原创： 姚洋 

川普任命了原第十巡回上诉法院法官尼尔哥萨奇Neil Gorsuch为最高法院大法官，当然，又一次引发（小）规模抗议……不聊政治，不过可以结合考题说说有助读懂文章的背景知识

1. 美国政治的基础是宪法（Constitution），所有的政治运行都是建立在宪法基础之上的。宪法共有 27个修正案（Amendment），补充规定了言论自由，选举人性别等重要事务。

2. 美国政治的特征是check and balance （制衡）， 政府，国会，法院所代表三权中没有哪一方是居于dominate绝对支配地位的。

3. 联邦政府只从各州政府的权力中拿走了若干明确列举的权力，州政府则保留着中央政府拿走权力之外的所有权力，所以州政府会和联邦政府发生争端。

4. 最高法院有九名法官（justices），一名首席大法官，八名大法官。由总统提名，民主党常提名自由派（liberal），现在有四个自由派。共和党常提名保守派（conservative）； 现在有四个保守派。还有一个摇摆派大法官是终生制，所以大法官不一定是现任总统的人，除非现任总统赶上有人离职了，他能安排自己的人进去。九个人在捍卫宪法尊严方面是不分派别的。

5. 国会分为参议院（senate）和众议院（House）人数分别为100名和435名；副总统是参议院院长，在50:50的时候会参与最后表决；副总统由总统任命；议员基 本不是民主党员就是共 和党员。

6. 国会拥有立法权，但国会所通过的议案必须经过总统的批准方能生效。美国总统可以行使否决权。同时总统可以向国会提出各种咨文，包括国情咨文、预算咨 文、经济咨文、特别咨文等，建议他认为必须的立法。

7. 政府财政预算需要得到国会参议院和众议院批准方能生效。然而，目前由民主党把持的参议院和由共和党控制的众议院却针尖对麦芒，导致预算案迟迟不得通 过。

具体到法院层面，可以分两方面来说：

一. 美国联邦法院 （Federal Courts）

联邦法院又分为：普通法院和专门法院。

普通法院分为三级，从下到上分别是：

1.地方法院 United States District Court

2.上诉法院（除了联邦区域上诉法院） District Court of Appeals.

3.最高法院 United States Supreme Court

专门法院有：

1.破产法庭 (U.S. bankruptcy Court)

2.税务法庭 (United states Tax Court)

3.国际贸易法庭 (United States Court of International Trade)

4.美国联邦权利申诉法院( United States Courts of Federal Claims)

5.美国军事上诉法院(United States Courts of Appeals for Armed Forces)

6.美国联邦巡回上诉法院(the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit)

这是最著名的法院，也是楼下考题里出现的。

CAFC最为人熟悉的职能是作为对专利确权、侵权诉讼的专属上诉法院。它受理来自美国专利商标局（PTO）的关于专利审查案件、美国联邦地区法院（DCT）专 利侵权案件、和来自美国国际贸易委员会（ITC）的“337调查”案件的上诉。自其成立以来，美国联邦巡回上诉法院审理的案件大约有三分之一涉及专利。

7.联邦区域上诉法院 (United States Courts of Appeals)（也称Federal Judicial Circuits）(下设11个巡回法庭分辖11个区域)

8.美国退伍军人权利上诉法院（United States Courts of veterans Appeals)

补充说明：美国宪法指明要成立最高法院，其余法院由美国国会授权成立。

Federal courts

The federal court system is made up ofseveral levels of hierarchical court. The top-level court is the United StatesSupreme Court. Below this are the District Court of Appeals. Below this is theUnited States District Courts, for various geographical areas as defined by theUnited States Congress.

二．州法院 （State courts）

State courts take a wide variety of forms,as defined by each state's legislature. For example, in New York, there is a Supreme Court which isactually the lowest-level trial court; its name is based on the fact that it ishigher ranked than all administrative and local courts. The highest court in New York is the New YorkCourt of Appeals.

