97-09考研英語(yǔ)真題閱讀裸文

Itwas3:45inthemorningwhenthevotewasfinallytaken.Aftersixmonthsofarguingandfinal16hoursofhotparliamentarydebates,Australia'sNorthernTerritorybecamethefirstlegalauthorityintheworldtoallowdoctorstotakethelivesofincurablyillpatientswhowishtodie.Themeasurepassedbytheconvincingvoteof15to10.AlmostimmediatelywordflashedontheInternetandwaspickedup,halfaworldaway,byJohnHofsess,executivedirectoroftheRighttoDieSocietyofCanada.Hesentitonviathegroup'son-lineservice,DeathNET.SaysHofsess:"Wepostedbulletinsalldaylong,becauseofcoursethisisn'tjustsomethingthathappenedinAustralia.It'sworldhistory."

Thefullimportmaytakeawhiletosinkin.TheNTRightsoftheTerminallyIIIlawhasleftphysiciansandcitizensaliketryingtodealwithitsmoralandpracticalimplications.Somehavebreathedsighsofrelief,others,includingchurches,righttolifegroupsandtheAustralianMedicalAssociation,bitterlyattackedthebillandthehasteofitspassage.Butthetideisunlikelytoturnback.InAustralia-whereanagingpopulation,lifeextendingtechnologyandchangingcommunityattitudeshaveallplayedtheirpart-otherstatesaregoingtoconsidermakingasimilarlawtodealwitheuthanasia.IntheUSandCanada,wheretherighttodiemovementisgatheringstrength,observersarewaitingforthedominoestostartfalling.

UnderthenewNorthernTerritorylaw,anadultpatientcanrequestdeath-probablybyadeadlyinjectionorpill—toputanendtosuffering.Thepatientmustbediagnosedasterminallyillbytwodoctors.Aftera“coolingoff'periodofsevendays,thepatientcansignacertificateofrequest.After48hoursthewishfordeathcanbemet.ForLloydNickson,a54yearoldDarwinresidentsufferingfromlungcancer,theNTRightsofTerminallyIIIlawmeanshecangetonwithlivingwithoutthehauntingfearofhissuffering:aterrifyingdeathfromhisbreathingcondition."I'mnotafraidofdyingfromaspiritualpointofview,butwhatIwasafraidofwashowI'dgo,becauseI'vewatchedpeopledieinthehospitalfightingforoxygenandclawingattheirmasks,"hesays.

AreportconsistentlybroughtbackbyvisitorstotheUSishowfriendly,courteous,andhelpfulmostAmericansweretothem.Tobefair,thisobservationisalsofrequentlymadeofCanadaandCanadians,andshouldbestbeconsideredNorthAmerican.Thereare,ofcourse,exceptions.Smallmindedofficials,rudewaiters,andill-manneredtaxidriversarehardlyunknownintheUS.Yetitisanobservationmadesofrequentlythatitdeservescomment.

Foralongperiodoftimeandinmanypartsofthecountry,atravelerwasawelcomebreakinanotherwisedullexistence.Dullnessandlonelinesswerecommonproblemsofthefamilieswhogenerallyliveddistantfromoneanother.Strangersandtravelerswerewelcomesourcesofdiversion,andbroughtnewsoftheoutsideworld.

Theharshrealitiesofthefrontieralsoshapedthistraditionofhospitality.Someonetravelingalone,ifhungry,injured,orill,oftenhadnowheretoturnexcepttothenearestcabinorsettlement.Itwasnotamatterofchoiceforthetravelerormerelyacharitableimpulseonthepartofthesettlers.Itreflectedtheharshnessofdailylife:ifyoudidn'ttakeinthestrangerandtakecareofhim,therewasnooneelsewhowould.Andsomeday,remember,youmightbeinthesamesituation.

