Focus on what you do best. This age-old strategy has worked well for Real Networks, 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. Yet Real Networks 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 Real Networks' 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 Real Networks 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. The self-created competition could also hurt Real Networks if customers decide its commercial products, which... 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.
A
"Hypotheses ," said Medawarin 1964, "are imaginative and inspirational in character"; they are "adventures of the mind". He was arguing in favour of the position taken by Karl Popper that the nature of scientific method is hypothetico-deductive and not, as is generally believed, inductive. The myth of scientific method is that it is inductive: that the formulation of scientific theory starts with the basic, raw evidence of the senses -- simple, fair, unprejudiced observation. Out of these sensory data -- commonly referred to as "facts" -- generalisations will form. The myth is that from a disorderly collection of factual information an orderly, relevant theory will somehow come out. However, the starting point of induction is an impossible one. There is no such thing as an unprejudiced observation. Every act of observation we make is a function of what we have seen or otherwise experienced in the past. All scientific work of an experimental or exploratory nature starts with some expectation about the outcome. This expectation is a hypothesis. Hypotheses provide the motivation for the inquiry and influence the method. It is in the light of an expectation that some observations are held to be relevant and some irrelevant, that one method is chosen and others abandoned, that some experiments are conducted and others are not. Hypotheses arise by guesswork, or by inspiration, but having been started they can and must be tested thoroughly, using the appropriate method. If the predictions you make as a result of deducing certain consequences from your hypothesis are not shown to be correct then you abandon or adjust your hypothesis. If the predictions turn out to be correct then your hypothesis has been supported and may be kept until such time as some further test shows it not to be correct. Once you have arrived at your hypothesis, which is a product of your imagination, you then move on to a strictly logical and thorough process, based upon deductive argument -- therefore the term "hypothetico-deductive". So... Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage? A) Generalisations of Scientific Theory B) Hypotheses of Scientific Research. C) The Psychological Behaviour D) The Scientific Method
D
Q: When buying from a dealer, the law says that a car must be: As described: This includes the history of the car as well as its specification.For example, if the dealer described the car as previously having "one careful lady owner", it shouldn't turn out to have had several previous "boy racer" owners. Of satisfactory quality: It must meet the standard that a reasonable person would regard as acceptable and be free from any quality problem.Also, bear in mind that a second-hand car will have a slightly different definition of what is considered "satisfactory, because there's certainly an element of wear and tear. Fit for the purpose: It must be reasonable fit for any normal purpose and this includes any purpose that you specify to the seller. *If any of the above is violated, then in theory, you may have the right to reject the vehicle and get your money back if you're reasonably quick. Alternatively, the dealer might offer to replace or repair the car; reduce the price of offering a partial refund .Once you've informed the dealer that you wish to reject the car , you must stop using the vehicle. *If the rejection is not accepted, then it's up to you to prove your case. You'll need to pay for an independent assessment of the car and sue(,)for damages. If you do choose a repair, insist the dealer provide you with a hire car or pay any reasonable traveling expenses thus produced while your new car is in the garage. *If the car is new, it's likely that the claim will be too high to be fought. Using the small claims procedure to you may have to pay for legal representation. All this can be pretty _ and expensive. You need to weigh up the pros and cons before rejecting a car. Would a repair do just as well? Selecting a dealer who offers a clear exchange policy may help. According to the text, what is essential after you inform the dealer of your wish to reject the car? A) Stopping using it B) Demanding traveling expenses. C) Suing for damages. D) Proving your case.
A: A
(Q).
LONDON -- Life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to permanent fast-forward. Their full school day and her job as a lawyer's assistant are busy enough. But Hanger also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club. Often, the exhausted family doesn't get home until 7 pm. There is just time for a quick supper before homework. In today's world, middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line. Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child. "Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress," says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota. Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It's a very serious problem. Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include sports, language, music and math classes for children as young as four. "There is a new parenting trend under way which says that you have to tap all your child's potential at a young age; otherwise you will let him down," says Terry Apter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist . "It isn't entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously seen as strange behaviour is now well accepted." British parents, as the writer described in this passage, _ . A) treat their children as sports players B) pay no attention to their children's lessons C) bring up their children in a simple way D) give their children little time to develop freely
(A).
D