once authors have expressly given their permission," says Piers Blofeld, of the Sheil Land literary agency in London. "Google has reversed this – it has simply copied all these works without bothering toask."
In 2005, the Authors Guild of America, together with a group of US publishers, launched a class action suit (集团诉讼) against Google that, after more than two years of negotiation, endedwith an announcement last October that Google and the claimants had reached an out-of-courtsettlement. The full details are complicated - the text alone runs to 385 pages– and trying tosummarise it is no easy task. "Part of the problem is that it is basically incomprehensible," saysBlofeld, one of the settlement's most vocal British critics.
Broadly, the deal provides a mechanism for Google to compensate authors and
publishers whose rights it has breached (including giving them a share of any future revenue it generates fromtheir works). In exchange for this, the rights holders agree not to sue Google in future.
This settlement hands Google the power - but only with the agreement of inpidual rights holders – to exploit its database of out-of-print books. It can include them in subscription deals sold to libraries or sell them inpidually under a consumer licence. It is these commercial provisions that are proving the settlement's most controversial aspect.
Critics point out that, by giving Google the right to commercially exploit its database, thesettlement paves the way for a subtle shift in the company's role from provider of information to seller. "Google's business model has always been to provide information for free, and sell advertising on the basis of the traffic this generates," points out James Grimmelmann, associate professor at New York Law School. Now, he says, because of the settlement's provisions, Google could become a significant force in bookselling.
Interest in this aspect of the settlement has focused on "orphan" works, where there is noknown copyright holder – these make up an estimated 5-10% of the books Google has scanned. Under the settlement, when no rights holders come forward and register their interest in a work, commercial control automatically reverts to Google. Google will be able to display up to 20% oforphan works for free, include them in its subscription deals to libraries and sell them to
inpidual buyers under the consumer licence.
It is by no means certain that the settlement will be enacted (执行) – it is the subject of afairness hearing in the US courts. But if it is enacted, Google will in effect be off the hook as far
as copyright violations in the US are concerned. Many people are seriously concerned by this - and the company is likely to face challenges in other courts around the world.
No one knows the precise use Google will make of the intellectual property it has gained byscanning the world's library books, and the truth, as Gleick, an American science writer and member of the Authors Guild, points out, is that the company probably doesn't even know itself. But what is certain is that, in some way or other, Google's entrance into digital bookselling will have a significant impact on the book world in the years to come.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
1. Google claims its plan for the world's biggest online library is _____.
A) to serve the interest of the general public
B) to encourage reading around the world
C) to save out-of-print books in libraries
D) to promote its core business of searching
2. According to Santiago de la Mora, Google's book-scanning project will _____.
A) broaden humanity's intellectual horizons
B) help the broad masses of readers
C) revolutionise the entire book industry
D) make full use of the power of its search engine
3. Opponents of Google Books believe that digitally archiving the world's books should be controlled by _____.
A) non-profit organisations C) multinational companies
B) the world's leading libraries D) the world's tech giants
4. Google has involved itself in a legal battle as it ignored _____.
A) the copyright of authors of out-of-print books
B) the copyright of the books it scanned
C) the interest of traditional booksellers
D) the differences of in-print and out-of-print books
5. Google defends its scanning in-copyright books by saying that _____.
A) it displays only a small part of their content
B) it is willing to compensate the copyright holders
C) making electronic copies of books is not a violation of copyright
D) the online display of in-copyright books is not for commercial use
6. What do we learn about the class action suit against Google?
A) It ended in a victory for the Authors Guild of America.
B) It was settled after more than two years of negotiation.
C) It failed to protect the interests of American publishers.
D) It could lead to more out-of-court settlements of such disputes.
7. What remained controversial after the class action suit ended?
A) The compensation for copyright holders.
B) The change in Google's business model.
C) Google's further exploitation of its database.
D) The commercial provisions of the settlement.
8. While _____, Google makes money by selling advertising.
9. Books whose copyright holders are not known are called _____.
10. Google's entrance into digital bookselling will tremendously _____ in the future.
Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)
Section A
Directions:In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements.
Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in
the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer Sheet 2. Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.
Leadership is the most significant word in today's competitive business environment because it directs the manager of a business to focus inward on their personal capabilities and style. Experts on leadership will quickly point out that "how things get done" influences the success of
the outcomes and indicates a right way and a wrong way to do things. When a noted leader on the art of management, Peter Drucker, coined the phrase "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things," he was seeking to clarify the distinctions he associates with the terms.
When Stephen Covey, founder and director of the Leadership Institute, explored leadership styles in the past decade, he focused on the habits of a great number of highly effective inpiduals. His Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became a popular bestseller very quickly. His ideas forced a reexamination of the early leadership paradigm (范例), which he observed centered on traits found in the character ethic and the personality ethic. The former ethic suggested success was founded on integrity, modesty, loyalty, courage, patience, and so forth. The personality ethic suggested it was one's attitude, not behavior, that inspired success, and this ethic was founded on a belief of positive mental attitude. In contrast to each of these ideas, Covey advocates that leaders need to understand universal principles of effectiveness, and he highlights how vital it is for leaders to first personally manage themselves if they are to enjoy any hope of outstanding success in their work environments. To achieve a desired vision for your business, it is vital that you have a personal vision of where you are headed and what you value. Business leadership means that managers need to "put first things first," which implies that before leading others, you need to be clear on your own values, abilities, and strengths and be seen as trustworthy.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
47. To be good leaders, managers must pay close attention to their own _____.