Todaytherearemanycharitableorganizationswhichspecializeinhelpingthewearytraveler.Yet,theoldtraditionofhospitalitytostrangersisstillverystrongintheUS,especiallyinthesmallercitiesandtownsawayfromthebusytouristtrails.“Iwasjusttravelingthrough,gottalkingwiththisAmerican,andprettysoonheinvitedmehomefbrdinner-amazing."SuchobservationsreportedbyvisitorstotheUSarenotuncommon,butarenotalwaysunderstoodproperly.ThecasualfriendlinessofmanyAmericansshouldbeinterpretedneitherassuperficialnorasartificial,butastheresultofahistoricallydevelopedculturaltradition.

Asistrueofanydevelopedsociety,inAmericaacomplexsetofculturalsignals,assumptions,andconventionsunderliesallsocialinterrelationships.And,ofcourse,speakingalanguagedoesnotnecessarilymeanthatsomeoneunderstandssocialandculturalpatterns.Visitorswhofailto"translate"culturalmeaningsproperlyoftendrawwrongconclusions.Forexample,whenanAmericanusestheword"friend,"theculturalimplicationsofthewordmaybequitedifferentfromthoseithasinthevisitor'slanguageandculture.Ittakesmorethanabriefencounteronabustodistinguishbetweencourteousconventionandindividualinterest.Yet,beingfriendlyisavirtuethatmanyAmericansvaluehighlyandexpectfrombothneighborsandstrangers.

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Technically,anysubstanceotherthanfoodthataltersourbodilyormentalfunctioningisadrug.Manypeoplemistakenlybelievethetermdrugrefersonlytosomesortofmedicineoranillegalchemicaltakenbydrugaddicts.Theydon'trealizethatfamiliarsubstancessuchasalcoholandtobaccoarealsodrugs.Thisiswhythemoreneutraltermsubstanceisnowusedbymanyphysiciansandpsychologists.Thephrase“substanceabuse'*isoftenusedinsteadof"drugabuse''tomakeclearthat

substancessuchasalcoholandtobaccocanbejustasharmfullymisusedasheroinandcocaine.

Weliveasocietyinwhichthemedicinalandsocialuseofsubstances(drugs)ispervasive:anaspirintoquietaheadache,somewinetobesociable,coffeetogetgoinginthemorning,acigaretteforthenerves.Whendothesesociallyacceptableandapparentlyconstructiveusesofasubstancebecomemisuses?Firstofall,mostsubstancestakeninexcesswillproducenegativeeffectssuchaspoisoningorintenseperceptualdistortions.Repeateduseofasubstancecanalsoleadtophysicaladdictionorsubstancedependence.Dependenceismarkedfirstbyanincreasedtolerance,withmoreandmoreofthesubstancerequiredtoproducethedesiredeffect,andthenbytheappearanceofunpleasantwithdrawalsymptomswhenthesubstanceisdiscontinued.

Drugs(substances)thataffectthecentralnervoussystemandalterperception,mood,andbehaviorareknownaspsychoactivesubstances.Psychoactivesubstancesarecommonlygroupedaccordingtowhethertheyarestimulants,depressants,orhallucinogens.Stimulantsinitiallyspeeduporactivatethecentralnervoussystem,whereasdepressantsslowitdown.Hallucinogenshavetheirprimaryeffectonperception,distortingandalteringitinavarietyofwaysincludingproducinghallucinations.Thesearethesubstancesoftencalledpsychedelic(fromtheGreekwordmeaning''mind?manifesting")becausetheyseemedtoradicallyalterone'sstateofconsciousness.

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Nocompanylikestobetolditiscontributingtothemoraldeclineofanation.4tIsthiswhatyouintendedtoaccomplishwithyourcareers?”SenatorRobertDoleaskedTimeWarnerexecutiveslastweek.**Youhavesoldyoursouls,butmustyoucorruptournationandthreatenourchildrenaswell?"AtTimeWarner,however,suchquestionsaresimplythelatestmanifestationofthesoulsearchingthathasinvolvedthecompanyeversincethecompanywasbomin1990.It'saself-examinationthathas,atvarioustimes,involvedissuesofresponsibility,creativefreedomandthecorporatebottomline.

