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Overthepastdecade,thousandsofpatentshavebeengrantedforwhatarecalledbusinessmethods.Amazon.comreceivedoneforits“one-click”onlinepaymentsystem.MerrillLynchgotlegalprotectionforanassetallocationstrategy.Oneinventorpatentedatechniqueforliftingabox.
Nowthenation’stoppatentcourtappearscompletelyreadytoscalebackonbusiness-methodpatents,whichhavebeencontroversialeversincetheywerefirstauthorized10yearsago.Inamovethathasintellectual-propertylawyersabuzztheU.S.courtofAppealsforthefederalcircuitsaiditwoulduseaparticularcasetoconductabroadreviewofbusiness-methodpatents.InreBilski,asthecaseisknown,is“averybigdeal”,saysDennis’D.CrouchoftheUniversityofMissouriSchooloflaw.It“hasthepotentialtoeliminateanentireclassofpatents.”
Curbsonbusiness-methodclaimswouldbeadramaticabout-face,becauseitwasthefederalcircuititselfthatintroducedsuchpatentswithis1998decisionintheso-calledstateStreetBankcase,approvingapatentonawayofpoolingmutual-fundassets.Thatrulingproducedanexplosioninbusiness-methodpatentfilings,initiallybyemerginginternetcompaniestryingtostakeoutexclusivepinhtstospecifictypesofonlinetransactions.Later,moveestablishedcompaniesracedtoaddsuchpatentstotheirfiles,ifonlyasadefensivemoveagainstrivalsthatmightbeatthemtothepunch.In2005,IBMnotedinacourtfilingthatithadbeenissuedmorethan300business-methodpatentsdespitethefactthatitquestionedthelegalbasisforgrantingthem.Similarly,someWallStreetinvestmentfilmsarmedthemselveswithpatentsforfinancialproducts,evenastheytookpositionsincourtcasesopposingthepractice.
TheBilskicaseinvolvesaclaimedpatentonamethodforhedgingriskintheenergymarket.TheFederalcircuitissuedanunusualorderstatingthatthecasewouldbeheardbyall12ofthecourt’sjudges,ratherthanatypicalpanelofthree,andthatoneissueitwantstoevaluateiswhetheritshould”reconsider”itsstatestreetBankruling.
TheFederalCircuit’sactioncomesinthewakeofaseriesofrecentdecisionsbythesupremeCountthathasnarrowedthescopeofprotectionsforpatentholders.LastApril,forexamplethejusticessignaledthattoomanypatentswerebeingupheldfor“inventions”thatareobvious.ThejudgesontheFederalcircuitare“reactingtotheanti_patenttrendatthesupremecourt”,saysHaroleC.wegner,apartendattorneyandprofessorataeorgeWashingtonUniversityLawSchool.
26.Business-methodpatentshaverecentlyarousedconcernbecauseof
[A]theirlimitedvaluetobusiness
[B]theirconnectionwithassetallocation
[C]thepossiblerestrictionontheirgranting
[D]thecontroversyoverauthorization
27.WhichofthefollowingistrueoftheBilskicase?
[A]Itsrulingcomplieswiththecourtdecisions
[B]Itinvolvesaverybigbusinesstransaction
[C]IthasbeendismissedbytheFederalCircuit
[D]ItmaychangethelegalpracticesintheU.S.
28.Theword“about-face”(Line1,Paro3)mostprobablymeans
[A]lossofgoodwill
[B]increaseofhostility
[C]changeofattitude
[D]enhancementofdignity
29.Welearnfromthelasttwoparagraphsthatbusiness-methodpatents
[A]areimmunetolegalchallenges
[B]areoftenunnecessarilyissued
[C]lowertheesteemforpatentholders
[D]increasetheincidenceofrisks
30.Whichofthefollowingwouldbethesubjectofthetext?
[A]Aloomingthreattobusiness-methodpatents
[B]Protectionforbusiness-methodpatentholders
[C]Alegalcaseregardingbusiness-methodpatents
[D]Aprevailingtrendagainstbusiness-methodpatents
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InhisbookTheTippingPoint,MalcolmAladuellarguesthatsocialepidemicsaredriveninlargepartbytheactingofatinyminorityofspecialindividuals,oftencalledinfluentials,whoareunusuallyinformed,persuasive,orwell-connected.Theideaisintuitivelycompelling,butitdoesn’texplainhowideasactuallyspread.
