单选题
Last November, engineers in the healthcare division of GE unveiled something called the "Light- Speed VCT", a scanner that can create a startlingly good three-dimensional image of a beating heart. This spring Staples, an American office-supplies retailer, will stock its shelves with a gadget called a "wordlock", a padlock that uses words instead of numbers. The connection? In each case, the firm's customers have played a big part in designing the product. How does innovation happen? The familiar story involves scientist in academic institutes and R&D labs. But lately, corporate practice has begun to challenge this old-fashioned notion. Open-source software development is already well-known. Less so is the fact that Bell, an American bicycle-helmet maker, has collected hundreds of ideas for new products from its customers, and is putting several of them into production. Not only is the customer king: now he is market-research head, R&D chief and product-development manager, too. This is not all new. Researchers have demonstrated the importance of past user contributions to the evolution of everything from sporting equipment to construction materials and scientific instruments. But the rise of online communities, together with the development of powerful and easy-to-use design tools, seems to be boosting the phenomenon, as well as bringing it to the attention of a wider audience, says Eric Von Hippel of MIT. "User innovation has always been around," he says. "The difference is that people can no longer deny that it is happening." Harnessing customer innovation requires different methods, says Mr. Von Hippel. Instead of taking the temperature of a representative sample of customers, firms must identify the few special customers who innovate. GE's healthcare division calls them "luminaries". They tend to be well-published doctors and research scientists from leading medical institutions, says GE, which brings up to 25 luminaries together at regular medical advisory board sessions to discuss the evolution of GE's technology. GE's products then emerge from collaboration with these groups. At the heart of most thinking about innovation is the belief that people expect to be paid for their creative work: hence the need to protect and reward the creation of intellectual property. One really exciting thing about user-led innovation is that customers seem willing to donate their creativity freely, says Mr. Von Hippel. This may be because it is their only practical option: patents are costly to get and often provide only weak protection. Some people may value the enhanced reputation and network effects of freely revealing their work more than any money they could make by patenting it. Either way, some firms are starting to believe that there really is such a thing as a free lunch.
单选题
The examples of GE and Staples in the first paragraph are to show that both companies
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】本题问首段中GE和Staples公司的例子是为了说明两家公司如何。首段前半部分是那两个例子，例子本身并不能说明问题。但首段末尾的“The connection? In each case，the firm's customers have played a big part in designing the product”表明两家公司的顾客对于新产品设计都起到了很大的作用，也就是说两家公司都受益于顾客创新，这样就引入了顾客创新这个话题，正是作者要说明的问题。故A项“受益于顾客创新”正确。 [B]挑战学术机构及研发实验室：这是对第二段第三句中“challenge this old-fashioned notion”的曲解。文中的意思是原来的观点认为创新与学术机构及研发实验室有关，但现在顾客也参与创新，这是对原来观点的一个挑战。 [C]是采用顾客创新的先锋：过度引申。作者举这两个例子只不过是用最近的创新来引入顾客创新这个话题。从中只可以得出这两家公司采用了顾客创新，不能推出它们是最先采用顾客创新的。实际上从第三段首句可知顾客创新原来就有，只不过最近更加普遍罢了。 [D]在新产品研究方面占有统治地位：作者举这两个例子的目的并不是强调它们的新产品如何出色。如果仅从例子中的“startling good”等词判断这两个公司的地位，显然过于武断。像这种目的题，关键不在于例子本身，而在于例子上下文的前后的行文．正是这些才能够说明作者的目的。
单选题
One of the driving forces behind the recent prevalence of customer innovation is
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】本题问顾客创新近来流行的原因之一是……。由题干中的关键词“recent”可知出题点所在的段落可能谈到过去customer innovation的情况，由题干中driving forces behind可知该处应涉及原因。因此可定位到第三段。第三段前两句谈的是过去。随后用“but”笔锋一转，提到“the rise of online communities…seems to be boosting the phenomenon”，可见网络社区的兴起是原因之一。而网络社区的兴起显然离不开互联网技术。故B项“互联网技术的发展”正确。 [A]运动装备的发展：第三段前两句提到过去顾客创新对运动装备的发展起到了作用，显然本项颠倒了因果关系，而且还是过去的情况，与题干中的“recent”不符。 [C]挣钱的动机：由末段可知，顾客创新是免费的，因此为了挣钱也无从谈起。 [D]人们对于创新的提倡：一般常识。文中并没有谈到这点。
单选题
The word "luminaries"( Line 3, Paragraph 4) most probably refers to people who
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】本题问第四段第三句中的“luminaries”指的是什么样的人。第四段第三句提到“GE's healthcare division calls them 'luminaries'”，显然这里的“them”指的是前一句中的“the few special customers”。再看下一句“They tend to be wall-published doctors and research scientists from leading medical institutions”，可以看出，对于GE的医疗器械部门来说“luminaries”指的是在医学方面卓有成就的人。而一般情况应该指在某一领域有成就的人。故A项“在某一特定领域杰出者”正确。 [B] 以发明新产品著称者：由A项分析可以看出，“luminaries”包括医生和科学家，显然他们的本职工作并不是研发医疗产品的，可见本项并没有根据。 [C] 公司研究团队的领导人：“luminaries”指的是第四段第二句中的“the few special customers”，可见他们不是公司内部的人。 [D] 持续购买公司新产品的人：第四段第二句“the few special customers”的“special”并不是指公司的老顾客。而是具有顾客身份的特定人员，即知识渊博的专家。
单选题
According to the author, user-led innovation
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】本题问作者认为顾客创新……。此类题定位比较分散，关键要把握文中作者的一些基本观点。尤其是贴近文章中心的观点很容易是答案。第三段第三句末尾提到“…as well as bringing it to the attention of a wider audience”，其中“it”指的正是顾客创新这种现象。可以看出“come into the view of more people”正是“bring it to the attention of a wider audience”的同义改写。故C项“进入更多人的视野”正确。实际上作者介绍顾客创新这种现象正是为了向读者说明这种现象越来越普遍，越来越受关注。可见牢牢把握文章的中心和作者的意图是重中之重。 [A] 应该注册专利并得到金钱的回报：末段首句提到人们期望自己创造性的工作将得到报酬，因此应该保护知识产权。但注意这是对创造发明的一般理念。在顾客创新方面，它不是事实。顾客创新一般是免费的。至于作者本人对此的态度、文中并没有谈到。 [B] 因为其创造者的善意而免费：选项中的“thanks to”是介词短语，意思是“由于…”。末段第三句提到“This may be because it is their only practical option”，可见顾客无偿提供创新是一种不得己的行为，并非完全出于其创造者的善意。而第四句中“Some people may value the enhanced reputation and network effects of freely”是指这些顾客不重视钱，而重视自己名誉的提升和协作效应的产生，这也和善意捐献无关。 [D] 不被专利法保护：文中仅说申请专利费用昂贵且保护有限，这并不是说顾客创新不在专利法保护的范围内。