(The Guardian)：              More UK universities should be profiting from ideas

　　A repeated criticism of the UK's university sector is its noticeable weakness in translating new knowledge into new products and services.

　　Recently, the UK National Stem Cell Network warned the UK could lose its place among the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation could be assured, despite an annual £40m spent by the Department of Health on all kinds of research.

　　However, we do have to challenge the unthinking complaint that the sector does not do enough in taking ideas to market. The most recent comparative data on the performance of universities and research institutions in Australia, Canada, USA and UK shows that, from a relatively weak starting position, the UK now leads on many indicators of commercialization activity.

　　When viewed at the national level, the policy interventions (interference) of the past decade have helped transformed the performances of UK universities. Evidence suggests the UK's position is much stronger than in the recent past and is still showing improvement. But national data masks the very large variation in the performance of individual universities. The evidence shows that a large number of universities have fallen off the back of the pack, a few perform strongly and the rest chase the leaders.

　　This type of uneven distribution is not strange to the UK and is mirrored across other economies. In the UK, research is concentrated: less than 25% of universities are receiving 75% of the research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of PhD graduates, science citations, patents and license income. The effect of policies generating long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which are research-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and commercialization work creates differences between universities.

　　The core objective for universities which are research-led must be to maximize the impact of their research efforts. Their purpose is not to generate funds to add to the bottom line of the university or to substitute other income streams. Rather, these universities should be generating the widest range of social, economic and environmental benefits. In return for the scale of investment, they should share their expertise (expert knowledge or skill) in order to build greater confidence in the sector.

　　Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research commercialization spilling out of our universities. On the evidence presented in my report, there are three dozen universities in the UK which are actively engaged in advanced research training and commercialization work.

　　If there was a greater coordination（协调）of technology transfer offices within regions and a simultaneous (happening at the same time) investment in the scale and functions of our graduate schools, universities could, and should, play a key role in positioning the UK for the next growth cycle.

1.What does the author think of UK universities in terms of commercialization?

A．They have lost their leading position in many ways.

B．They still have a place among the world leaders.

C．They do not regard it as their responsibility.

D．They fail to change knowledge into money.

2.What does the author say about the national data on UK universities’ performance in commercialization?

A．It masks the fatal weaknesses of government policy.

B．It indicates their ineffective use of government resources.

C．It does not rank UK universities in a scientific way.

D．It does not reflect the differences among universities.

3.We can infer from Paragraph 5 that “policy interventions (in Paragraph 4)” refers to _____.

A．concentration of resources in a limited number of universities

B．compulsory cooperation between universities and industries

C．government aid to non-research-oriented universities

D．fair distribution of funding for universities and research institutions

4.What dose the author suggest research-led universities do?

A．Fully use their research to benefit all sectors of society.

B．Generously share their facilities with those short of funds.

C．Advertise their research to win international recognition.

D．Spread their influence among top research institutions.

(The Guardian)：              More UK universities should be profiting from ideas
　　A repeated criticism of the UK's university sector is its noticeable weakness in translating new knowledge into new products and services.
　　Recently, the UK National Stem Cell Network warned the UK could lose its place among the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation could be assured, despite an annual £40m spent by the Department of Health on all kinds of research.
　　However, we do have to challenge the unthinking complaint that the sector does not do enough in taking ideas to market. The most recent comparative data on the performance of universities and research institutions in Australia, Canada, USA and UK shows that, from a relatively weak starting position, the UK now leads on many indicators of commercialization activity.
　　When viewed at the national level, the policy interventions (interference) of the past decade have helped transformed the performances of UK universities. Evidence suggests the UK's position is much stronger than in the recent past and is still showing improvement. But national data masks the very large variation in the performance of individual universities. The evidence shows that a large number of universities have fallen off the back of the pack, a few perform strongly and the rest chase the leaders.
　　This type of uneven distribution is not strange to the UK and is mirrored across other economies. In the UK, research is concentrated: less than 25% of universities are receiving 75% of the research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of PhD graduates, science citations, patents and license income. The effect of policies generating long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which are research-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and commercialization work creates differences between universities.
　　The core objective for universities which are research-led must be to maximize the impact of their research efforts. Their purpose is not to generate funds to add to the bottom line of the university or to substitute other income streams. Rather, these universities should be generating the widest range of social, economic and environmental benefits. In return for the scale of investment, they should share their expertise (expert knowledge or skill) in order to build greater confidence in the sector.
　　Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research commercialization spilling out of our universities. On the evidence presented in my report, there are three dozen universities in the UK which are actively engaged in advanced research training and commercialization work.
　　If there was a greater coordination（协调）of technology transfer offices within regions and a simultaneous (happening at the same time) investment in the scale and functions of our graduate schools, universities could, and should, play a key role in positioning the UK for the next growth cycle.
【小题1】What does the author think of UK universities in terms of commercialization?