Thesupposedimportanceofinfluentialsderivesfromaplausiblesoundingbutlargelyuntestedtheorycalledthe“twostepflowofcommunication”:Informationflowsfromthemediatotheinfluentialsandfromthemtoeveryoneelse.Marketershaveembracedthetwo-stepflowbecauseitsuggeststhatiftheycanjustfindandinfluencetheinfluentials,thoseselectedpeoplewilldomostoftheworkforthem.Thetheoryalsoseemstoexplainthesuddenandunexpectedpopularityofcertainlooks,brands,orneighborhoods.Inmanysuchcases,acursorysearchforcausesfindsthatsomesmallgroupofpeoplewaswearing,promoting,ordevelopingwhateveritisbeforeanyoneelsepaidattention.Anecdotalevidenceofthiskindfitsnicelywiththeideathatonlycertainspecialpeoplecandrivetrends
Intheirrecentwork,however,someresearchershavecomeupwiththefindingthatinfluentialshavefarlessimpactonsocialepidemicsthanisgenerallysupposed.Infact,theydon’tseemtoberequiredofall.
Theresearchers’argumentstemsfromasimpleobservingaboutsocialinfluence,withtheexceptionofafewcelebritieslikeOprahWinfrey-whoseoutsizepresenceisprimarilyafunctionofmedia,notinterpersonal,influence-eventhemostinfluentialmembersofapopulationsimplydon’tinteractwiththatmanyothers.Yetitispreciselythesenon-celebrityinfluentialswho,accordingtothetwo-step-flowtheory,aresupposedtodrivesocialepidemicsbyinfluencingtheirfriendsandcolleaguesdirectly.Forasocialepidemictooccur,however,eachpersonsoaffected,musttheninfluencehisorherownacquaintances,whomustinturninfluencetheirs,andsoonandjusthowmanyotherspayattentiontoeachofthesepeoplehaslittletodowiththeinitialinfluential.Ifpeopleinthenetworkjusttwodegreesremovedfromtheinitialinfluentialproveresistant,forexamplefromtheinitialinfluentialproveresistant,forexamplethecascadeofchangewon’tpropagateveryfaroraffectmanypeople.
Buildingonthebasictruthaboutinterpersonalinfluence,theresearchersstudiedthedynamicsofpopulationsmanipulatinganumberofvariablesrelatingofpopulations,manipulatinganumberofvariablesrelatingtopeople’sabilitytoinfluenceothersandtheirtendencytobeinfluenced.Ourworkshowsthattheprincipalrequirementforwhatwecall“globalcascades”-thewidespreadpropagationofinfluencethroughnetworks-isthepresencenotofafewinfluentialsbut,rather,ofacriticalmassofeasilyinfluencedpeople,eachofwhomadopts,say,alookorabrandafterbeingexposedtoasingleadoptingneighbor.Regardlessofhowinfluentialanindividualislocally,heorshecanexertglobalinfluenceonlyifthiscriticalmassisavailabletopropagateachainreaction.
31.BycitingthebookTheTippingPoint,theauthorintendsto
[A]analyzetheconsequencesofsocialepidemics
[B]discussinfluentials’functioninspreadingideas
[C]exemplifypeople’sintuitiveresponsetosocialepidemics
[D]describetheessentialcharacteristicsofinfluentials.
32.Theauthorsuggeststhatthe“two-step-flowtheory”
[A]servesasasolutiontomarketingproblems
[B]hashelpedexplaincertainprevalenttrends
[C]haswonsupportfrominfluentials
[D]requiressolidevidenceforitsvalidity
33.whattheresearchershaveobservedrecentlyshowsthat
[A]thepowerofinfluencegoeswithsocialinteractions
[B]interpersonallinkscanbeenhancedthroughthemedia
[C]influentialshavemorechannelstoreachthepublic
[D]mostcelebritiesenjoywidemediaattention
34.Theunderlinedphrase“thesepeople”inparagraph4referstotheoneswho
[A]stayoutsidethenetworkofsocialinfluence
[B]havelittlecontactwiththesourceofinfluence
[C]areinfluencedandtheninfluenceothers
[D]areinfluencedbytheinitialinfluential
35.whatistheessentialelementinthedynamicsofsocialinfluence?
[A]Theeagernesstobeaccepted
[B]Theimpulsetoinfluenceothers
[C]Thereadinesstobeinfluenced
[D]Theinclinationtorelyonothers