Intellectual property (IP) is a product of the mind that has commercial value. The concept dates back to 1623 when the first patent law to protect IP sights was passed. IP rights protect the artist from having his/her creative ideas copied by another. For example, if somebody generated an idea for a novel, that idea is protected by IP rights. If someone else wishes to represent the idea or develop it further, he/ she must consult the original artists, who will normally be rewarded financially for its use. Back in the 17th century, IP rights were primarily carried out to protect newly developed manufacturing processes against stealing. But today, intellectual property rights, are also enjoyed by those who creative music, art and literature.

In recent years, IP rights have been the focus of a great deal of discussion because of a technology which looks set to weaken them altogether; the Internet. Many years ago, if you wanted a recording of a song, you would have to purchase it from a music store; if a novel, form a book store. In those days, IP rights were easily protected since it was very difficult to obtain intellectual property without paying for it. However, a lot of IP, including songs, films, books and artwork, can be downloaded today free of charge using the Internet. This practice has now taken the world by storm, dramatically affecting the way in which we view IP rights.

According to the writer, in the beginning, If rights were mainly of use to ______.

A. those creating music, art and literature     B . novelists

C. engineers and inventors         D. those not receiving financial reward for their work

What do we know about the internet according to the passage?

A. It makes IP rights harder to protect.             B. It sells songs and films.

C. It does not affect the way we understand IP rights. D. It prevents the production of artwork.

According to paragraph 2, what has “taken the world by storm”?

A. Intellectual property rights.      B. The Internet.

C. Free downloading             D. The large number of songs, films and books.

A possible title for this passage could be ______.

A. A History of IP Rights                 B. Ways to Protect Your IP Rights.

C. The Present and the Future Of IP        D. IP Rights and Our Attitudes

Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants. But in the executive(主管的) circle, beauty can become a liability.

  While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harmful to a woman.

  Handsome male executives were considered having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success.

  Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck.

  All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was connected more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of the attractive overnight successes.

  Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is considered to be more feminine has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the "manly"qualifies required.

  This is true even in politics, "When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently, " says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates(候选人). She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.

  The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.

  The word "liability" most probably means ________.

  A. disadvantage B. advantage   C. misfortune   D. trouble

 Bowman's experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness________

  A. turns out to be a disadvantage to men

  B. is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women

  C. has as little effect on men as on women

  D. affects men and women alike

  It can be inferred from the passage that people's views on beauty are often________.

  A. practical   B. supportive   C. old - fashioned D. one - sided

  The author writes this passage to ________.

  A. give advice to job - seekers who are attractive

  B. discuss the disadvantages of being attractive

  C. demand equal rights for women

  D. state the importance of appearance

 What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority (优先) over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic/inter??est may have other choices.

In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situ??ation, and the merit of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.

Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical (合乎道义的) or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrad??ing. Persuaders may enlighten our mind or prey on our vulnerability. Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of edu??cation is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.

Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution (美国宪法).

. according to the passage, persuasion means ________.

A. changing others’ points of view

B. exercising power over other people

C. getting other people to consider your point of view

D. getting people to agree with you and do what you want

. The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means________.

A. win           B. fail                C. speak              D. listen

. The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.

A. a danger to society                B. difficult to do well

C. unwelcome behavior              D. never successful

. The passage mainly discusses ________.

A. how people persuade

B. why people persuade

C. that persuasion is both good and bad

D. that persuasion is important and it is all around us

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