AtthecoreofthisdebateischairmanGeraldLevin,56,whotookoverforthelateSteveRossin1992.Onthefinancialfront,Levinisunderpressuretoraisethestockpriceandreducethecompany'smountainousdebt,whichwillincreaseto17.3billionaftertwonewcabledealsclose.Hehaspromisedtoselloffsomeofthepropertyandrestructurethecompany,butinvestorsarewaitingimpatiently.

Theflapoverrapisnotmakinglifeanyeasierforhim.Levinhasconsistentlydefendedthecompany'srapmusiconthegroundsofexpression.In1992,whenTimeWarnerwasunderfireforreleasingIceT'sviolentrapsongCopKiller,Levindescribedrapasalawfulexpressionofstreetculture,whichdeservesanoutlet."Thetestofanydemocraticsociety,"hewroteinaWallStreetJournalcolumn,t4liesnotinhowwellitcancontrolexpressionbutinwhetheritgivesfreedomofthoughtandexpressionthewidestpossiblelatitude,howeverdisputableorirritatingtheresultsmaysometimesbe.Wewon'tretreatinthefaceofanythreats."

Levinwouldnotcommentonthedebatelastweek,butthereweresignsthatthechairmanwasbackingoffhishardlinestand,atleasttosomeextent.Duringthediscussionofrocksingingversesatlastmonth'sstockholders'meeting,Levinassertedthat“musicisnotthecauseofsociety'sills"andevencitedhisson,ateacherintheBronx,NewYork,whousesraptocommunicatewithstudents.Buthetalkedaswellaboutthe"balancedstruggle"betweencreativefreedomandsocialresponsibility,andheannouncedthatthecompanywouldlaunchadrivetodevelopstandardsfordistributionandlabelingofpotentiallyobjectionablemusic.

The15memberTimeWarnerboardisgenerallysupportiveofLevinandhiscorporatestrategy.Butinsiderssayseveralofthemhaveshowntheirconcernsinthismatter."Someofushaveknownformany,manyyearsthatthefreedomsundertheFirstAmendmentarenottotallyunlimited,"saysLuce."Ithinkitisperhapsthecasethatsomepeopleassociatedwiththecompanyhaveonlyrecentlycometorealizethis."

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Muchofthelanguageusedtodescribemonetarypolicy,suchas"steeringtheeconomytoasoftlanding"or"atouchonthebrakes,"makesitsoundlikeaprecisescience.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Thelinkbetweeninterestratesandinflationisuncertain.Andtherearelong,variablelagsbeforepolicychangeshaveanyeffectontheeconomy.Hencetheanalogythatlikenstheconductofmonetarypolicytodrivingacarwithablackenedwindscreen,acrackedrearviewmirrorandafaultysteeringwheel.

Givenallthesedisadvantages,centralbankersseemtohavehadmuchtoboastaboutoflate.Averageinflationinthebigsevenindustrialeconomiesfelltoamere2.3%lastyear,closetoitslowestlevelin30years,beforerisingslightlyto2.5%thisJuly.Thisisalongwaybelowthedouble-digitrateswhichmanycountriesexperiencedinthe1970sandearly1980s.

Itisalsolessthanmostforecastershadpredicated.Inlate1994thepanelofeconomistswhichTheEconomistpollseachmonthsaidthatAmerica'sinflationratewouldaverage3.5%in1995.Infact,itfellto2.6%inAugust,andexpectedtoaverageonlyabout3%fortheyearasawhole.InBritainandJapaninflationisrunninghalfapercentagepointbelowtheratepredictedattheendoflastyear.Thisisnoflashinthepan;overthepastcoupleofyears,inflationhasbeenconsistentlylowerthanexpectedinBritainandAmerica.

EconomistshavebeenparticularlysurprisedbyfavorableinflationfiguresinBritainandtheUnitedStates,sinceconventionalmeasuressuggestthatbotheconomies,andespeciallyAmerica's,havelittleproductiveslack.America'scapacityutilization,forexample,hithistoricallyhighlevelsearlierthisyear,anditsjoblessrate(5.6%inAugust)hasfallenbellowmostestimatesofthenaturalrateofunemployment-theratebelowwhichinflationhastakenoffinthepast.