(The Guardian)More UK universities should be profiting from ideas
　　A repeated criticism of the UK's university sector is its noticeable weakness in translating new knowledge into new products and services.
　　Recently, the UK National Stem Cell Network warned the UK could lose its place among the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation could be assured, despite an annual ?40m spent by the Department of Health on all kinds of research.
　　However, we do have to challenge the unthinking complaint that the sector does not do enough in taking ideas to market. The most recent comparative data on the performance of universities and research institutions in Australia, Canada, USA and UK shows that, from a relatively weak starting position, the UK now leads on many indicators of commercialization activity.
　　When viewed at the national level, the policy interventions (interference) of the past decade have helped transformed the performances of UK universities. Evidence suggests the UK's position is much stronger than in the recent past and is still showing improvement. But national data masks the very large variation in the performance of individual universities. The evidence shows that a large number of universities have fallen off the back of the pack, a few perform strongly and the rest chase the leaders.
　　This type of uneven distribution is not strange to the UK and is mirrored across other economies. In the UK, research is concentrated: less than 25% of universities are receiving 75% of the research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of PhD graduates, science citations, patents and license income. The effect of policies generating long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which are research-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and commercialization work creates differences between universities.
　　The core objective for universities which are research-led must be to maximize the impact of their research efforts. Their purpose is not to generate funds to add to the bottom line of the university or to substitute other income streams. Rather, these universities should be generating the widest range of social, economic and environmental benefits. In return for the scale of investment, they should share their expertise (expert knowledge or skill) in order to build greater confidence in the sector.
　　Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research commercialization spilling out of our universities. On the evidence presented in my report, there are three dozen universities in the UK which are actively engaged in advanced research training and commercialization work.
　　If there was a greater coordination（协调）of technology transfer offices within regions and a simultaneous (happening at the same time) investment in the scale and functions of our graduate schools, universities could, and should, play a key role in positioning the UK for the next growth cycle

1. 1.

   What does the author think of UK universities in terms of commercialization?

   1. A.
      They have lost their leading position in many ways
   2. B.
      They still have a place among the world leaders
   3. C.
      They do not regard it as their responsibility
   4. D.
      They fail to change knowledge into money
2. 2.

   What does the author say about the national data on UK universities’ performance in
   commercialization?

   1. A.
      It masks the fatal weaknesses of government policy
   2. B.
      It indicates their ineffective use of government resources
   3. C.
      It does not rank UK universities in a scientific way
   4. D.
      It does not reflect the differences among universities
3. 3.

   We can infer from Paragraph 5 that “policy interventions (in Paragraph 4)” refers to _____

   1. A.
      concentration of resources in a limited number of universities
   2. B.
      compulsory cooperation between universities and industries
   3. C.
      government aid to non-research-oriented universities
   4. D.
      fair distribution of funding for universities and research institutions
4. 4.

   What dose the author suggest research-led universities do?

   1. A.
      Fully use their research to benefit all sectors of society
   2. B.
      Generously share their facilities with those short of funds
   3. C.
      Advertise their research to win international recognition
   4. D.
      Spread their influence among top research institutions

Imagine a classroom missing the one thing that's long been considered a necessary part to reading and writing ? Paper. No notebooks, no textbooks, no test paper. Nor are there any pencils or pens, which always seem to run out of ink at the critical (关键的) moment.

A "paperless classroom" is what more and more schools are trying to achieve.

Students don't do any handwriting in this class. Instead, they use palm (手掌) size, or specially-designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student's personal computer.

Having computers also means that students can use the Web. They can look up information on any subject they're studying ? from maths to social science.

High school teacher Judy Herrell in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web to learn about the war in Afganistan (阿富汗) over one year ago.

