考研英語閱讀理解精讀100篇【經濟類】

07年考研英語閱讀理解精讀100篇unit10

Unit 10
Focus on what you do best. This age-old strategy has worked well for RealNetworks, Microsoft's

main competitor in multimedia software for the Internet. Now, the smaller Seattle-based firm

is trying a novel way to contain the software giant. On October 29th, it released the

underlying recipe, or source-code, of its RealPlayer software and will soon do the same for

its other programs--giving away a big chunk of its intellectual property.

This may sound like a desperate echo of 1998, when Netscape, struggling in Microsoft's

chokehold, published the source-code of its web browser (an initiative that yielded few real

results until this June, when the first serious new version of the open-source browser,

Mozilla, was released). Yet RealNetworks is not playing defence. It is trying to encourage the

creation of a common multimedia software infrastructure for every kind of file format and

device, thus thwarting Microsoft's ambitions in this promising market.

The firm hopes that others in the industry (volunteer programmers, media firms and hardware

makers) will take the code, called Helix DNA, improve it and make it run on new devices, such

as mobile phones and home stereos, turning RealNetworks' software into an industry standard.

Clever licensing terms are supposed to ensure that this standard does not splinter and that

the firm still makes money.

Individual developers, universities and other non-profit organisations can modify the software

as they please, and even redistribute it for free, so long as they also publish the source-

code for their changes. This is a sort of payment in kind, for RealNetworks is then allowed to

use these contributions. Firms, on the other hand, must pay royalty fees if they distribute

more than 1m copies of the code. They also have to make sure that their software works with

other Helix DNA products. The software's development community already has 2,000 members. And

several hardware makers back the effort. But there are risks. Afraid of piracy, media groups

are suspicious of anything that might be related to hackers (although they also do not want to

depend on, and pay for, technology controlled by Microsoft). The self-created competition

could also hurt RealNetworks if customers decide its commercial products, which will be based

on the open source-code but with extra features, are not worth paying extra for.

RealNetworks' move is another sign that the software industry is going hybrid. Mixing elements

of proprietary software, where the source-code is tightly controlled, with open-source

programs enables firms to expand a market, harvest the ideas of others and, they hope, still

make money. Even Microsoft is edging this way: it recently announced that partners can now

look at--but not modify or re-use--the source-code for Passport, its controversial digital-

identity service.

注（1）：本文選自Economist; 11/2/2002, p64-65, 2p；

注（2）：本文習題命題模仿對象2004年真題Text 1；

1.       What is the RealNetworks’ new way of stopping Microsoft?

[A]By selling its intellectual property.

[B]By doing what it is good at.

[C]By releasing the free source-code.

[D]By severe competition with Microsoft.

2.       Which of the following can be a disadvantage of releasing the source-code?

[A]It can bring about self-created competition.

[B]It can defeat Microsoft’s ambitions in this market.

[C]It can use the improved software.

[D]It can get royalty fees from some firms.

3.       The expression “a desperate echo”(Line 1, Paragraph 2) most probably means

________.

[A]a useless repetition

[B]a poor resemblance

[C]a shabby product

[D]a dangerous copy

4.       What does the move of RealNetworks suggest?

[A]Microsoft fails to control the software market.

[B]Software market is becoming a mixed market.

[C]RealNetworks wants to make more money.

[D]Software market is not fixed and stable.

5.       Which of the following is true according to the text?

[A]Netscape had a sheer failure for its publishing the source-code.

[B]RealNetworks wants to occupy the source-code market.

[C]RealNetworks wants to make profits by releasing the free source-code.

[D]Microsoft has to change its managing strategy.

答案：CADBC

篇章剖析

本文介紹了RealNetworks網(wǎng)絡公司如何通過公布RealPlayer播放器軟件秘訣（即源碼），試圖牽制微軟公司

的做法。第一段指出RealNetworks試圖用一種新方法——公布RealPlayer播放器軟件秘訣（即源碼）來牽制

微軟這個軟件屆巨人；第二段指出RealNetworks網(wǎng)絡公司主動出擊，想要牽制微軟的野心；第三段和第四段

詳細介紹這一方案如何操作、如何實施、以及如何獲利；第五段指出軟件業(yè)的新跡象，以及對微軟的影響。

詞匯注釋

chokehold n. 掐脖子

thwart [WwC:t] vt. 反對; 阻撓, 挫敗, 妨礙；成功地抵制, 頂住, 使...希望破滅, 使...企圖破產

splinter vt., vi. (使)裂成碎片, (使)分裂，

royalty n. 版稅，上演稅；特許權使用費，專利權使用費，專利權稅

edge vi. 徐徐移動, 側著移動, 謹慎前進

難句分析

This may sound like a desperate echo of 1998, when Netscape, struggling in Microsoft's

chokehold, published the source-code of its web browser (an initiative that yielded few real

results until this June, when the first serious new version of the open-source browser,

Mozilla, was released).

