【答案解析】澳大利亚的一项重大创新行动计划已进行到一半。该项耗资29亿澳元的五年战略计划目的是通过改善经济和工业关系，资助研究工作以催生新思想，并将新思想转化为商业成就；通过所有这些举措为澳大利亚的未来打下坚实基础。上述行动计划的重点是提高澳大利亚公司获取新技术的能力，鼓励应用电子商务，资助研究和开发项目，并实现公共部门研究工作的商业化。
在全球化经济中，语言技能是一个重要的劳动力优势。虽然澳大利亚是一个说英语的国家，但很多人掌握另一门语言。澳大利亚具有类似西方的商业文化，但澳洲人既能在亚洲又能在西方的商业环境中工作。超过840家国际公司已将其亚太地区总部设在澳大利亚，其他一些公司则在澳大利亚建立呼叫中心，为客户提供服务——它们都利用了澳大利亚在语言技能和先进通信设施方面的优势。 [解析]
Australia is midway through a major innovation action plan--a $2.9 billion five-year strategy, which aims to underpin Australia"s future by improving economic and industrial relations, helping generate new ideas by funding research, and turning those ideas into a commercial success. The plan focuses on enhancing Australian companies" access to new technologies, encouraging the use of e-commerce, funding research and development programs, and commercializing public sector research.
In a globalized economy, language skills are a key workforce advantage. Although Australia is an English-speaking country, many people speak a second language. Australia offers the familiarity of a Western business culture with a workforce capable of operating in both Asian and Western business environments. Taking advantage of these skills and Australia"s advanced communications infrastructure, over 840 international companies have established their Asia-Pacific headquarters in Australia; others have established call centers to service their customers.

【答案解析】我们从历史中得知，现代社会经济的繁荣是建立在其不断把革新成果推向市场的能力上的。专利是这些革新成果的关键：专利为发明者提供了研制新产品可依据的明确的法律地位。现代专利不同于过去的垄断权。专利不是国家批准的、排他的许可证，而是给予其持有者享受其发明带来的经济利益的权利。
许多公共医药官员认为受专利保护的药品是加剧医疗保险开支的原因，这从经济角度来讲是不正确的。另外一个经常听到的论据也是不符合实际的，即对引进产品实行专利保护会破坏本地的仿制药品行业，使药价提高，一般收入的病人无法负担。其实只要看一下德国、英国和美国的情况就知道，这三个国家的药品专利保护程度最高，但也有很强的仿制药品行业存在。 [解析]
As we have learned from history, the basis of economic prosperity of modem societies is their ability to maintain a consistent stream of innovations onto the market. Patents are fundamental to these innovations: they create a clear legal position on which an inventor can depend while developing a new idea. A modern patent is not the same thing as previous monopoly rights. A patent is not a state-sanctioned exclusive license, but gives the holder the right to invite economic exploitation of the invention.
The claim by many public health officials that patented drugs lead to greater expenses for the medical insurance systems is economically incorrect. Another often-heard argument is also untrue: Namely, that the introduction of product patent protection would destroy the local generic industry and would lead to higher prices on medicine, not affordable to the average income patient. The best illustration is probably to look at Germany, the UK and the USA, with top standards of pharmaceutical patent protection but where a very strong generic industry exists.