第一段:Over the past decade,thousands of patents have seen granted for what are called business methods.Amazon. com received one for its“one-click”online payment system. Merrill Lynch got legal protection for an asset allocation strategy. One inventor patented a technique for lifting a box.該段是總分結構,第一句引領全段,后三句是三個小例子支撐第一句。看完第一句,千萬別覺得是文章主題。從這要明白,不是所有文章都是在首段出現主題,一二段交接處很關鍵。
第二段首句:Now the nation’s top patent court appears completely ready to scale hack on business-method patents, which have been controversial ever since they were first authorized 10 years ago.要注意時態的變化,首段是現在完成時,這段筆尖一轉,用了一般現在時態,并且內容是就首段的現象采取措施,關鍵的詞語是scale back,下邊的定語從句就不是那么重要了。這一句話同樣也是文章的主題。
中間各段落(瀏覽)三:Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramatic about-face because......關鍵詞curb on對應的是scale back,即對于這些專利的減少和限制。原因是細節,我們暫且不看。四:The Bilski case involves a claimed patent on a method for hedging risk in the energy market.看到case,這是一個例子,我們做到心里有數就可以。
末段:The Federal Circuit’s action comes in the wake of a series of recent decisions by the supreme. Count that has nurrowed the scope of protections for patent holders. Last April, for example the justices signaled that too many patents were being upheld for “inventions”that are obvious. The judges on the Federal circuit are “reaction to the anti_patent trend at the supreme court”says Harole C.wegner, a patent attorney and professor at aeorge Washington University Law School.該段首句并沒有實質性的內容,而第二句又在重申話題---narrowed the scope of protections for patent holders,narrow沿襲上邊的scale back和curb on。往下看,是涉及到例子的不用看。
因此,總結來看,這篇文章這樣進行的構架:1、現象的現狀:over the past decades,.....2、要發生的變化:scale back/curb on/例子/narrow down。要注意主題從二段開始,并且注意時態是個轉變的信號。這樣在做主題題目時,就會易如反掌。30. Which of the following would be the subject of the text? [A] A looming threat to business--method patents [B] Protection for business--method patent holders [C] A legal case regarding business--method patents [D] A prevailing trend against business-method patents.圍繞著business--method patents來說,從關鍵詞scale back/curb on/例子/narrow down可以非常迅速排除B這一相反選項--protection;而C是個例子不能夠概括文章主題;剩下AD,方向是對的,錯在細節把握上,一個是looming(隱約出現的),一個是prevailing(盛行的),所以單詞的記憶還是很關鍵的,這一趨勢剛剛開始,并未大范圍開展。