考研英语阅读命题思路透析和真题揭秘(38)

When an invention is made, the inventor has three possible courses of action open to him: he
can give the invention to the world by publishing it, keep the idea secret, or patent it.

A granted patent is the result of a bargain struck between an inventor and the state, by which the inventor gets a limited period of monopoly (垄断) and publishes full details of his invention to the public after that period terminates. Only in the most exceptional circumstances is the lifespan of a patent extended to alter this normal process of events.

The longest extension ever granted was to Georges Valensi; his 1939 patent for color TV receiver circuitry was extended until 1971 because for most of the patent' s normal life there was no colour TV to receive and thus no hope of reward for the invention.

Because a patent remains permanently public after it has terminated, the shelves of the library attached to the patent office contain details of literally millions of ideas that are free for anyone to use and, if older than half a century, sometimes even re-patent. Indeed, patent experts often advise anyone wishing to avoid the high cost of conducting a search through live patents that the one sure way of avoiding violation of any other inventor' s right is to plagiarize a dead patent. Likewise, because publication of an idea in any other form permanently invalidates further patents on that idea, it is traditionally safe to take ideas from other areas of print. Much modern technological advance is based on these presumptions of legal security.

Anyone closely involved in patents and inventions soon learns that most "new" ideas are, in fact, as old as the hills. It is their reduction to commercial practice, either through necessity or dedication, or through the availability of new technology, that makes news and money. The basic patent for the theory of magnetic recording dates back to 1886. Many of the original ideas behind television originate from the late 19th and early 20th century. Even the Volkswagen rear engine car was anticipated by a 1904 patent for a cart with the horse at the rear.

45. From the passage we learn that
[A] an invention will not benefit the inventor unless it is reduced to commercial practice
[B] products are actually inventions which were made a long time ago
[C]. it is much cheaper to buy an old patent than a new one
[D] patent experts often recommend patents to others by conducting a search through dead patents

[答案] A

[解题思路]

本题可以采用排除法。B选项的说法无中生有，可以首先排除。C选项也是错误的，因为文章没有提到新老专利是否价格相同，只是推荐人们买过期专利。D选项对应于文章第四段的第二句话"Indeed, patent experts often advise anyone wishing to avoid the high cost of conducting a search through live patents that the one sure way of avoiding violation of any other inventor' s right is to plagiarize a dead patent"（实际上，专利专家们常对希望开发有效专利而又想避免高额费用的人提出建议，即避免侵犯他人专利权的有效方法就是使用过期专利），这个建议只是向那些"anyone wishing to avoid the high cost"的人的建议，选项表述与原文不符。而A选项对应于最后一段的第二句话"It is their reduction to commercial practice, either through necessity or dedication, or through the availability of new technology, that makes news and money"（只有把握时代的需求，锐意进取，跟上新技术的步伐，专利才能变成商业实践，从而实现名利双收），反过来说还在商用之前专利不能使发明者受益，因此A选型符合文章意思。

[题目译文]

从文中我们可以了解到
[A] 一项发明在进入商业用途之前是不能使发明者受益的
[B] 所有的产品在很长时间以前实际上都是发明
[C] 购买老专利比购买新专利便宜得多
[D] 专利专家们经常向人们推荐使用已经过期的专利