A patent is the tool that can be used to prevent people from making, selling, offering to sell or importing the patented items without permission. According to the patent law, any person who “invents any new and useful process, machine, or composition (成分) of matter, or any new and useful improvement may obtain a patent.”

The law has described the limits of the field of subject matter that can be patented, and thus it has been held that the laws of nature, physical phenomena, and abstract ideas are not patentable subject matter. A patent cannot be obtained upon just an idea or suggestion.

In order for an invention to be patentable it must be new as described in the patent law, which also states that an invention cannot be patented if: “(a) the invention was known or used by others in this country”, or “(b)the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country”, (c) the invention was in public use or on sale in this country more than one year before the application for patent”.

Moreover, even if the subject matter sought to be patented is not exactly shown by the previous art, and involves one or more differences over the most nearly similar thing already known, a patent may still be refused. The subject matter sought to be patented must be fully different from what has been used or described before in the area of technology related to the invention. For example, the substitutions of one color for another, or changes in size, are not patentable.

56. We can learn from the text that a patent       .

     A. is a legal limit to the spread of most new inventions

     B. serves as an effective tool to protect inventors’ rights

     C. proves necessary when people want to invent something

     D. is a permit for using a new invention by the inventor

57. Which of the following can not be patented according to the patent law?

     A. A new computing tool.                                     B. A new packaging for a product.

     C. A new waste treatment method.               D. A new economic theory.

58. We can infer from the text that       .

      A. it’s not easy to put new inventions into production

      B. there are strict criteria for applying for a patent       

C. a patent will not be applicable in some countries

      D. the patent law differs greatly between countries

59. The author writes this text in order to tell us       .

      A. there are few inventions that can be patented          

B. how to avoid failing to get a patent for a new invention

     C. what can or can’t be patented under the patent law

     D. how to bring the patent law into force

Learning a Second Language

Some people learn a second language easily. Others have trouble learning a new language. How can you help yourself learn a new language, such as English? There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.

The first step is to feel positive about learning English. If you believe that you can learn, you will learn. Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes. In other words, do not worry about taking risks.

The second step is to practice your English. For example, write a diary every day. You will get used to writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English. Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving. In addition, you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class. You will all make mistakes, but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English.

The third step is to keep a record of your language learning. You can write this in your journal. After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it.

You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it. It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements. You will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself.

1.To feel positive about learning English means _______.

A．if you are patient, you will learn

B．you can understand everything all at once

C．if you make mistakes, you can learn from your mistakes

D．if you believe you can learn, you will learn

2.When you learn English, you do not need to ______.

A．be patient	B．make mistakes
C．express your ideas in English	D．understand everything all at once

3.What is not helpful for you to enjoy learning English?

A．To communicate in English.

B．To worry about taking risks.

C．To think about what has been done after each class.

D．To make a record of the achievements.

4.What is the main idea of this passage?

A．It is very important to learn a second language.

B．Some people learn a second language easily while other people do not.

C．There are ways to help you learn a second language more easily.

D．Don’t worry about taking risks when learning a second language.

5.What does the underlined word “journal” in the 4^th paragraphmean?

A．Diary

B．Composition

C．Poem

D．Newspaper

 

本文介绍了美国著名的生物学家Edward Wilson 的著作The Future of Life中的一些有关如何开发、利用和保护自然资源的情况。
Edward Wilson is America’s, if not the world’s, leading naturalist. In The Future of Life, he takes us on a tour of the world’s natural resources(资源). How are they used? What has been lost? What remains and is it able to continue with the present speed of use? Wilson also points out the need to understand fully the biodiversity(生物多样性)of our earth.
Wilson begins with an open letter to the pioneer in environment (环境) protection, Henry David Thoreau. He compares today’s Walden Pond with that of Thoreau’s day. Wilson will use such comparisons for the rest of the book. The problem is clear: man has done great damage to his home over the years. Van the earth, with human help, be made to return to biodiversity levels that will be able to support us in the future?
Biodiversity, Wilson argues, is the key to settling many problems the earth faces today. Even our agricultural crops can gain advantages from it. A mere hundred species(物种) are the basis of our food supply, of which but twenty carry the load. Wilson suggests changing this situation by looking into ten thousand species that could be made use of, which will be a way to reduce the clearing of the natural homes of plants and animals to enlarge farming areas.
At the end of the book, Wilson discusses the importance of human values in considering the environment. If you are to continue to live on the earth, you may well read and act on the ideas in this book.
【小题1】 We learn from the text that Wilson cares most about ______

A．the environment for plants

B．the biodiversity of our earth

C．the wastes of natural resources

D．the importance of human values

【小题2】How many species are most important to our present food supply?