Whyhasinflationprovedsomild?Themostthrillingexplanationis,unfortunately,alittledefective.Someeconomistsarguethatpowerfulstructuralchangesintheworldhaveup-endedtheoldeconomicmodelsthatwerebaseduponthehistoricallinkbetweengrowthandinflation.

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Fewcreationsofbigtechnologycapturetheimaginationlikegiantdams.Perhapsitishumankind'slongsufferingatthemercyoffloodanddroughtthatmakestheidealofforcingthewaterstodoourbiddingsofascinating.Buttobefascinatedisalso,sometimes,tobeblind.Severalgiantdamprojectsthreatentodomoreharmthangood.

Thelessonfromdamsisthatbigisnotalwaysbeautiful.Itdoesn'thelpthatbuildingabig,powerfuldamhasbecomeasymbolofachievementfornationsandpeoplestrivingtoassertthemselves.Egypt'sleadershipintheArabworldwascementedbytheAswanHighDam.Turkey'sbidforFirstWorldstatusincludesthegiantAtaturkDam.

Butbigdamstendnottoworkasintended.TheAswanDam,forexample,stoppedtheNilefloodingbutdeprivedEgyptofthefertilesiltthatfloodsleft-allinreturnforagiantreservoirofdiseasewhichisnowsofullofsiltthatitbarelygenerateselectricity.

Andyet,themythofcontrollingthewaterspersists.Thisweek,intheheartofcivilizedEurope,SlovaksandHungariansstoppedjustshortofsendinginthetroopsintheircontentionoveradamontheDanube.Thehugecomplexwillprobablyhavealltheusualproblemsofbigdams.ButSlovakiaisbiddingforindependencefromtheCzechs,andnowneedsadamtoproveitself.

Meanwhile,inIndia,theWorldBankhasgiventhego-aheadtotheevenmorewrong-headedNarmadaDam.Andthebankhasdonethiseventhoughitsadvisorssaythedamwillcausehardshipforthepowerlessandenvironmentaldestruction.Thebenefitsareforthepowerful,buttheyarefarfromguaranteed.

Proper,scientificstudyoftheimpactsofdamsandofthecostandbenefitsofcontrollingwatercanhelptoresolvetheseconflicts.Hydroelectricpowerandfloodcontrolandirrigationarepossiblewithoutbuildingmonsterdams.Butwhenyouaredealingwithmyths,itishardtobeeitherproper,orscientific.ItistimethattheworldlearnedthelessonsofAswan.Youdon'tneedadamtobesaved.

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Well,nogainwithoutpain,theysay.Butwhataboutpainwithoutgain?EverywhereyougoinAmerica,youheartalesofcorporaterevival.Whatishardertoestablishiswhethertheproductivityrevolutionthatbusinessmenassumetheyarepresidingoverisforreal.

Theofficialstatisticsaremildlydiscouraging.Theyshowthat,ifyoulumpmanufacturingandservicestogether,productivityhasgrownonaverageby1.2%since1987.Thatissomewhatfasterthantheaverageduringthepreviousdecade.Andsince1991,productivityhasincreasedbyabout2%ayear,whichismorethantwicethe1978-1987average.Thetroubleisthatpartoftherecentaccelerationisduetotheusualreboundthatoccursatthispointinabusinesscycle,andsoisnotconclusiveevidenceofarevivalintheunderlyingtrend.Thereis,asRobertRubin,thetreasurysecretary,says,a"disjunction"betweenthemassofbusinessanecdotethatpointstoaleapinproductivityandthepicturereflectedbythestatistics.

Someofthiscanbeeasilyexplained.Newwaysoforganizingtheworkplace—allthatre-engineeringanddownsizing-areonlyonecontributiontotheoverallproductivityofaneconomy,whichisdrivenbymanyotherfactorssuchasjointinvestmentinequipmentandmachinery,newtechnology,andinvestmentineducationandtraining.Moreover,mostofthechangesthatcompaniesmakeareintendedtokeepthemprofitable,andthisneednotalwaysmeanincreasingproductivity:switchingtonewmarketsorimprovingqualitycanmatterjustasmuch.

