate

streetBankruling.

TheFederalCircuit'sactioncomesinthewakeofaseriesofrecentdecisionsby

thesupremeCourtthathasnarrowedthescopeofprotectionsforpatentholders.Last

April,forexamplethejusticessignaledthattoomanypatentswerebeingupheldfor

"inventions"thatareobvious.ThejudgesontheFederalcircuitare"reactingtothe

anti-patenttrendattheSupremeCourt”,saysHaroldC.Wegner,apatentattorney

andprofessoratGeorgeWashingtonUniversityLawSchool.

Text3

InhisbookTheTippingPoint,MalcolmGladwellarguesthatsocialepidemics

aredriveninlargepartbytheactingofatinyminorityofspecialindividuals,often

calledinfluentials,whoareunusuallyinformed,persuasive,orwell-connected.The

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ideaisintuitivelycompelling,butitdoesn'texplainhowideasactuallyspread.

Thesupposedimportanceofinfluentialsderivesfromaplausiblesoundingbut

largelyuntestedtheorycalledthe"twostepflowofcommunication":Information

flowsfromthemediatotheinfluentialsandfromthemtoeveryoneelse.Marketers

haveembracedthetwo-stepflowbecauseitsuggeststhatiftheycanjustfindand

influencetheinfluentials,thoseselectedpeoplewilldomostoftheworkforthem.

Thetheoryalsoseemstoexplainthesuddenandunexpectedpopularityofcertain

looks,brands,orneighborhoods.Inmanysuchcases,acursorysearchforcauses

findsthatsomesmallgroupofpeoplewaswearing,promoting,ordeveloping

whateveritisbeforeanyoneelsepaidattention.Anecdotalevidenceofthiskindfits

nicelywiththeideathatonlycertainspecialpeoplecandrivetrends

Intheirrecentwork,however,someresearchershavecomeupwiththefinding

thatinfluentialshavefarlessimpactonsocialepidemicsthanisgenerallysupposed.

Infact,theydon'tseemtoberequiredofall.

Theresearchers*argumentstemsfromasimpleobservingaboutsocialinfluence,

withtheexceptionofafewcelebritieslikeOprahWinfrey-whoseoutsizepresence

isprimarilyafunctionofmedia,notinterpersonal,influence-eventhemost

influentialmembersofapopulationsimplydon'tinteractwiththatmanyothers.Yet

itispreciselythesenon-celebrityinfluentialswho,accordingtothetwo-step-flow

theory,aresupposedtodrivesocialepidemicsbyinfluencingtheirfriendsand

colleaguesdirectly.Forasocialepidemictooccur,however,eachpersonsoaffected,

musttheninfluencehisorherownacquaintances,whomustinturninfluencetheirs,

andsoon;andjusthowmanyotherspayattentiontoeachofthesepeoplehaslittle

todowiththeinitialinfluential.Ifpeopleinthenetworkjusttwodegreesremoved

fromtheinitialinfluentialproveresistant,forexamplefromtheinitialinfluential

proveresistant,forexamplethecascadeofchangewon'tpropagateveryfaroraffect

manypeople.

Buildingonthebasictruthaboutinterpersonalinfluence,theresearchers

studiedthedynamicsofpopulationsmanipulatinganumberofvariablesrelatingof

populations,manipulatinganumberofvariablesrelatingtopeople'sabilityto

influenceothersandtheirtendencytobeinfluenced.Ourworkshowsthatthe

principalrequirementforwhatwecall"globalcascades"-thewidespread

propagationofinfluencethroughnetworks-isthepresencenotofafewinfluentials

but,rather,ofacriticalmassofeasilyinfluencedpeople,eachofwhomadopts,say,

alookorabrandafterbeingexposedtoasingleadoptingneighbor.Regardlessof

howinfluentialanindividualislocally,heorshecanexertglobalinfluenceonlyif

thiscriticalmassisavailabletopropagateachainreaction.

Text4

Bankershavebeenblamingthemselvesfortheirtroublesinpublic.Behindthe

scenes,theyhavebeentakingaimatsomeoneelse:theaccountingstandard-setters.

Theirrules,moanthebanks,haveforcedthemtoreportenormouslosses,andit'sjust

notfair.Theserulessaytheymustvaluesomeassetsatthepriceathirdpartywould

pay,notthepricemanagersandregulatorswouldlikethemtofetch.

Unfortunately,banks*lobbyingnowseemstobeworking.Thedetailsmaybe

unknowable,buttheindependenceofstandard-setters,essentialtotheproper

functioningofcapitalmarkets,isbeingcompromised.And,unlessbankscarrytoxic

assetsatpricesthatattractbuyers,revivingthebankingsystemwillbedifficult.

AfterabruisingencounterwithCongress,America'sFinancialAccounting

StandardsBoard(FASB)rushedthroughrulechanges.Thesegavebanksmore

freedomtousemodelstovalueilliquidassetsandmoreflexibilityinrecognizing

lossesonlong-termassetsintheirincomestatement.BobHerz,theFASB'schairman,

criedoutagainstthosewho"questionourmotives."Yetbanksharesroseandthe

changesenhancewhatonelobbygrouppolitelycalls"theuseofjudgmentby

management."

EuropeanministersinstantlydemandedthattheInternationalAccounting

StandardsBoard(IASB)dolikewise.TheIASBsaysitdoesnotwanttoactwithout

overallplanning,butthepressuretofoldwhenitcompletesitreconstructionofrules

laterthisyearisstrong.CharlieMcCreevy,aEuropeancommissioner,warnedthe

IASBthatitdid"notliveinapoliticalvacuum"but"intherealword"andthat

Europecouldyetdevelopdifferentrules.

