单选题A patent is an exclusive right given to an inventor for his or her invention. In other words, a patent is a monopoly right given to the inventor for the invention. A patent confers on the inventor the right to price and to sell the invention in any way he or she desires, in the United States, patents are granted by the Patent Office for 17 years. Although economists generally condemn monopoly as a form of market organization since monopoly imposes costs on the economy, patents present a more subtle case for monopoly theory. Specifically, can patent monopolies be justified? In general, economists complain about the costs of monopoly because they believe that the same industry could be organized competitively. A patent monopoly grant for 17 years presents a different problem. That is, the purpose of the patent system is to encourage invention. The issue is not monopoly versus competition but, more fundamentally, invention versus no invention. Is the world better off with the invention, even though it is monopolized for 17 years? In other words, what are the costs and benefits of a patent? Consider the simple case of a new consumer product with a positive demand, such as a camera utilizing a new exposure process. The costs of the patent monopoly are simply the deadweight costs of monopoly measured by the lost consumers' surplus from the 17-year patent monopoly. This cost must be assessed carefully in the context of an invention, however. What are the benefits of the patent system? First, there is the increase in consumer well-being brought about immediately by a desirable invention. In 17 years, the patent monopoly ends, and a second source of benefits arises: The price of cameras will fall to a competitive level, and consumers will reap the benefits of the camera at a lower price. In sum, theory of monopoly helps us to assess the costs and benefits of the patent. One can quibble about patent monopolies, arguing, for example, that they are granted for too long a time. In the end, the patent system creates goods and services and technologies that did not previously exist. In this respect it is a valuable System for the economy. The patent system also underscores the importance of property rights to ideas as a source of economic growth and progress.

单选题The author probably believes that

单选题Many movies receive ______ reviews from film experts and yet become extremely successful.

单选题The travel agency has a full program of ______, if tourists wish to visit local places of interest. A. expeditions B. excursions C. explorations D. propositions

单选题Last year he learned______he had expected because he worked a lot harder.

单选题Which of the following facilities is NOT listed in this announcement?

单选题Successful students sometimes become so ______ with grades that they never enjoy their school years.

单选题Idon'tremember___________totheairportthatyear.

单选题Agriculture must, therefore, ______ workers and savings to the new industrialized, urbanized sectors if a modern economy is to be achieved.

单选题Speaker A: Is everyone always so helpful to you in your office?Speaker B: ______

单选题A good employer gives Uhints/U to his or her employees without interfering with their creativity.

单选题So badly______in the accident that he had to be sent to hospital for treatment.

单选题I don't think that this question is subordinate ______ the main aim of our company.

单选题 Transatlantic friction between companies and regulators has grown as Europe's data guardians have become more assertive. Francesca Bignami, a professor at George Washington University's law school, says that the explosion of digital technologies has made it impossible for watchdogs to keep a close eye on every web company operating in their backyard. So instead they are relying more on scapegoating prominent wrongdoers in the hope that this will deter others. But regulators such as Peter Schaar, who heads Germany's federal data-protection agency, say the gulf is exaggerated. Some European countries, he points out, now have rules that make companies who suffer big losses of customer data to report these to the authorities. The inspiration for these measures comes from America. Yet even Mr. Schaar admits that the internet's global scale means that there will need to be changes on both sides of the Atlantic. He hints that Europe might adopt a more flexible regulatory stance if America were to create what amounts to an independent data-protection body along European lines. In Europe, where the flagship Data Protection Directive came into effect in 1995, the European Commission is conducting a review of its privacy policies. In America Congress has begun debating a new privacy bill and the Federal Trade Commission is considering an overhaul of its rules. Even if America and Europe do narrow their differences, internet firms will still have to struggle with other data watchdogs. In Asia countries that belong to APEC are trying to develop a set of regional guidelines for privacy rules under an initiative known as the Data Privacy Pathfinder. Some countries such as Australia and New Zealand have longstanding privacy laws, but many emerging nations have yet to roll out fully fledged versions of their own. Mr. Polonetsky sees Asia as "a new privacy battleground", with America and Europe both keen to tempt countries towards their own regulatory model. Canada already has something of a hybrid privacy regime, which may explain why its data-protection commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart, has been so influential on the international stage. She marshaled the signatories of the Google Buzz letter and took Facebook to task last year for breaching Canada's data privacy laws, which led the company to change its policies. Ms Stoddart argues that American companies often trip up on data-privacy issues because of "their brimming optimism that the whole world wants what they have rolled out in America." Yet the same optimism has helped to create global companies that have brought huge benefits to consumers, while also presenting privacy regulators with tough choices. Shoehorning such firms into old privacy frameworks will not benefit either them or their users.

