Mr Auletta does a respectable job of reviewing the media companies' predicaments. He also rehearses some of the well-known elements of Google's culture that have helped transform it from a start-up launched in a garage 11 years ago to a colossus with ambitions to become the world's first media company with revenues of $100 billion. Among other things, these include lavish stock options, perks such as free meals and massages, and a rigorous and sometimes quirky recruitment process.

More compelling are the book's insights into the relationship between the members of the triumvirate that runs Google——Mr Brin, Larry Page, his co-founder, and Eric Schmidt, the chief executive, who arrived at Google several years after its launch. Brought in at the behest of venture capitalists that have backed the firm, Mr Schmidt found himself treading a delicate path between the sensibilities of the brilliant but socially awkward founders and the demands of the impatient financiers. With the help of a veteran Silicon Valley executive who acts as a coach, the three men ultimately developed an effective working relationship.

Which is just as well, for Google now faces some formidable challenges. Fast-growing social networks such as Facebook are after a much bigger chunk of online ad dollars. And Google's size has begun to attract the attention of anti-trust watchdogs in areas such as digital book scanning, where it has ambitious plans. This hardly amounts to the end of Google's dominance as we know it. But if the company misplays its hand, it could turn out to be the beginning of the end.

注（1）：本文选自Economist；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象：第1~5题分别模仿2002年真题Text 4第1、2题，Text 2第2题和Text 3第4、5题。

1. From the passage we can infer that______.

A) media companies are blind to the benefit brought by Google

B) business response towards Google's practice is in sharply contrast with that of consumers

C) Google is to be blamed for reducing the profit of most media companies

D) Google tends to disrupt every industry it touches upon

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

A) Google barely intends to be friends with other media companies.

B) Google is currently generating an annual revenue of $100 billion.

C) Media companies should blame themselves for their decline.

D) Google's triumvirate management structure poses a disadvantage to the company's operation.

3. The word “jinx”（Line 2, Paragraph 3) most probably means______.

A) disadvantage

B) competition

C) dilemma

D) bad luck

4. We can conclude from the text that______.

A) Ken Auletta shows a professional insight in this book

B) Ken Auletta writes this book from a subjective perspective

C) Ken Auletta demonstrates a pessimistic view on Google's future

D) Ken Auletta writes this book to defend Google

5. The author's attitude towards Ken Auletta's new book seems to be______.

A) positive

B) negative

C) doubtful

D) uncertain





篇章剖析


本篇文章介绍了美国记者肯·奥莱塔关于Google公司的一本新书。文章第一、二段描述了其他公司对Google公司的指责，这是这本书的写作背景。第三段介绍了肯在书中如何为Google辩护；第四段简述了Google取得成功的一些自身因素；第五段介绍了该书最吸引人的部分，即对Google三巨头的关系的描述；最后一段指出了Google现在面临的挑战。





词汇注释


tentacle /ˈtentəkl/ n. 触须，触角

array /əˈrei/ n. （排列整齐的）一批，一系列，大量

navigation /ˌnævɪˈgeɪʃən/ n. 导引，导航

tactic /ˈtæktɪk/ n. 策略，手段

enrage /ɪnˈreɪdʒ/ v. 激怒，使愤怒

squarely /ˈskwɜəli/ adv. 正当地，诚实地，干脆地

sap /sæp/ v. 削弱，逐渐消耗

scapegoat /ˈskeɪpgəut/ n. 替人顶罪者，替罪羊

predicament /ˌprɪˈdɪkəmənt/ n. 尴尬的处境，困境，危境

colossus /kəˈlɒsəs/ n. 巨人，巨大的东西

perk /pɜːk/ n. 津贴，额外补贴

triumvirate /traɪˈʌmvɪrɪt/ n. 三人执政，三头政治

behest /bɪˈhest/ n. 命令，指示；邀请

tread /tred/ v. 踩，踏，在…上面走





难句突破


Although media companies are hooked on the money they mint via adverts that run on Google and its YouTube video-streaming business, many of them also accuse the search firm of commoditising their content and of undermining their profits by making it easy for marketers to track the effectiveness of online ad spend.

主体句式：…many of them also accuse the search firm of…

结构分析：本句开头是一个由although引导的让步状语从句，从句中包含了一个省略引导词that的定语从句they mint via adverts，修饰money，而之后的 that run on Google and its YouTube video-streaming business又是修饰adverts的定语从句。后半个句子为主句，主语为many of them，谓语动词为accuse，基本结构是sb. accuse sb. of sth.。

句子译文：虽然媒体公司贪恋通过在Google及其拥有的YouTube流媒体业务上投放广告获得的收益，其中许多公司还是指责Google使其内容变得商品化，同时也减少了他们的利润，因为Google使得市场营销人员能轻易了解网络广告投入的成效。