一般而言州法院分为三级：

1.州最高法院(State Supreme Court),（有些州不设）

2.州上诉法院 (Superior Court of Appellate Division)，、

3.初审法院(County or Municipal Court)

基本职能介绍：

联邦系统法院管辖的案件主要是：

①因联邦法律、条约或州宪法而系争的所谓“联邦问题案件”，包括宪法规定由最高法院初审或终审的案件，以及联邦法律规定由联邦系统的法院专属管辖的案件，如破产案件等。

②双方当事人为不同国籍或州籍而且系争数额达一万美元的案件，可由当事人自行决定由联邦法院或州法院审理，但离婚案件除外。

③联邦其他法院移送的案件，以及原属联邦与州双重管辖而双方当事人自愿转由联邦法院审理的案件。不属联邦法院专属管辖的案件，州法院均可管辖。至于各州之间的管辖，由于法律规定各异，与适用何州法律的冲突法问题密切相关，是美国法中争执较多、解决较难的问题。

下面来看一篇真题

A、下面的文章来自《彭博商业周刊》08年2月21号，戳【原文】访问

B、本文曾经用做2010年 非英语专业 统考考研（英语一）的考研试题

Over the past decade, thousands of patents have been 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.

Now the nation's top patent court appears completely ready to scale back on business-method patents, which have been controversial ever since they were first authorized 10 years ago. In a move that has intellectual-property lawyers abuzz the U.S. court of Appeals for the federal circuit said it would use a particular case to conduct a broad review of business-method patents. In re Bilski, as the case is known , is "a very big deal", says Dennis D. Crouch of the University of Missouri School of law. It "has the potential to eliminate an entire class of patents."

Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramatic about-face, because it was the federal circuit itself that introduced such patents with is 1998 decision in the so-called state Street Bank case, approving a patent on a way of pooling mutual-fund assets. That ruling produced an explosion in business-method patent filings, initially by emerging internet companies trying to stake out exclusive rights to specific types of online transactions. Later, move established companies raced to add such patents to their files, if only as a defensive move against rivals that might beat them to the punch. In 2005, IBM noted in a court filing that it had been issued more than 300 business-method patents despite the fact that it questioned the legal basis for granting them. Similarly, some Wall Street investment films armed themselves with patents for financial products, even as they took positions in court cases opposing the practice.

The Bilski case involves a claimed patent on a method for hedging risk in the energy market. The Federal circuit issued an unusual order stating that the case would be heard by all 12 of the court's judges, rather than a typical panel of three, and that one issue it wants to evaluate is whether it should "reconsider" its state street Bank ruling.

The Federal Circuit's action comes in the wake of a series of recent decisions by the supreme Court that has narrowed 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 "reacting to the anti-patent trend at the Supreme Court", says Harold C. Wegner, a patent attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.

26.   Business-method patents have recently aroused concern because of

[A] their limited value to business [B] their connection with asset allocation

[C] the possible restriction on their granting [D] the controversy over authorization

27.   Which of the following is true of the Bilski case?

[A] Its ruling complies with the court decisions [B] It involves a very big business transaction

[C] It has been dismissed by the Federal Circuit [D] It may change the legal practices in the U.S.

28.   The word "about-face" (Line 1, Para 3) most probably means

[A] loss of good will [B] increase of hostility

[C] change of attitude [D] enhancement of dignity

29.   We learn from the last two paragraphs that business-method patents

[A] are immune to legal challenges [B] are often unnecessarily issued

[C] lower the esteem for patent holders [D] increase the incidence of risks

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

答案解析

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 lying a box。

　　本段是背景段，讲过去的事情。只需看懂第一句“过去的几十年中，上千个商业方法被授予专利。”

　　Now the nation’s top patent court appears completely-property lawyers abuzz the U.S. court of Appeals for the federal circuit said it would use a particular case to conduct a broad review of business-method patents. In the Bilski, as the case is known, is a “very big deal”， says Dennis’D Crouch of the University of Missouri School of law. It “has the potential to eliminate an entire class of patents。”

　　本段转折。“将会用一个案例来全面审查商业方法专利”。最后一句“它有可能排除一种专利(即上文的business-method patent)”

