When it comes to translating basic research into industrial success, few nations
can match Germany. Since the 1940s, the nation's vast industrial base has been
fed with a constant stream of new ideas and expertise from science. And though
German prosperity(繁荣)has faltered(衰退) over the past decade because of the huge
cost of unifying east and west as well as the global economic decline, it still
has an enviable(令人羡慕的) record for turning ideas into profit.
Much of the reason for that success is the Fraunhofer Society, a network of
research institutes that exists solely to solve industrial problems and create
sought after technologies. But today the Fraunhofer institutes have competition.
Universities are taking an ever larger role in technology transfer, and
technology parks are springing up all over. These efforts are being complemented
by the federal programmes for pumping money into start-up companies.
Such a strategy may sound like a recipe for economic success, but it is
not without its critics. These people worry that favouring applied research will
mean neglecting basic science, eventually starving industry of flesh ideas. If
every scientist starts thinking like an entrepreneur(企业家), the argument goes,
then the traditional principles of university research being curiosity-driven:
free and widely available will suffer. Others claim that many of the programmes
to promote technology transfer are a waste of money because half the small
businesses that are promoted are bound to go bankrupt within a few
years. While this debate continues, new ideas flow at a steady
rate from Germany's research networks, which bear famous names such as
Helmholtz, Max Planck and Leibniz. Yet it is the fourth network, the Fraunhofer
Society, that plays the greatest role in technology transfer.
Founded in 1949, the Fraunhofer Society is now Europe's largest organisation for
applied technology, and has 59 institutes employing 12,000 people. It continues
to grow. Last year, it swallowed up the Heinrich Hertz Institute for
Communication Technology in Berlin. Today, there are even Fraunhofers in the US
and Asia.
单选题
What factor can be attributed to German prosperity?
A. Technology transfer.
B. Good management.
C. Hard work.
D. Fierce competition.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 答案在第一段可以找到，该段的最后一句话中提到it still has an enviable record for turning ideas into profit是该段的总结，明确指出了德国的繁荣归功于技术的转换。
单选题
Which of the following is NOT true of traditional university research?
A. It is free.
B. It is profit-driven.
C. It is widely available.
D. It is curiosity-driven.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 答案可以在第三段里找到，这一段里有这样一句话：“...traditional principles of university research being curiosity-driven: free and widely available will suffer.”传统的大学科研原则有三个特点，唯独没有profit-driven，即受利益驱动。
单选题
The Fraunhofer Society is the largest organisation for applied
technology in ______.
A. Asia
B. USA
C. Europe
D. Africa
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 答案在最后一段里：“Founded in 1949, the Fraunhofer Society is now Europe's largest organisation for applied technology...”可知。
单选题
When was the Fraunhofer Society founded?
A. In 1940.
B. Last year.
C. After the unification.
D. In 1949.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 答案在最后一段的第一句话“Founded in 1949, the Fraunhofer Society is now Europe's largest organisation for applied technology, and has 59 institutes employing 12,000 people.”由此可知D正确。
单选题
The word "expertise" in line 3 Paragraph 1 could be best replaced by
______.