题目分析


1. B 推理题。文章第一段中说“该公司一贯以提供低价甚至免费的服务而深受用户欢迎。但其经营战略却激怒了它的竞争者，他们抱怨这个新来的对手就是存心要把整个行业搞垮。”可知，商界和消费者对于Google的态度是截然不同的，因此B选项正确。A选项中“be blind to”意为“对…视而不见，无视”，但文中说媒体公司贪恋Google带来的收益，因此选项与文章表述不符。第三段中明确表示，书籍作者认为Google只是“替罪羊”，因此C项不正确。D选项意为“Google会破坏它所涉及的每一个行业”，由原文可知，这个观点已被作者批驳。

2. C 细节题。文章第三段提到“Google以盟友形象出现”，因此A不正确。1000亿美金的年收入是Google的目标，而不是目前的实际情况，因此B也不正确。文章第五段最后一句话指出三位Google的领导者最终找到了一种有效的合作关系，说明他们的合作并没有影响到公司的运营，所以D也不正确。第三段作者认为出版和电影业主管们应该为自己造成的错误负责，可见C是最符合原文的选项。

3. D 语义题。文章第二段提到“其中大多数还是指责Google使其内容变得商品化，同时也减少了他们的利润”。也就是说很多媒体公司都认为是Google导致了他们现在的困境。文中并没有出现表示优劣势对比（disadvantage）、竞争（competition）或两难境地（dilemma）的内容，因此从四个选项中看来只有D最符合文章的意思。“jinx”这个词的意思是“不祥物”。

4. A 推理题。文章第三段指出奥莱塔是一位媒体行业的资深评论人，又说他在书中“公正且正确地指出…”，可见他在书中的分析是客观而专业的，并没有偏袒Google，因此B和D都不正确，A是正确选项。此外，虽然文章最后一句话说“但如果Google一着出错，就有可能成为终结的导火索。”但这只是一个假设，该书作者并没有体现出对Google未来的悲观情绪，因此C选项也不正确。

5. A 情感态度题。从文章的选词和观点看来，作者对这本新书是持欣赏态度的。如第三段中的“squarely”，第四段中的“respectable”，以及第五段中的“compelling”等。第三段还指出“他驳斥了Google的编程奇才是给媒体业带来灾难的元凶的说法。事实上他公正且正确地指出，真正应该负责的是出版和电影业的主管们…”，很显然是赞同支持奥莱塔的观点。因此A是正确选项。





参考译文


Google有时看起来像是从未遇到过它不想涉足的行业。这家网络巨头最为人所知的是其广受欢迎的搜索引擎，它还把触角伸向了越来越多的领域，包括广告、电信以及最近涉足的数字导航软件。该公司一贯以提供低价甚至免费的服务而深受用户欢迎。但其经营战略却激怒了它的竞争者，他们抱怨这个新来的对手就是存心要把整个行业搞垮。

这种怨言在出版业和娱乐业尤甚。虽然媒体公司贪恋通过在Google及其拥有的YouTube流媒体业务上投放广告获得的收益，其中许多公司还是指责Google使其内容变得商品化，同时也减少了他们的利润，因为Google使得市场营销人员能轻易了解网络广告投入的成效。一家大媒体公司的老板对Google的联合创始人说：“你在糟蹋这种魔力。”这一幕令人印象深刻的场景被肯·奥莱塔记录在了新书的开头。

奥莱塔是美国记者，同时也是媒体行业的资深评论员，他驳斥了Google的编程奇才是给媒体业带来灾难的元凶的说法。事实上他公正且正确地指出，真正应该负责的是出版和电影业的主管们，他们没能正确意识到互联网将以怎样的速度消耗他们公司的未来。他们也太晚才发现，尽管Google以盟友形象出现，它却具有一个强敌的所有标志。现在这位友敌成为了替罪羊，媒体业将许多自己造成的错误归咎于它。

奥莱塔先生做了一项可敬的工作：回顾了媒体公司的困境。他还推演了Google文化中一些广为人知的要素，这些要素帮助Google从11年前在小车库中创办的小公司发展成为现在的大型企业，志在成为年收入1000亿美金的全球头号媒体公司。除其他方面以外，这些要素包括丰厚的认股权、免费餐和按摩等福利，以及严谨而有时怪异的招聘程序。

更吸引读者的是本书探究了Google三巨头之间的关系——布林、联合创始人拉里·佩奇，以及Google成立几年之后才加入的首席执行官埃里克·施密特。施密特进入Google是应支持该公司的风险投资者邀请，他发现自己要小心地维护两位才华洋溢却不善交际的创始人与急迫的投资人之间的敏感关系。在一位资深硅谷主管的指导帮助下，三人最终形成了一种有效的合作关系。

这是件好事，因为Google现在面临一些艰巨的挑战。快速发展的社交网如Facebook正在寻求更大数额的在线广告资金。而且Google的规模在一些领域已经开始引起了反垄断监督部门的注意，例如它希望一展宏图的电子书扫描领域。据我们所知，这几乎不能等同于Google统治地位的终结。但如果Google一着出错，就有可能成为终结的导火索。





Unit 37


Ten years ago this week a black box was demonstrated at a broadcasters' convention in Las Vegas. TiVo's digital video recorder (DVR) was expensive: the cheapest model cost $499. But it was hailed as revolutionary. It was much more flexible and easier to programme than a videocassette recorder. It allowed people to record and play back at the same time, so they could start watching a programme 20 minutes after it had started and fast-forward through all the advertisements. Experts forecast a severe, perhaps fatal, blow to advertising-supported television. Yet DVRs turn out to have done little damage. Indeed, DVRs may even have protected television and made it more conservative.

