There have long been markets in tin, cocoa, silver and thelike. There used to be security in thinking that somewhere therewas a product, something you could touch and see. Now thereare new markets in abstractions, trade in ideas and knowledge.Everyone has knowledge but there used to be no way to tradeit ------except through jobs. That simple fact of economic lifewas the basis for white collar employment for centuries. Thewhole job culture grew up because there was no alternative wayto sell knowledge , other then the worker or manager providing, for a fixed price, his or herknowledge to an employer to own or control. The quantity of knowledge provided has typicallybeen measured in time.
But today we stand at the threshold of a new era. The information economy has matured andbecome smarter. According to many business commentators, we are now living in a knowledgeeconomy .There has always been a market for knowledge, of course. The publishing industry isbased on it. But today the internet is making the distribution of knowledge ever easier. The dayswhen the publisher decided what got published are over. Anyone with a PC and a modem can talkto the world. This is reducing the friction in the knowledge economy.
Everyone has knowledge of whatever industry she or he is in. say you are a computer dealer,for example. Over the years your have complied a list of the ten best lowest price places to buywholesale computer equipment. Now you can sell your knowledge to newer, younger computerdealers who have no way to build up this knowledge without losing thousands of pounds finding itout the hard way. Until now, such knowledge remained securely locked in the recipient’s head,accumulated and then worthlessly withered away. This no longer needs to be the case. Suchknowledge can be sold via websites.
Knowledge has a distinct advantage in today’s marketplace. It’s a renewable resource. Betteryet, its worth actually increases, . “knowledge is the only asset that grows with use. “ observesScanford University Professor Paul Romer. But what exactly is knowledge and how can it bepackaged to trade on an open market” “ knowledge is experiential information, intelligence appliedthorough and gained from experience.” Say Josenph Pine and James Gilmore in their book TheExperience Economy.
The value of knowledge often depends on variables such as time and the credibility of theseller.Certain knowledge may have a very limited shelf life. In sights concerning how to set up aninternet business in one country, might be worth a fortune on one day and nothing the next ,depending on changes in government policy. Markets in knowledge will be significance for onething. They represent one of the most original uses of the web technology. In some corner of theglobe there is a company wanting to source plastic widgets from Poland, and somewhere elseanother company that wishes to set up a plastics factory there. It’s simply a case of connectingthe two.
Indicater.com is a good example of a knowledge trader. It is targeted at food servicemanagers throughout the hospitality industry. “we started with the context rather than extractingmoney from suppliers. “ explains founder Mike Day. “ we offer food service professionals interactivesupport to increase sales and profits. People don’t want another one-dimensional site full ofadvertising that doesn’t help them to do their job more effectively，it has to be customisedoffering real solutions to real problems. “ the site’s features include access to online training and atariff tracker to restaurants can check prices throughout the sector.
15. what point is made in the first paragraph?
A Interest in commodity markets has decreased.
B Overall levels of expertise have improved.
C Opportunities to exploit your knowledge were limited in the past
D External market forces have meant knowledge is underpriced.
16 what are we told about the current impact of the internet in the second paragraph?
A publishers benefit from their exploitation of the internet.
B the internet has made it easier to analyse business trends.
C It is difficult to calculate the true economic value of the internet.
D The internet facilitates the development of the knowledge economy.
17 In the third paragraph, what does the writer say about knowledge?
A Acquiring knowledge can be expensive
B The most valuable knowledge concerns IT
C Trading knowledge raises issues of security.
D New businesses find it hard to trade in knowledge.
18. What point is made about knowledge in the fourth paragraph?
A It provides specialist information
B Its appeal lies in its exclusivity
C it can generate new ideas
D Its value accumulates.
19 which application of knowledge does the writer regard as particularly useful?
A analyzing manufacturing trends
B introducing compatible parties
C interpreting time constraints
D advising on legislation
20 what key feature is provided by Indicater.com?
A approaches that reflect the provider’s own experience
B access to appropriately trained potential employees.
C advice which directly benefits the bottom line
D advertising which is carefully targeted
参考答案及解析
关于知识经济时代知识的重要性。有了互联网，知识也可能拿来出售。这篇文章里的knowledge，除了知识外，还可以理解成信息。
15题，问第一段的观点是什么。第一段就是简单介绍在过去，受种种条件的限制，知识不可能拿来做交易(there used to be no way to trade it)，除非是通过job的形式，领取固定工资，算是知识的价钱。也就是说，过去想真正开发知识的价值的机会还是很局限的。
16题，问互联网在现阶段的影响，这题答案很明显：But today the internet is making the distribution of knowledge ever easier.互联网让知识的传播更容易了。更容易，就是D选项的facilitate。
17题，问第三段作者关于知识说了什么。第三段总的意思是说知识现在可以交易，否则只能随着时间消逝。但是这个题的四个选项没有和这个主要意思相吻合的。所以得从其他的细节方面看。答案从这个句子里找：Now you can sell your knowledge to newer, younger computer dealers who have no way to build up this knowledge without losing thousands of pounds。你现在可以把知识卖给新的、年轻的电脑交易商。除非花上数千英镑，否则他们没有办法构建这些知识。Losing thousands of pounds，需要得到某方面的知识需要花上这么多，可见获取知识是需要花钱的。选A。
18题，问第四段作者关于知识的观点是什么。这题答案也很明显。原文明确说了：its worth actually increases。价值事实上是增加的。也就是，知识的价值是积累的。选D。
19题，问作者认为知识在哪方面特别有用。这题答案在第五段后面列举的那个例子里面。这段文字最后列举这个例子之前说Markets in knowledge will be significance for one thing.从这里的significance可以看出作者认为有知识的市场(markets in knowledge)是很重要的，也就是知识在这方面特别有用，具体这个markets in knowledge指的是什么，看后面列举的那个例子。一个公司想在波兰寻找塑料来源，另一个公司想在波兰建立塑料生产厂。这就是很简单的将两者联合起来的事情。因为两者有共同的利益，可以相容。所以这题答案选B introducing compatible parties。
20题，问这个网站提供的关键特征是什么。答案从这一句上看People don’t want another one-dimensional site full of advertising that doesn’t help them to do their job more effectively，it has to be customised offering real solutions to real problems。它必须对实际的问题提供实际的解决办法。答案选C：advice which directly benefits the bottom line。能够从根本上有利的建议。
这题很容易误选B，因为和文章最后一句很相似。越是这样的选项越是不能选。而且题目问的是key feature，最关键的特征在什么地方，也就是区别于其他不能产生实际效果的广告的地方，B只是一个feature。
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