Twootherexplanationsaremorespeculative.First,someofthebusinessrestructuringofrecentyearsmayhavebeenineptlydone.Second,evenifitwaswelldone,itmayhavespreadmuchlesswidelythanpeoplesuppose.

LeonardSchlesinger,aHarvardacademicandformerchiefexecutiveofAuBongPain,arapidlygrowingchainofbakerycafes,saysthatmuch"re-engineering"hasbeencrude.Inmanycases,hebelieves,thelossofrevenuehasbeengreaterthanthereductionsincost.Hiscolleague,MichaelBeer,saysthatfartoomanycompanieshaveappliedre-engineeringinamechanisticfashion,choppingoutcostswithoutgivingsufficientthoughttolongtermprofitability.BBDO'sAlRosenshineisblunter.Hedismissesalotoftheworkofre-engineeringconsultantsasmererubbish—"theworstsortofambulancecashing."

Sciencehaslonghadanuneasyrelationshipwithotheraspectsofculture.ThinkofGallileo's17thcenturytrialforhisrebellingbeliefbeforetheCatholicChurchorpoetWilliamBlake'sharshremarksagainstthemechanisticworldviewofIsaacNewton.Theschismbetweenscienceandthehumanitieshas,ifanything,deepenedinthiscentury.

Untilrecently,thescientificcommunitywassopowerfulthatitcouldaffordtoignoreitscritics-butnolonger.Asfundingforsciencehasdeclined,scientistshaveattacked“antiscience“inseveralbooks,notablyHigherSuperstition,byPaulR.Gross,abiologistattheUniversityofVirginia,andNormanLevitt,amathematicianatRutgersUniversity;andTheDemon-HauntedWorld,byCarlSaganofCornellUniversity.

Defendersofsciencehavealsovoicedtheirconcernsatmeetingssuchas"TheFlightfromScienceandReason,"heldinNewYorkCityin1995,and"ScienceintheAgeof(Mis)information,"whichassembledlastJunenearBuffalo.

Antiscienceclearlymeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople.GrossandLevittfindfaultprimarilywithsociologists,philosophersandotheracademicswhohavequestionedscience'sobjectivity.Saganismoreconcernedwiththosewhobelieveinghosts,creationismandotherphenomenathatcontradictthescientificworldview.

Asurveyofnewsstoriesin1996revealsthattheantisciencetaghasbeenattachedtomanyothergroupsaswell,fromauthoritieswhoadvocatedtheeliminationofthelastremainingstocksofsmallpoxvirustoRepublicanswhoadvocateddecreasedfundingforbasicresearch.

FewwoulddisputethatthetermappliestotheUnabomber,whosemanifesto,publishedin1995,scornsscienceandlongsforreturntoapre-technologicalutopia.Butsurelythatdoesnotmeanenvironmentalistsconcernedaboutuncontrolledindustrialgrowthareantiscience,asanessayinUSNews&WorldReportlastMayseemedtosuggest.

Theenvironmentalists,inevitably,respondtosuchcritics.Thetrueenemiesofscience,arguesPaulEhrlichofStanfordUniversity,apioneerofenvironmentalstudies,arethosewhoquestiontheevidencesupportingglobalwarming,thedepletionoftheozonelayerandotherconsequencesofindustrialgrowth.

Indeed,someobserversfearthattheantiscienceepithetisindangerofbecomingmeaningless."Theterm'antiscience'canlumptogethertoomany,quitedifferentthings,"notesHarvardUniversityphilosopherGeraldHoltoninhis1993workScienceandAnti-Science."Theyhaveincommononlyonethingthattheytendtoannoyorthreatenthosewhoregardthemselvesasmoreenlightened."

Emergingfromthe1980censusisthepictureofanationdevelopingmoreandmoreregionalcompetition,aspopulationgrowthintheNortheastandMidwestreachesanearstandstill.

