When an invention is made, the inventor has three possible courses of action open to him: he can give the invention to the world by publishing it, keep the idea secret, or patent it.

A granted patent is the result of a bargain struck between an inventor and the state, by which the inventor gets a limited period of monopoly and publishes full details of his invention to the public after that period terminates.

Only in the most exceptional circumstances is the life span of a patent extended to alter this normal process of events.

The longest extension ever granted was to Georges Valensi; his 1939 patent for color TV receiver circuitry was extended until 1971 because for most of the patent’s normal life there was no color TV to receive and thus no hope of reward for the invention.

Because a patent remains permanently public after it has terminated, the shelves of the library attached to the patent office contain details of literally millions of ideas that are free for anyone to use and, if older than half a century, sometimes even re-patent. Indeed, patent experts often advise anyone wishing to avoid the high cost of conducting a search through live patents that the one sure way of avoiding violation of any other inventor’s right is to plagiarize a dead patent. Likewise, because publication of an idea in any other form permanently invalidates further patents on that idea, it is traditionally safe to take ideas from other areas of print. Much modern technological advance is based on these presumptions of legal security.

Anyone closely involved in patents and inventions soon learns that most “new” ideas are, in fact, as old as the hills. It is their reduction to commercial practice, either through necessity or dedication, or through the availability of new technology, that makes news and money. The basic patent for the theory of magnetic recording dates back to 1886. Many of the original ideas behind television originate from the late 19th and early 20th century. Even the Volkswagen rear engine car was anticipated by a 1904 patent for a cart with the horse at the rear.

1.The passage is mainly about______.
A. an approach to patents          B. the application for patents
C. the use of patents              D. the access to patents

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.When a patent becomes out of effect, it can be re-patented or extended if necessary.
B.It is necessary for an inventor to apply for a patent before he makes his invention public.
C.A patent holder must publicize the details of his invention when its legal period is over.
D.One can get all the details of a patented invention from a library attached to the patent office.

3.George Valensi's patent lasted until 1971 because______.
A.nobody would offer any reward for his patent prior to that time
B.his patent could not be put to use for an unusually long time
C.there were not enough TV stations to provide color programmes
D.the color TV receiver was not available until that time

4.The word “plagiarize” (line 8, Para. 5) most probably means “_____”.
A. steal and use               B. give reward to
C. make public                 D. take and change

5.From the passage we learn that______.
A.an invention will not benefit the inventor unless it is reduced to commercial practice
B.products are actually inventions which were made a long time ago
C.it is much cheaper to buy an old patent than a new one
D.patent experts often recommend patents to others by conducting a search through dead patents

（说明文：专利权）
译文：
当做出一项发明，发明者可以采取三种可能的行动：他可以将成果出版，公布于世；可以保密；或者将之申请专利。

授予的专利是发明者和国家之间形成的一种契约。根据契约，发明者获得了一定时期的垄断权，在这个时期过去以后，发明者要将其发明的全部细节公布于众。

只有在极其特殊的情况下，专利的期限会被延长，从而改变这个事情正常的进程。

最长期限的授权曾经是给Georges Valensi的；他1939年获得彩色电视接收器线路的专利一直延续到1971年，因为在这个专利大部分正常的期限内都没有彩色电视可供接收，这样这个专利也就无望被采用。

由于专利在专利期过去以后就将永久被公开，专利局所属图书馆的架子上就保存了简直是几百万个点子的细节，如果超过半个世纪，任何人都可以自由使用，有时甚至可以重新取得专利。实际上，专利专家们常常建议那些想要开发有效专利，又想避免高昂费用的人，避免侵犯发明者权利的一个稳妥办法就是使用过期专利。同样，因为以其他任何形式公布观点都会使之永远失效，所以传统上，从其它印刷材料上获得点子是安全的。许多现代技术的发展都是基于这些法律安全设想的考虑。

任何一个与专利和发明者密切相关的人都会很快知道，许多“新”点子事实上已经非常陈旧。只有把握需求，锐意进取，跟上新技术的步伐，专利才能转变成商业行为，做到名利双收。用磁性记录声音这一专利最初专利始于1886年。许多电视生成原理的原创点子都始于19世纪后期和20世纪初期。甚至1904年马在车后的马车专利已经预见到了德国大众后置引擎汽车的诞生。

生词
bargain: 1 something you buy cheaply or for less than its usual price; 2 an agreement, made between two people or groups to do something in return for something else make/strike a bargain; 3 into the bargain/in the bargain(AmE) in addition to everything else.
conduct: to carry out a particular activity or process, especially in order to get information or prove facts.
reduction: 1 减少、减小、缩减； 2 转换，变化； 3 降服，攻陷
availability: 1 利用（或获得）的可能性，有效性；2 可利用（或获得）的人（或物）
plagiarize: to take words or ideas from another person’s work and use them in your work, without stating that they are not your own.

1.本文主要探讨什么内容？
A．申请专利的方法     B.申请专利    

C.使用专利            D.获得专利的途径
解题要点：全文主旨题。综合理解全文了以后，尤其是文章最后两段，得知本文主要是谈如何利用已有的观点进行新的发明创造并取得专利的途径。

2.根据本文表述，下列哪项是正确的？
A.当专利失效时，如有必要可以重新申请专利或者延长专利。
B.发明者在公布其发明前必须申请专利。
C.专利持有人在专利有效期过了以后，必须公布发明的细节。
D.人们可以从专利局所属图书馆得到已获专利权的发明的全部细节。
解题要点：细节题。文章第二自然段介绍了专利权是怎么一回事，指出专利权是发明人和政府达成的一项协议，并且指出了这项协议的两个基本点:1、在一定时期内发明人垄断专利；2、这个垄断期过了以后，发明人要将发明的细节公布于众。即可判断C项为正确答案。干扰项A，文章指出A的情况有一定限制——失效半个世纪以后。干扰项D，这个也有限制条件——必须等到专利期过了以后。B是明显的错误选项，由文章的第一自然段可知，当发明完成以后，发明人可以自行决定是否公布或者是否申请专利，此项不具干扰价值。

3.Georges Valensi的专利一直持续到1971年，因为什么？
A.那个时间之前，没人愿意给与其专利回报。
B.在相当长的时间里，他的专利无法投入应用。
C.没有那么多的电视台可以提供彩色电视节目。
D.在那之前没有彩色电视接收器。
解题要点：直接细节题。文章第四自然段明确指出了该问题的答案。

4.“plagiarize”（第5段，第5行）最可能的意思是什么？
A．偷来并利用        B.给予回报       

C.使公开            D.拿走并更改
解题要点：推测词义题。从上下文的意思来看，这个地方的词汇应该表达“使用、用”一类的概念。

5.从这篇文章中我们了解到什么？
A．除非发明转变为商业行为，否则不会给发明者创造利益。
B．产品实际上是很久以前的发明。
C．购买一个旧专利比购买一个新专利更便宜。
D．专利专家通过研究过期专利向其他人推荐专利。
解题要点：综合理解推论题。根据文章最后一个自然段的叙述，可理解A为正确答案。主要干扰项为B，B的错误主要是对文章最后一个自然段首句的断章取义。这句话，从全文来理解，实际是指很多新的发明创造都是合理的利用旧的那些点子而来的。