Passage 4

Directions: Read the following text and answer the questions by choosing the most suitable subtitle from the list A–G for each numbered paragraph （1~5）.There are two extra subtitles which you do not need to use.Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.（10 points）

1.______

Shareware is computer software that is distributed on the principle that users can try it before they buy it.Shareware is not free software,and it is still protected by copyright laws,the essential difference between shareware and ordinary commercial software is that users are permitted to run a shareware program to test it for a reasonable time—perhaps for 30 days—before registering and paying for it.

2.______

Shareware and commercial software is a commodity,unlike the charges or free.Because shareware is freely distributed,it avoids many of the costs of commercial distribution.Shareware programs are usually passed around without boxes and manuals,and there are no dealers to take a cut of the profits.Shareware libraries are allowed to make a small charge to cover the cost of any risks,and on-line services may charge for connection time while a program is downloaded to a user's personal computer,but these sums are small.As a result,shareware is usually much cheaper than commercial software and it can be of very good value.

3.______

The shareware market was most successful in the early days of IBM Personal Computer,launched in the USA in 1981.At the time,there was relatively little commercial software around,there were not many shops selling programs,and commercial standards were relatively low.

Good shareware programs such as PC-Write and PC-File generated millions of dollars worth of sales.Today,quality software suites such as Microsoft Works and Claris Works are widely available and cheap; so most shareware programs are simpler products that often could not be distributed on a commercial basis.

4.______

Software writers have made a variety of attempts to encourage users to pay for programs when the test period runs out.Payment may,for example,be rewarded with an upgraded version of the program,a printed manual,and support if there are problems.Some programs include warnings or advertising messages that urge the user to pay.Some programs limit their software or stop it from working after 30 days.Shareware is a commodity,it also needs to be a strategic marketing.

5.______

Today,shareware is not as popular as it has been,and there are fewer shareware libraries in operation.However,the future is not necessarily hopeless.Many computer users have now become used to downloading programs over the Internet,and this means that more users have easy access to shareware.We should see shareware future trends: software as a service is tied on top of other services,charging more flexibly,without the need to purchase any tangible things that people can get this service.To make shareware sustainable development,sustainable development must enter a virtuous circle whose flag is to get more profit.Users will be incorporated into a larger circulation,in which the software bring their own income only when it can bring value to the users ,and win-win thinking is clearly reflected here.

词汇注释

distribute v.分发；分布

copyright law 版权法

register v.登记，注册

commodity n.商品，货物

manual n.手册，指南

in operation 起作用；在运行

tangible a.有形的；切实的

sustainable a.可持续的；可支撑的

virtuous circle 良性循环

be incorporated into 使成为…的一部分