A．Twenty.

B．Eighty.

C．One hundred

D．Ten thousand.

【小题3】Wilson suggests that one way to keep biodiversity is to _______.

A．learn how to farm scientifically

B．build homes for some dying species

C．make it clear what to eat

D．use more species for food

【小题4】 We can infer that the text is _______

A．a description of natural resources

B．a research report

C．a book review

D．an introduction to a scientist.

Libraries everywhere in the world have always been people’s only access to important sources of information.  This historical function of libraries has worked out for centuries and has made libraries a necessity to people.  Now, that function has been called into question by the fast development of digital media over the past several decades. In order to continue to hold the public interest, libraries everywhere are forced to develop means of granting access to these expensive new services to average people.

     In the past, the publishing industry maintained the rights of libraries to freely provide published materials on the condition that libraries bought so many of their books. Since the new electronic publications can easily be copied in their completeness by the library readers, the publishing industry is reconsidering its former support of the library system. There have even been attempts to stop libraries from delivering digital media.

     In addition to the reluctant cooperation of the publishing industry, there is the problem that the newer forms of information are much more specialized than those which they replace. Deciding how to transfer already limited resources is increasingly difficult as there are more methods. While a single reference index(索引) might have covered an entire field in the past, now there are frequently several specialized indexes available in electronic form. Above all, in order to continue to make use of the newer technology, libraries must decide which kinds of material are most useful to the majority of their readers. There are many different solutions being applied, but only the process of trial and error will help find out the most effective method.

（Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN 20 WORDS）

 

1. What has been called into question?

2. In the past, publishers cooperate with libraries because ______________.

3. The most important way to use the new technology is to determine ________

4. According to the passage, how can best solutions be found?

 

 

 

Some wonderfully creative uses of X-rays have been in the world of art．But the most impressive one is to uncover what has been covered up．Details unfolded by an X-ray of a painting can ' t be seen any other way．For example, in the past, paintings were often repaired if small pieces of paint fell off the canvas （帆布）． These repairs cannot be seen just by looking at the painting．It takes an X-ray to discover where the repairs have been made．

An X-ray of a painting is one of the best ways to tell if it was created by a famous painter or if it is a forgery（赝品）．If there is a question as to whether an old master has painted a certain painting or not, X-rays are made and compared to those of paintings that are known to be original．If the brushstrokes （笔迹） , for example, are shown to be totally different than in other work done by a certain artist, then the painting is proved to be a fake copy．

Since modern paints are usually made from different materials than paints of hundreds of years ago, the image they leave on an X-ray film looks different．This is another way X-rays can be used to spot a forgery．A modem artist will try to make a forgery look hundreds of years old by painting dirty varnish on it or by using artificial means to get the varnish to look cracked．To the naked eye the forgery may look old, but when a careful study of the X-ray image is made, the deception is obvious．

It was common many years ago for an artist to finish a painting, decide it wasn't any good, and paint a completely different picture on top of it．Or artists would paint over others' work —it was their version of recycling．Taking an X-ray is the only way to find out if there is a picture underneath the picture you see with your eyes．Sometimes museums will be more interested in the painting beneath than the one on top, and will restore the older one by having the top layer painstakingly removed．

1.What is the main purpose of the article?

A．To provide information to police who are looking for stolen art．

B．To persuade art dealers to check for fake copies before selling art．

C．To explain how modern technology can be applied in unique ways．

D．To help artists restore damaged artwork to its original appearance．

2.According to the passage，X-rays are used to ______．

A．make repairs on paintings in the past

B．identify the authenticity of an artwork

C．change the materials of a forgery

D．remove the recyclable paints

3.In Paragraph 3, the word "deception" probably means ______．

A．comparison        B．drawback          C．trickery           D．judgement

4.Which is the best title for the passage?

A．X-ray Detectives

B．Creative Uses of Technology

C．Forgery Studies

D．X-ray Painting Techniques