文/  北京新东方学校 北美部GMAT项目组 李昊 周帆

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　　文章及题目：

　　(line) Traditionally, the first firm to commercialize a

　　new technology has benefited from the unique

　　opportunity to shape product definitions, forcing

　　followers to adapt to a standard or invest in an

　　(5) unproven alternative. Today, however, the largest

　　payoffs may go to companies that lead in

　　developing integrated approaches for successful

　　mass production and distribution.

　　Producers of the Beta format for

　　(10) videocassette recorders (VCRs), for example,

　　were first to develop the VCR commercially in

　　1975, but producers of the rival VHS (Video

　　Home System) format proved to be more

　　successful at forming strategic alliances with

　　(15) other producers and distributors to manufacture

　　and market their VCR format. Seeking to maintain

　　exclusive control over VCR distribution, Beta

　　producers were reluctant to form such alliances

　　and eventually lost ground to VHS in the

　　(20) competition for the global VCR market.

　　Despite Beta’s substantial technological head

　　start and the fact that VHS was neither technically

　　better nor cheaper than Beta, developers of VHS

　　quickly turned a slight early lead in sales into a

　　(25) dominant position. Strategic alignments with

　　producers of prerecorded tapes reinforced the

　　VHS advantage. The perception among

　　consumers that prerecorded tapes were more

　　available in VHS format further expanded VHS’s

　　(30) share of the market. By the end of the 1980s,

　　Beta was no longer in production.