Thisdevelopment--anditsstrongimplicationsforUSpoliticsandeconomyinyearsahead-hasenthronedtheSouthasAmerica'smostdenselypopulatedregionforthefirsttimeinthehistoryofthenation'sheadcounting.

Altogether,theUSpopulationroseinthe1970sby23.2millionpeople—numericallythethirdlargestgrowtheverrecordedinasingledecade.Evenso,thatgainaddsuptoonly11.4percent,lowestinAmericanannualrecordsexceptfortheDepressionyears.

AmericanshavebeenmigratingsouthandwestinlargernumbersinceWorldWarII,andthepatternstillprevails.

Threesun-beltstates-Florida,TexasandCalifornia-togetherhadnearly10millionmorepeoplein1980thanadecadeearlie匚Amonglargecities,SanDiegomovedfrom14thto8thandSanAntoniofrom15thto10th—withClevelandandWashington.D.C.droppingoutofthetop10.

Notallthatshiftcanbeattributedtothemovementoutofthesnowbelt,censusofficialssay,Nonstopwavesofimmigrantsplayedarole,too—andsodidbiggercropsofbabiesasyesterday's"babyboom”generationreacheditschildbearingyears.

Moreover,demographersseethecontinuingshiftsouthandwestasjoinedbyarelatedbutnewerphenomenon:Moreandmore,Americansapparentlyarelookingnotjustforplaceswithmorejobsbutwithfewerpeople,too.Someinstances—■Regionally,theRockyMountainstatesreportedthemostrapidgrowthrate-37.1percentsince1970inavastareawithonly5percentoftheUSpopulation.

■Amongstates,NevadaandArizonagrewfastestofall:63.5and53.1percentrespectively.ExceptforFloridaandTexas,thetop10inrateofgrowthiscomposedofWesternstateswith7.5millionpeople-about9persquaremile.

Theflightfromovercrowdednessaffectsthemigrationfromsnowbelttomorebearableclimates.

Nowheredo1980censusstatisticsdramatizemoretheAmericansearchforspaciouslivingthanintheFarWest.There,Californiaadded3.7milliontoitspopulationinthe1970s,morethananyotherstate.

Inthatdecade,however,largenumbersalsomigratedfromCalifornia,mostlytootherpartsoftheWest.Oftentheychose-andstillarechoosing-somewhatcolderclimatessuchasOregon,IdahoandAlaskainordertoescapesmog,crimeandotherplaguesofurbanizationintheGoldenState.

Asaresult,California'sgrowthratedroppedduringthe1970s,to18.5percent—littlemorethantwothirdsthe1960s'growthfigureandconsiderablybelowthatofotherWesternstates.

Scatteredaroundtheglobearemorethan100smallregionsofisolatedvolcanicactivityknowntogeologistsashotspots.Unlikemostoftheworld'svolcanoes,theyarenotalwaysfoundattheboundariesofthegreatdriftingplatesthatmakeuptheearth'ssurface;onthecontrary,manyofthemliedeepintheinteriorofaplate.Mostofthehotspotsmoveonlyslowly,andinsomecasesthemovementoftheplatespastthemhaslefttrailsofdeadvolcanoes.Thehotspotsandtheirvolcanictrailsaremilestonesthatmarkthepassageoftheplates.

Thattheplatesaremovingisnowbeyonddispute.AfricaandSouthAmerica,forexample,aremovingawayfromeachotherasnewmaterialisinjectedintotheseafloorbetweenthem.Thecomplementarycoastlinesandcertaingeologicalfeaturesthatseemtospantheoceanareremindersofwherethetwocontinentswereoncejoined.Therelativemotionoftheplatescarryingthesecontinentshasbeenconstructedindetail,butthemotionofoneplatewithrespecttoanothercannotreadilybetranslatedintomotionwithrespecttotheearth'sinterior.Itisnotpossibletodeterminewhetherbothcontinentsaremovinginoppositedirectionsorwhetheronecontinentisstationaryandtheotherisdriftingawayfromit.Hotspots,anchoredinthedeeperlayersoftheearth,providethemeasuringinstrumentsneededtoresolvethequestion.Fromananalysisofthehot-spotpopulationitappearsthattheAfricanplateisstationaryandthatithasnotmovedduringthepast30millionyears.

