Unit Four
Reading Comprehension
Ⅰ.Questions for discussion
1.Can we,according to the author,use patents as the only criterion in judging innovativeness?Why or why not?
Answer:No,we can't,because the link between patent activity and innovation is not as strong as people may think and the largest number of patents doesn't mean the greatest innovativeness.Making patents the only criterion can result in some confusing and absurd findings instead of faithfully demonstrating the truth.For example,according to this metric,IBM and Samsung with their respective 3,059 and 3,052 patents would appear the most innovative,far ahead of Google and Microsoft,etc.,and the 2015 Bloomberg Innovation Index says the United States only ranks No.4 in the world in terms of innovation,trailing South Korea,Japan,and China,both seriously distorting the actualities.What's more,in the present century,technological changes happen fast,and innovation is also about business methods and processes,both diminishing the practical value of stockpiling patents.
2.Are patent citations,according to the author,a satisfying index of innovativeness?Why or why not?
Answer:No.Though a little more accurate than the absolute number of innovations as the sole index,they are still not good enough,because patents are only the first step taken toward the launch of final products,and in-between there is a long process of actual invention.If things go wrong with research and the development system,patents will end up as mere patents.
3.Why do so many companies focus on stockpiling patents?
Answer:They take it as a countermeasure against patent trolls.Patents would cost them less money than paying large sums in legal fees or other penalties when trouble arises from patent disputes.
4.What,in your opinion,might be better indicators of innovativeness besides the“end user utility”mentioned toward the end of the text?
Answer:open for discussion
Ⅱ.Judge,according to the text,whether the following statements are true(T)or false(F).
1.Considering the number of patents that companies have received thus far in 2015,IBM and Samsung are far and away the most innovative companies in the world,with 3,059 and 3,052 patents,respectively.(T)
2.The United States is less innovative than South Korea,China and Japan.(F)
3.Scandinavia is generally considered to be one of the most innovative regions in the world.(T)
4.Having a lot of highly cited patents means that you can create valuable products from those patents.(F)
5.One of the reasons for companies focusing on stockpiling patents is that they want to produce more innovative products.(F)
Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with words that best complete the sentences.
1.A 2.B 3.D 4.B 5.C 6.A 7.B 8.A 9.D 10.B
Cloze
Of the four choices given below for each blank,choose the one that best fits into the passage.
1.B 2.C 3.A 4.C 5.B 6.D 7.D 8.C 9.A 10.D 11.A 12.A 13.C 14.A 15.B 16.B 17.D 18.D 19.B 20.C
Translation Exercises
A.Analyze the grammatical structure of the following sentences and translate them into Chinese.
1.Global communication is shrinking the world,and global ageing is maturing it.全球通讯正在缩短人与人之间的距离,而全球老龄化则正在使世界成熟起来。
2.It serves directly to assist a rapid distribution of goods at reasonable prices,thereby establishing a firm home market and so making it possible to provide for export at competitive prices.它能够直接帮助货物以比较合理的价格迅速分销出去,从而建立起稳固的国内市场,进而也使以具有竞争力的价格进行出口成为可能。
3.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.在美国经济中,私有财产的概念不仅包含对生产资源的所有权,也指其他一些特定的权利,如确定产品价格或与其他私人个体(经济单位)自由签订合同的权利。
4.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.在过去的30年中,公共教育显示出对特殊/残障儿童的巨大关注,这表明我们的社会坚定地认为,不论个人情况多么特别,所有公民都应享有充分发展其能力的机会。
5.Among the many shaping factors,I would single out the country's excellent elementary schools;a labor force that welcomed the new technology;the practice of giving premiums to inventors;and above all the American genius for nonverbal,“spatial”thinking about things technological.在许多形成因素当中,我要特别指出的是这个国家优质的小学教育、乐于接受新技术的劳动者、奖励发明者的做法,尤其是美国人在对技术问题进行非言语和“空间性”思考方面的天赋。
6.Demographers note that if current trends in ageing continue as predicted,a demographic revolution,wherein the proportions of the young and the old will undergo a historic crossover,will be felt in just three generations.人口统计学家指出,如果当前老龄化趋势如预期一样持续下去,三十年后将发生一场人口革命,青年人和老年人的比例将发生历史性的逆转。
7.The successful launch and return of the manned spacecraft Shenzhou V is deemed both a symbol of national prestige and a sign of advanced science and technology,which will definitely contribute to the economic growth of our country.人们认为,载人航天飞船神州五号的成功发射及返回既是国家荣誉的象征,也是先进科技能力的标志,这对我国的经济发展无疑会产生促进作用。
8.If experiments are planned and carried out according to plan as faithfully as the reports in the science journals indicate,then it is perfectly logical for management to expect research to produce results measurable in dollars and cents.如果像科学杂志上的报告所示的那样,试验严格按计划进行规划实施,那么管理层完全有理由期待研究产生经济效益。
B.Translate the following sentences from Text A into Chinese.
1.According to this metric,IBM and Samsung are far and away the most innovative companies in the world,with 3,059 and 3,052 patents,respectively.按照这个标准,分别拥有3,059和3,052项专利的IBM和三星,就是全世界最具创新能力的公司。
2.Using patents as a gauge of how innovation varies between countries can also result in some head-scratching findings.用专利数量为标准来衡量不同国家的创新能力,也会得出一些令人困惑的结论。
3.These cities tend to score well because they are home to the types of companies(technology,pharmaceutical and biotech)that are most likely to file patents to protect their innovations.这些城市名列前茅,是因为这些城市拥有科技、医药、生物技术等公司,而这类公司往往在申请专利以保护创新技术方面走在最前面。
4.That means patents might be a better proxy for how litigious American business has become rather than how innovative a specific company or industry has become.这意味着,专利所表明的与其说是某个公司或行业多么富于创新能力,不如说是美国业界多么爱打官司。
5.Instead of viewing patents as we once did—as a way to encourage inventiveness and innovation,we may be better suited to see them for what they have become:an economic drag and an attractive target for patent trolls,who see them as a way to exact tributes from deep-pocketed tech companies.与其像过去那样将专利视为促进创造发明的手段,不如看清楚它们本质上构成了一种经济阻力,专利流氓们之所以趋之若鹜,是因为通过专利侵权诉讼可以从阔绰的科技公司那里榨取好处。