主體句式：This may sound like a desperate echo of 1998 …

結構分析：本句句形結構并不復雜，關鍵是理解個別詞的含義�！癲esperate echo”的含義是“危險的仿效

”；“when”并列連詞，相當于“and just at that time”，意思是“在那時”；“struggling in

Microsoft's chokehold”做伴隨狀語來修飾“Netscape”，其中“chokehold”的意思是“掐脖子”；

“web browser”的意思是“網(wǎng)絡瀏覽器”；括號里的句子做進一步的補充說明，其中an initiative之前省

去了“which was”；“that”引導定語從句來修飾“an initiative”；定語從句中“when”還是并列連詞

，“Mozilla”是“open-source browser”的同位語。

句子譯文：這聽起來似乎像是1998年的一次危險的仿效。那年，因被微軟“掐著脖子”而做生死掙扎的

Netscape公司發(fā)表了其網(wǎng)絡瀏覽器的源碼(在今年6月它推出了真正意義上的最新版開放原碼瀏覽器——

Mozilla——之前，這種主動出擊幾乎沒有給它帶來任何實際效果)。

題目分析

1．答案為C，屬事實細節(jié)題。文章在開頭提到“集中注意力做你最拿手的事”這一古老的策略對微軟公司在

因特網(wǎng)多媒體軟件領域的主要競爭對手RealNetworks網(wǎng)絡公司十分奏效。現(xiàn)在，RealNetworks網(wǎng)絡公司要使

用一種新辦法，那就是“it released the underlying recipe, or source-code, of its RealPlayer

software and will soon do the same for its other programs--giving away a big chunk of its

intellectual property.”。

2．答案為A，屬事實細節(jié)題。原文對應信息是：“The self-created competition could also hurt

RealNetworks if customers decide its commercial products, which will be based on the open

source-code but with extra features, are not worth paying extra for.”

3．答案為D ，屬猜詞題。從文中“when Netscape, struggling in Microsoft's chokehold, published

the source-code of its web browser”我們可判斷RealNetworks網(wǎng)絡公司和Netscape公司的做法一樣；從

句子“an initiative that yielded few real results until this June, when the first serious new

version of the open-source browser, Mozilla, was released.”我們可判斷Netscape公司的做法是極不

成功的，危險的。

4．答案為B，屬事實細節(jié)題。原文對應信息是：“RealNetworks' move is another sign that the

software industry is going hybrid.”，理解這句話的關鍵是要知道什么是“hybrid”。接下來的句子做

出了解釋“Mixing elements of proprietary software, where the source-code is tightly

controlled, with open-source programs enables firms to expand a market”，在這句話中注意詞組“

mix … with”。

5．答案為C，屬事實細節(jié)題。文章兩次提到了“make money”，一句是“Clever licensing terms are

supposed to ensure that this standard does not splinter and that the firm still makes money.”

，另一句是“they hope, still make money.”。從這些句子我們可看出“賺錢”是RealNetworks網(wǎng)絡公司

實施這一新舉措的目的。

參考譯文

 “集中注意力做你最拿手的事”這一古老的策略對微軟公司在因特網(wǎng)多媒體軟件領域的主要競爭對手

RealNetworks網(wǎng)絡公司十分奏效。目前，這家位于西雅圖的公司正試圖用一種新方法來牽制微軟這個軟件屆

巨人。10月29日，這家公司發(fā)布了取得領先地位的RealPlayer播放器軟件秘訣，即源碼，并將很快對其它程

序采取同樣的行動——出售其知識產權的一大部分。

這聽起來似乎像是1998年的一次危險的仿效。那年，因被微軟“掐著脖子”而做生死掙扎的Netscape公司發(fā)

表了其網(wǎng)絡瀏覽器的源碼(在今年6月它推出了真正意義上的最新版開放原碼瀏覽器——Mozilla——之前，

這種主動出擊幾乎沒有給它帶來任何實際效果)。但RealNetworks網(wǎng)絡公司并不是在打防御戰(zhàn)。它正大力創(chuàng)

建一個對每一種文件格式和裝置都適用的公共多媒體軟件基礎結構，這樣，它就在這個很使人看好的市場上

有力地牽制住了微軟的野心。

該公司希望業(yè)內其它公司(志愿參加的程序設計公司、傳媒公司和硬件制造公司)將采用這種被稱作Helix

DNA的代碼，對它加以改進，并在其新裝置(如移動電話和家用音響等裝置)上運行，最終把RealNetworks公

司的軟件變成一種行業(yè)標準。精明的許可證發(fā)放條款應保證這一標準不被像切蛋糕似的分成碎塊，保證公司

仍有錢可賺。

個體開發(fā)商、大學和其它非盈利性組織，只要他們也能把其更改后程序的源碼公布于眾，可根據(jù)他們的意愿

對該軟件進行修改，甚至可以免費發(fā)放。這實際上是一種實物支付方式，因為到了那個時候，RealNetworks

公司也可使用這些改進的軟件成果。另一方面，如果其它公司能銷售1百萬以上的源碼，他們須支付特許權

使用費。他們還要保證他們的軟件與Helix DNA產品兼容。軟件開發(fā)業(yè)已擁有2000余名成員。一些硬件制造

商也支持這一舉動。但存在風險。由于擔心被盜版，傳媒組織對一切與黑客有關的舉動都表示懷疑(盡管他

們也不想依賴微軟、向它支付技術使用費或在技術上受控于微軟)。其商業(yè)產品以開放源碼為基礎，但具有

極佳的特點。如果客戶認為這些產品不值得他們額外付錢的話，那么，自我制造的競爭也可能會傷害

RealNetworks公司。

RealNetworks公司的舉動表明了另一種跡象，即軟件業(yè)正在成為混合模式。把那些源碼受嚴格控制的專有軟

件成分(組件)與開放源碼程序加以混合就能使公司拓展市場，集思廣益，并且——他們希望——仍可賺錢。

連微軟公司也正以這種方式小心翼翼地行事：最近微軟公司發(fā)出公告，說合伙人現(xiàn)在可以查看——但不能更

改或重復使用——Passport(微軟有爭議的數(shù)字驗證服務)的源碼。

二：資料下載

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