As prices fell and cable and satellite firms began to bundle DVRs with other services, their popularity soared. According to Nielsen, a media-research outfit, 29% of American homes now have one. The boxes are in a higher proportion of the households advertisers most care about. Jack Wakshlag of Turner Broadcasting, a cable company, calculates that DVR-owning households earn about $20,000 more than average. Yet those households do not use them nearly as much as one might expect. Families with DVRs seem to spend 15-20% of their viewing time watching pre-recorded shows, and skip only about half of all advertisements. This means only about 5% of television is time-shifted and less than 3% of all advertisements are skipped. Mitigating that loss, people with DVRs watch more television.

Just because technology enables people to do something does not mean they will, particularly when it comes to a medium as indolence-inducing as television. And people have become lazier. Early adopters of DVRs used them a lot——not surprisingly, since they paid so much for them. Later adopters use them much less (about two-thirds less, according to a recent study）. David Poltrack, head of research and planning at CBS, another broadcast network, reckons the networks have already felt most of the DVR's effects.

Advertisers and television networks have pushed back even against this puny threat. They have developed relatively static advertisements that get a message across even at high speed. They put snippets of programming in the middle of ad breaks. One trick, described by Todd Juenger of TiVo as “closer to a silver bullet”, is to run advertisements that resemble programmes——in some cases featuring stars from the show people are trying to watch.

Far from being revolutionary, in some ways DVR has made television more stable. With the exception of live events it is broadly true that the most popular programmes are recorded the most. Mr Wakshlag describes it as “a hit-saving machine”. Broadcast television receives a bigger boost from DVR playback than cable television. The device has made it harder to introduce a new television programme, particularly at 10pm when people are likely to be playing back shows they recorded at 8pm or 9pm.

One reason television executives have calmed down about DVRs is that they have something else to worry about. Hulu and other video-streaming websites, which are becoming more popular, give a great deal of control to consumers and are thought to pose a threat to advertising-supported television. Does that sound familiar?

注（1）：本文选自Economist；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象：第1、4、5题分别模仿2002年真题Text 4第1题和Text 3第4、5题，第2题模仿2001年真题Text 2第2题，第3题模仿2004年真题Text 1第3题。

1. From the second paragraph we learn that______.

A) the development of DVR is just like what was predicted

B) the households owning DVRs are relatively rich

C) DVR is frequently used by the households that advertisers most care about

D) owners of DVR use it to skip most of all advertisements

2.

David Poltrack's comment in paragraph three probably means that______.

A) DVR's influence on television is relatively small

B) people do not always make use of advantages brought by technology

C) technology sometimes make people become lazier

D) the networks survive thanks to the indolence of later DVR adopters

3. The phrase “silver bullet”（Line 4, Paragraph 4) most probably means______.

A) a bullet made of silver

B) a method with much financial input

C) an economical approach

D) an extremely effective solution

4. In the last sentence of the article, the author implies that______.

A) the result of fear about video-steaming website may turn out to be similar as that of DVR

B) video-streaming websites are posing a serious threat to television as DVR did

C) video-steaming websites give consumers much controlling power just as DVR did

D) television executive worry about video-steaming websites as they did about DVR

5. The author's viewpoint towards the prospect of television industry seems to be______.

A) critical

B) positive

C) biased

D) objective





篇章剖析


本文主要讲述了DVR对电视产业造成的影响。开篇讲述了DVR诞生之初被认为将带来电视产业的灭亡，最终结果却出乎预料：DVR影响甚微，有可能还保护了电视产业；第二、三段分析了此现象背后的种种原因，引用了若干研究调查的结果；第四段指出广告商和电视公司仍然针对DVR采取了一些策略；第五段进一步描述了DVR对电视产业的积极影响；最后一段则指出，电视产业正面临着新的挑战，但很可能也不会构成严重威胁。





词汇注释


convention /kənˈvenʃən/ n. 会议，大会

hail /heɪl/ v. 赞扬，称颂为…

videocassette /ˌvɪdɪəʊkəˈset/ n. 盒式录像带

conservative /kɜnˈsɜːvətɪv/ adj. 保守的，传统的

bundle /ˈbʌndl/ v. 捆，把…扎成一包

soar /sɔː/ v. 猛增，暴涨

indolence /ˈɪndələns/ n. 懒散，懒惰

puny /ˈpjuːni/ adj. 微小的，次要的

snippet /ˈsnɪpɪt/ n. 碎片，断片

resemble /rɪˈzembl/ v. 相似，类似