Like a tired marriage, the relationship between libraries and publishers has long been reassuringly dull. E-books, however, are causing heartache. Libraries know they need digital wares if they are to remain valuable, but many publishers are too wary of piracy and lost sales to co-operate. A-mong the big six, only Random House and HarperCollins license e-books with most libraries. The others have either denied requests or are reluctantly experimenting. In August, for example, Penguin will start a pilot with public libraries in New York.
Electronic borrowing is awfully convenient. Unlike printed books, which must be checked out and returned to a physical library miles from where you live, electronic book files can be downloaded at home. Digital library catalogues are often browsed at night, from a comfy sofa. The files disappear from the device when they are due(which means no late fees, nor angst about lost or damaged tomes).
E-lending is not simple, however. There are lots of different and often incompatible e-book formats, devices and licences. Most libraries use a company called OverDrive, a global distributor that secures rights from publishers and provides e-books and audio files in every format. Some 35 million titles were checked out through OverDrive in 2011, and the company now sends useful data on borrowing behavior to participating publishers. Yet publishers and libraries are worried by Over-Drive' s market dominance, as the company can increasingly dictate fees and conditions.
Publishers were
miffed
when OverDrive teamed up with Amazon, the world' s biggest online bookseller, last year. Owners of Amazon' s Kindle e-reader who want to borrow e-books from libraries are now redirected to Amazon' s website, where they must use their Amazon account to secure a loan. Amazon then follows up with library patrons directly, letting them know they can "Buy this book" when the loan falls due.
So publishers keep tweaking their lending arrangements in search of the right balance. Random House raised its licensing prices earlier this year, and HarperCollins limits libraries to lending its titles 26 times. Penguin plans to keep new releases out of libraries for at least six months, and each book will expire after a year. Hachette is engaged in some secret experiments, and the others are watching with bated breath. In Britain the government will soon announce a review of the matter. The story of the library e-book is a nail-biter.
单选题
According to the first paragraph, which of the following is true?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：细节题。根据题干关键词the first paragraph定位到第一段。由最后一句的In Au gust，for example，Penguin will start a pilot with public libraries可知，Penguin是对前面的 举例说明。倒数第二句指出either denied requests or are reluctantly experimenting，所以可 知Penguin的情况符合后者，即“勉强进行试用”，故D项为正确答案。A项“电子书让图 书馆和出版商之间的关系无聊”不符合第一句的has long been reassuringly dull“长期存 在着无聊的(关系)”。B项“图书数字化一定会引起盗版和失去销量问题”太过绝对。C 项“兰登书屋和哈珀柯林斯出版社不愿意合作”不符合第三句的only Random House and HarperCollins license e-books with most libraries，故排除。
单选题
We can learn from the passage that printed books______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：细节题。根据题干关键词printed books定位到第二段。由Unlike printed books和 The files disappear from the device when they are due(which means no late fees，nor angst about lost or damaged tomes)可知．印刷版书籍文件可能因为到期未还而产生滞纳金，故 C项为正确答案。A项“(印刷版书籍)会节省你大量的时间”不符合第二段第二句“印刷 版书籍需要去离家几英里外的实体图书馆借阅和还书。与印刷版书籍不同，电子书籍文 件在家就可以下载”。原文第二段第三句指出“人们常在晚上坐在舒适的沙发上浏览数 字图书馆目录”，而并没有涉及印刷版书籍，所以B项“(印刷版书籍)不能在晚上坐在舒 适的沙发上浏览”在文中没有提及。D项“(印刷版书籍)不会丢失或损坏，尤其是伟大的 作品”是对原文第二段最后一句的过度推断，不符合文意。
单选题
OverDrive's market dominance makes publishers and libraries feel anxious because______.