Itwasbanksthatwereonthewrongplanet,withaccountsthatvastly

overvaluedassets.Todaytheyarguethatmarketpricesoverstatelosses,becausethey

largelyreflectthetemporaryilliquidityofmarkets,notthelikelyextentofbaddebts.

Thetruthwillnotbeknownforyears.Butbank'ssharestradebelowtheirbookvalue,

suggestingthatinvestorsareskeptical.Anddeadmarketspartlyreflecttheparalysis

ofbankswhichwillnotsellassetsforfearofbookinglosses,yetarereluctanttobuy

allthosesupposedbargains.

Togetthesystemworkingagain,lossesmustberecognizedanddealtwith.

America'snewplantobuyuptoxicassetswillnotworkunlessbanksmarkassetsto

levelswhichbuyersfindattractive.Successfulmarketsrequireindependentandeven

combativestandard-setters.TheFASBandIASBhavebeenexactlythat,cleaningup

rulesonstockoptionsandpensions,forexample,againsthostilityfromspecial

interests.Butbygivingintocriticsnowtheyareinvitingpressuretomakemore

concessions.

2009年全國碩士研究生入學(xué)統(tǒng)一考試英語試題

Text1

Habitsareafunnything.Wereachforthemmindlessly,settingourbrainson

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auto-pilotandrelaxingintotheunconsciouscomfortoffamiliarroutine."Notchoice,

buthabitrulestheunreflectingherd,"WilliamWordsworthsaidinthe19thcentury.

Intheever-changing21stcentury,eventheword"habit"carriesanegative

connotation.

Soitseemsantitheticaltotalkabouthabitsinthesamecontextascreativityand

innovation.Butbrainresearchershavediscoveredthatwhenweconsciouslydevelop

newhabits,wecreateparallelsynapticpaths,andevenentirelynewbraincells,that

canjumpourtrainsofthoughtontonew,innovativetracks.

Butdon'tbothertryingtokilloffoldhabits;oncethoserutsofprocedureare

wornintothehippocampus,they'retheretostay.Instead,thenewhabitswe

deliberatelyingrainintoourselvescreateparallelpathwaysthatcanbypassthoseold

roads.

"Thefirstthingneededforinnovationisafascinationwithwonder,"says

DawnaMarkova,authorof"TheOpenMind”andanexecutivechangeconsultantfor

ProfessionalThinkingPartners."Butwearetaughtinsteadto'decide/justasour

presidentcallshimself'theDecider.1"Sheadds,however,that"todecideistokilloff

allpossibilitiesbutone.Agoodinnovationalthinkerisalwaysexploringthemany

otherpossibilities.n

Allofusworkthroughproblemsinwaysofwhichwe'reunaware,shesays.

Researchersinthelate1960coveredthathumansarebornwiththecapacityto

approachchallengesinfourprimaryways:analytically,procedurally,relationally(or

collaboratively)andinnovatively.Atpuberty,however,thebrainshutsdownhalfof

thatcapacity,preservingonlythosemodesofthoughtthathaveseemedmost

valuableduringthefirstdecadeorsooflife.

Thecurrentemphasisonstandardizedtestinghighlightsanalysisandprocedure,

meaningthatfewofusinherentlyuseourinnovativeandcollaborativemodesof

thought."ThisbreaksthemajorruleintheAmericanbeliefsystem-thatanyone

candoanything,"explainsM.J.Ryan,authorofthe2006book"ThisYearIWill..."

andMs.Markova'sbusinesspartner."That'saliethatwehaveperpetuated,andit

fosterscommonness.Knowingwhatyou'regoodatanddoingevenmoreofitcreates

excellence.nThisiswheredevelopingnewhabitscomesin.

Text2

Itisawisefatherthatknowshisownchild,buttodayamancanboosthis

paternal(fatherly)wisdom-oratleastconfirmthathe'sthekid*sdad.Allheneeds

todoisshellour$30forpaternitytestingkit(PTK)athislocaldrugstore-and

another$120togettheresults.

Morethan60,000peoplehavepurchasedthePTKssincetheyfirstbecome

availablewithoutprescriptionslastyears,accordingtoDougFog,chiefoperating

officerofIdentigene,whichmakestheover-the-counterkits.Morethantwodozen

companiessellDNAtestsDirectlytothepublic,ranginginpricefromafew

hundreddollarstomorethan$2500.

Amongthemostpopular:paternityandkinshiptesting,whichadopted

childrencanusetofindtheirbiologicalrelativesandlatestrageamanypassionate

genealogists-andsupportsbusinessesthatoffertosearchforafamily'sgeographic

roots.

Mosttestsrequirecollectingcellsbywebbingsalivainthemouthandsending

ittothecompanyfortesting.Alltestsrequireapotentialcandidatewithwhomto

compareDNA.

Butsomeobserversareskeptical,“Thereisakindoffalseprecisionbeing

hawkedbypeopleclaimingtheyaredoingancestrytesting,"saysTreyDuster,a

NewYorkUniversitysociologist.Henotesthateachindividualhasmany

ancestors-numberinginthehundredsjustafewcenturiesback.Yetmostancestry

testingonlyconsidersasinglelineage,eithertheYchromosomeinheritedthrough

meninafather*slineormitochondrialDNA,whichapasseddownonlyfrom

mothers.ThisDNAcanrevealgeneticinformationaboutonlyoneortwoancestors,

eventhough,forexample,justthreegenerationsbackpeoplealsohavesixother

great-grandparentsor,fourgenerationsback,14othergreat-great-grandparents.

Criticsalsoarguethatcommercialgenetictestingisonlyasgoodasthe

referencecollectionstowhichasampleiscompared.Databasesusedbysome

companiesdon*trelyondatacollectedsystematicallybutratherlumptoge