单选题 As parents, we want our children to reach their full academic potential. We read to them, encourage their special talents, and support them when they have problems. If they choose to participate in music or sports, we also help them reach their potential in those areas. These are all good goals. There is, however, an even more important goal. It is a goal more difficult than excellence in arithmetic or soccer or the violin. Parents are responsible for providing their children with a moral compass. They need to nurture and treasure goodness in their children. Every child has the capacity to become a good, decent human being. To fulfill this capacity, children need the guidance and support of parents and other adults. Raising good, moral children is the most important job we will have. What is a good, decent human being? While we may differ on some details, most would agree that respect for others, kindness and caring, honesty and honor, and a reverence (尊重) for life are key. Good, decent human beings are people with a firm sense of direction and purpose—a moral compass—to guide their lives. Children need our help to develop these characteristics and values. While most people try to act with honor and kindness, doing so consistently is difficult and requires lifelong effort. Goodness is not easy for an adult, and it is even more difficult for a child. They do not have the knowledge, experiences, or cognitive skills to understand the impact and consequences of their actions. Reinforcement is sometimes an efficient approach to building positive behavior. The child behaves in a desired way and the parents provide reinforcement. The behavior then typically increases in frequency. This approach works for teaching 'Please' and 'Thank you'. The new behavior is maintained, because it helps the child get along in the world. Loving, everyday interactions are the beginning of raising moral children. The child who falls and receives adult concern learns how to treat others kindly when they stumble (绊倒). The child who makes a mistake and is encouraged to try again learns how to support others. When parents intercede (调解）graciously for their child, the child can see the basis for friendship. When we treat children with respect and care, we provide a positive model of how to behave. These early experiences establish patterns for their treatment of others.

单选题He is not a soldier ______ a sailor.

单选题Both Tom and Mary ______ the exam. ( )

单选题When Barack Obama first ran for president, Emma Hamilton was part of the working class. Ms. Hamilton worked as a loader at a factory in Sumter, a(n) 42 city of 40,000 in east-central South Carolina. In July 2008, however, after seven years on the factory floor, she mangled her hand between two heavy rollers. The 43 was to leave her unable to work. She lost her house three years later, in April 2011. She, her 20-year-old son and her dog moved into her teal Chevy van, where they have been living ever since, 44 metal cans during the day and sleeping in a grocery-store car park at night. The assistant, who 45 Ms. Hamilton in hospital, was named Patricia Dunham. Ms. Dunham works at the Excelsior for 37.5 hours each week. At night she works behind the 46 at a fast-food restaurant. She would earn $32,137.50 for working 61.5 hours a week, 50 weeks a year, before tax withholdings. Ms. Dunham has three school-age children and a husband who is unable to work. Mr. Dunham has a prison 47 , and since 2010 he has had periodic seizures that leave him bedridden for days 48 . She and her husband are still paying off a $2,100 49 they had to take out in 2010 to bury Mr. Dunham's mother, and car payments are also a concern. Her medical office is within walking distance of her home, and her shift ends late and the streets are not the safest. These are two snapshots of life on the American margins. Some 15% of Americans live below the 50 line, as Ms. Hamilton does. Many more, like Ms. Dunham, have incomes above the poverty line but nevertheless cannot meet their families' basic 51 needs, and there are signs that their number is growing. A. monthly B. record C. poverty D. beforehand E. loan F. credit G. accident H. assisted I. modest J. routine K. afterwards L. collecting M. counter N. enormous O. checked

单选题It can be inferred from the passage that the Farmers' Holiday Association opposed the bill drafted by the Committee of Eighteen because______.

单选题In Paragraph 5, the phrase "have taken him to task for.." most probably means ______.