　　26. Business-method patents have recently aroused concern because of

　　[A] their limited value to business

　　[B] their connection with asset allocation

　　[C] the possible restriction on their granting

　　[D] the controversy over authorization

　　选[C]，根正苗红的同义替换。possible= potential ， eliminate= restriction

　　[A] 无中生有 [B] 用第一段的一个小例子中的细节捏造选项 [D] controversy 无中生有。

　　27. Which of the following is true of the Bilski case?

　　[A] Its ruling complies with the court decisions

　　[B] It involves a very big business transaction

　　[C] It has been dismissed by the Federal Circuit

　　[D] It may change the legal practices in the U.S。

　　选[D] potential= may ,change 对应着第一段和第二段之间的转折。从本段的review，eliminate也可以看出这是一种转折。

　　全文一直没有讲Bilski case的判决的结果，而 [A] [C]都是在讲其判决结果，所以与原文相反。

　　[B] 是从原文“ a “very big deal””字面意识出发设置的干扰选项。a big deal 其实在英文中的意思是“重要”，而不是“生意(transaction)”

　　本题[D]还有may ,正确答案往往语气委婉，所以更加确定选这个选项。

　　Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramatic about-face, because it was the federal circuit itself that introduced such patents with is 1998 decision in the so-called state Street Bank case, approving a patent on a way of pooling mutual-fund assets. That ruling produced an explosion in business-method patent filings, initially by emerging internet companies trying to stake out exclusive pinhts to specific types of online transactions. Later, move established companies raced to add such patents to their files, if only as a defensive move against rivals that might bent them to the punch. In 2005, IBM noted in a court filing that it had been issued more than 300 business-method patents despite the fact that it questioned the legal basis for granting them. Similarly, some Wall Street investment films armed themselves with patents for financial products, even as they took positions in court cases opposing the practice。

　　28. The word “about-face” (Line 1,Para 3) most probably means

　　[A] loss of good will

　　[B] increase of hostility

　　[C] change of attitude

　　[D] enhancement of disnity

　　本题是词汇题，一定要返回原文通过上下文解题。Because 之前是说对business-method 的约束(curbs)，而because之后说的是“正是联邦审判引入了business-method”，所以二者之间自然表明了是“态度的转变”。所以选[C]

　　The Bilski case involves a claimed patent on a method for hedging risk in the energy market.  The Federal circuit issued an unusual order stating that the case would be heard by all 12 of the court’s judges, rather than a typical panel of three and that one issue it wants to evaluate is weather it should “reconsider” its state street Bank ruling。

　　本段第一句话没有看懂，直接跳过。第二句讲“联邦审判要求这个案子要12个法官审，而不是普通的3人小组，并且要求判断是否要重新考虑之前的Bank ruling” 由本句可以排除29 [A]

　　The Federal Circuit’s action comes in the wake of a series of recent decisions by the supreme Count that has narrowed 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 “reacting to the anti_patent trend at the supreme court”， says Harole C.wegner, a partend attorney and professor at aeorge Washington University Law School。

　　in the wake of= after 。第一句：最高法院已经减少了对专利持有者的保护(protection)。而29[C] 减少了对专利持有者的尊重(esteem)。其中esteem是对protection的偷梁换柱。第二句：举例子。法官发出信号： too many (过多的专利被授予了)，表明法院认为很多business-method 不应该被授予，所以选[B] too many =often unnecessarily.  [D]无中生有。

　　29. We learn from the last two paragraphs that business-method patents

　　[A] are immune to legal challenges

　　[B] are often unnecessarily issued

　　[C] lower the esteem for patent holders

　　[D] increase the incidence of risks

　　见上文的解析。本题[A] [B] 两项相反必去其一。

　　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

　　选择 [A] 。首先排除[B]，与原文相反。[C]大帽子。[A] [D]的选择有一定难度。用串线法解题。第一段讲过去business method很容易被授予专利。其中第一段的最后一句话已经暗含着对这种做法的反对。第二段转折：将会用一个案例来全面审查商业方法专利。第三段：对business method的约束(curbs)是法院态度的巨大转变。最后一段明确提出reacting to the anti-patent trend at the supreme court 。要注意的是原文始终没有说Bilski case的判决，因此只是一个looming (隐约地出现)的danger ，而不是已经盛行的趋势。