Thesignificanceofhotspotsisnotconfinedtotheirroleasaframeofreference.Itnowappearsthattheyalsohaveanimportantinfluenceonthegeophysicalprocessesthatpropeltheplatesacrosstheglobe.Whenacontinentalplatecometorestoverahotspot,thematerialrisingfromdeeperlayercreatesabroaddome.Asthedomegrows,itdevelopsseedfissures(cracks);inatleastafewcasesthecontinentmaybreakentirelyalongsomeofthesefissures,sothatthehotspotinitiatestheformationofanewocean.Thusjustasearliertheorieshaveexplainedthemobilityofthecontinents,sohotspotsmayexplaintheirmutability(inconstancy).

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It'saroughworldoutthere.Stepoutsideandyoucouldbreakalegslippingonyourdoormat.Lightupthestoveandyoucouldbumdownthehouse.Luckily,ifthedoormatorstovefailedtowarnofcomingdisaster,asuccessfullawsuitmightcompensateyouforyourtroubles.Orsothethinkinghasgonesincetheearly1980s,whenjuriesbeganholdingmorecompaniesliablefortheircustomers'misfortunes.

Feelingthreatened,companiesrespondedbywritingever-longerwarninglabels,tryingtoanticipateeverypossibleaccident.Today,stepladderscarrylabelsseveralincheslongthatwarn,amongotherthings,thatyoumight—surprise!-falloff.Thelabelonachild'sBatmancapecautionsthatthetoy“doesnotenableusertofly.”

Whilewarningsareoftenappropriateandnecessary--thedangersofdruginteractions,forexample—andmanyarerequiredbystateorfederalregulations,itisn'tclearthattheyactuallyprotectthemanufacturersandsellersfromliabilityifacustomerisinjured.About50percentofthecompanieslosewheninjuredcustomerstakethemtocourt.

Nowthetideappearstobeturning.Aspersonalinjuryclaimscontinueasbefore,somecourtsarebeginningtosidewithdefendants,especiallyincaseswhereawarninglabelprobablywouldn'thavechangedanything.InMay,JulieNimmons,presidentofSchuttSportsinIllinois,successfullyfoughtalawsuitinvolvingafootballplayerwhowasparalyzedinagamewhilewearingaSchutthelmet."We'rereallysorryhehasbecomeparalyzed,buthelmetsaren'tdesignedtopreventthosekindsofinjuries,''saysNimmons.Thejuryagreedthatthenatureofthegame,notthehelmet,wasthereasonfortheathlete'sinjury.Atthesametime,theAmericanLawInstitute-agroupofjudges,lawyers,andacademicswhoserecommendationscarrysubstantialweight-issuednewguidelinesfortortlawstatingthatcompaniesneednotwarncustomersofobviousdangersorbombardthemwithalengthylistofpossibleones."Importantinformationcangetburiedinaseaoftrivialities,"saysalawprofessoratCornelllawSchoolwhohelpeddraftthenewguidelines.Ifthemoderateendofthelegalcommunityhasitsway,theinformationonproductsmightactuallybeprovidedforthebenefitofcustomersandnotasprotectionagainstlegalliability.

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InthefirstyearorsoofWebbusiness,mostoftheactionhasrevolvedaroundeffortstotaptheconsumermarket.Morerecently,astheWebprovedtobemorethanafashion,companieshavestartedtobuyandsellproductsandserviceswithoneanother.Suchbusiness-to-businesssalesmakesensebecausebusinesspeopletypicallyknowwhatproductthey'relookingfor.Nonetheless,manycompaniesstillhesitatetousetheWebbecauseofdoubtsaboutitsreliability."Businessesneedtofeeltheycantrustthepathwaybetweenthemandthesupplier,"sayssenioranalystBlaneErwinofForresterResearch.Somecompaniesarelimitingtheriskbyconductingonlinetransactionsonlywithestablishedbusinesspartnerswh