"We could touch every side of the country through different sites ? from the forest to refugee camps (难民营)," she said. "Using a book that's three or four years old is impossible."

And exams can go online too. At a high school in Tennessee, US, students take tests on their own computers. The teacher records the grades on the network for everyone to see and then copies them to his own electronic grade book.

A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. High school teacher Stephanie Sorrell in Kentucky, US, said she used to give about 900 pieces of paper each week to each student.

"Think about the money and trees we could save with the computers," she said.

But, with all this technology, there's always the risk (危险) that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or technical problems, paper textbooks are still widely available (可用的) for these hi-tech students.

1. What does the part of the last sentence in the first paragraph, “run out of ink at the critical

moment”, mean?

   A. Pens may not write well at the critical moment.

　 B. Pens get lost easily, so you may not find them at the critical moment.

　 C. Pens may have little or no ink at the critical moment.

　 D. Pens use ink, while pencils don't.

2. In a paperless classroom, what is a must?

　 A. Pens. B. Computers. C. Information. D. Texts.

3.The high school teacher, Judy Herrell, used the example of her class to show that _______.

　 A. the Web could take them everywhere B. the Web taught them a lot

　 C. the Web is a good tool for information

　 D. the Web, better than the textbooks, can give the latest and comprehensive (全面的) information

4.The paperless classrooms will benefit _____ the most.

　 A. students B. teachers C. trees D. computers

5.What does the phrase in the last paragraph, “break down”, mean?

　 A. Break into pieces. B. Stop working. C. Fall down. D. Lose control.

It is pretty much a one-way street. While it may be common for university researchers to try their luck in the commercial world, there is very little traffic in the opposite direction. Pay has always been the biggest deterrent, as people with families often feel they cannot afford the drop in salary when moving to a university job. For some industrial scientists, however, the attractions of academia (学术界) outweigh any financial considerations.

　　Helen Lee took a 70% cut in salary when she moved from a senior post in Abbott Laboratories to a medical department at the University of Cambridge. Her main reason for returning to academia mid-career was to take advantage of the greater freedom to choose research questions. Some areas of inquiry have few prospects of a commercial return, and Lee’s is one of them.

　　The impact of a salary cut is probably less severe for a scientist in the early stages of a career. Guy Grant, now a research associate at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge, spent two years working for a pharmaceutical (制药的) company before returning to university as a post-doctoral researcher. He took a 30% salary cut but felt it worthwhile for the greater intellectual（知识的） opportunities.

　　Higher up the ladder, where a pay cut is usually more significant, the demand for scientists with a wealth of experience in industry is forcing universities to make the transition (转换) to academia more attractive, according to Lee. Industrial scientists tend to receive training that academics do not, such as how to build a multidisciplinary team, manage budgets and negotiate contracts. They are also well placed to bring something extra to the teaching side of an academic role that will help students get a job when they graduate, says Lee, perhaps experience in manufacturing practice or product development. “Only a small number of undergraduates will continue in an academic career. So someone leaving university who already has the skills needed to work in an industrial lab has far more potential in the job market than someone who has spent all their time on a narrow research project.”

1.By “a one-way street” (Line 1, Para. 1), the author means ________.

　　A. university researchers know little about the commercial world

　　B. there is little exchange between industry and academia

　　C. few industrial scientists would quit to work in a university

　　D. few university professors are willing to do industrial research

2.The word “deterrent” (Line 2, Para. 1) most probably refers to something that ________.

　　A. keeps someone from taking action　　

B. helps to move the traffic

C. attracts people’s attention

D. brings someone a financial burden

3.What was Helen Lee’s major consideration when she changed her job in the middle of her career?

A. Flexible work hours.        B. Her research interests.

C. Her preference for the lifestyle on campus.

D. Prospects of academic accomplishments.

4.Guy Grant chose to work as a researcher at Cambridge in order to ________.

A .do financially more rewarding work

B .raise his status in the academic world

C. enrich his experience in medical research

D. exploit better intellectual opportunities

5.What contribution can industrial scientists make when they come to teach in a university?

A. Increase its graduates’ competitiveness in the job market.

B. Develop its students’ potential in research.

C. Help it to obtain financial support from industry.

D. Gear its research towards practical applications.