Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)(15 minutes)

　　Directions:In this part,you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7,mark

　　Y (for YES)if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage;

　　N (for NO)if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage;

　　NG (for NOT GIVEN)if the information is not given in the passage.

　　For questions 8-10,complete the sentences with information given in the passage.

　　Computer Crime

　　A computer crime is generally defined as one that involves the use of computers and software for illegal purposes. This doesn’t mean that all the crimes are new types of crime. On the contrary, many of these crimes, such as embezzlement of funds, the alteration of records, theft, vandalism, sabotage, and terrorism, can be committed without a computer. But with a computer, these offenses can be carried out more quickly and with less chance that the person responsible for the crime will be discovered.

　　Computer crimes are on the rise and have been for the last twelve years. Just how much these computer crimes cost the American public is in dispute, but estimates range from ?$3 billion to ?$5 billion annually. Even the FBI, which attempts to keep track of the growth or decline of all kinds of crimes, is unable to say precisely how large a loss is involved; however, it estimates that the average take from a company hit by computer crime is ?$600,000. A number of reasons are given for the increase in computer crime: (A) more computers in use and, thus, more people who are familiar with basic computer operation; (B) more computers tied together in satellite and other data—transmission networks; and (C) the easy access of microcomputers to huge mainframe data bases.

　　The Criminal

　　Movies and newspaper stories might lead us to believe that most computer crimes are committed by teenage “hackers”—brilliant and basically good children who let their imagination and technical genius get them into trouble. But a realistic look at the crimes reveals that the offender is likely to be an employee of the firm against which the crime has been committed, i.e., an “insider”.

　　Difficulty of Detection and Prevention

　　Given the kind of person who commits a computer crime and the environment in which the crime occurs, it is often difficult to detect who the criminal is. First of all, the crime may be so complex that months or years go by before anyone discovers it.

　　Second, once the crime has been revealed, it is not easy to find a clear trail of evidence that leads back to the guilty party. After all, looking for “weapons” or fingerprints does not occur as it might in the investigation of more conventional crimes.

　　Third, there are usually no witnesses to the computer crime, even though it may be taking place in a room filled with people. Who is to say if the person at the next terminal, calmly keying in data, is doing the company’s work or committing a criminal act?

　　Fourth, not enough people in management and law enforcement know enough about computer technology to prevent the crimes. Authorities have to be familiar with the computer’s capabilities within a given situation to guard against its misuses. In some large cities, such as Los Angeles, police departments have set up specially trained computer crime units.

　　But even when an offender is caught, the investigators, attorneys (律師), judges, or juries may find the alleged crime too complicated and perplexing to handle. More attorneys are specializing in computer law and studying the computer’s potential for misuse.

　　After a computer crime has been discovered, many companies do not report it or prosecute (起訴) the person responsible. A company may not announce the crime out of fear that the pubic will find out the weaknesses of its computer system and lose confidence in its organization. Banks, credit card companies, and investment firms are especially sensitive about revealing their vulnerabilities (脆弱性) because they rely heavily on customer trust.

　　To avoid public attention, cautious companies will often settle cases of computer tampering out of court. And if cases do go to trial and the offenders are convicted, they may be punished only by a fine or light sentence because the judge or jury isn’t fully trained to understand the nature and seriousness of the crime.

　　Not all companies are timid in apprehending computer criminals. For example, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company decided it had to get tough on violators. So when the company discovered that one of its computer technicians had embezzled ?$200,000 by entering false benefit claims, it presented it findings to the state’s attorney and aided in the prosecution of the technician. The technician was found guilty and sentenced to prison, not just for the computer misuse, but also for grand theft and insurance fraud. Connecticut General now has a policy of reporting all incidents of theft or fraud, no matter how small.

　　提示:在實(shí)考試卷中，8-10題在答題卡1上。

　　1. The FBI knows exactly how large a loss is involved in computer crimes.

　　2. It has become easy for microcomputer owners to use huge mainframe data bases.

　　3. It is implied in the Paragraph 3 that most computer criminals are the employees of the concerned companies.

　　4. Many companies don?t report computer crimes because law procedures against computer crimes usually cost a lot of money.

　　5. When computer crime takes place in a room filled with people, there are usually many witnesses to the crime.

　　6. The passage is mainly about the increase of computer crimes in America and the difficulties in combating computer crimes.

　　7. Computer crimes are on the rise because more cheap microcomputers are available.

　　8. According to the passage, computer crimes has been on the rise for the

　　last years.

　　9. Connecticut General Life Insurance company is cited as of companies that took serious measures to fight against computer crimes.

　　10. Banks, credit card companies, and investment firms are especially sensitive about revealing their vulnerabilities because they place too much reliance on .

　　參考答案：

　　1. N.該句句意為:美國(guó)聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局確切知道計(jì)算機(jī)犯罪造成了多大損失。本題解題依據(jù)為本文第二段 “Even the FBI,which attempts…is involved”，該句大意為:盡管FBI致力于對(duì)各種犯罪的上升和下降有清晰認(rèn)識(shí)，但并不能精確說(shuō)明損失多大，所以與原文之意不合。

　　2. Y. 該句句意為:計(jì)算機(jī)擁有者很容易利用大量計(jì)算機(jī)數(shù)據(jù)庫(kù)，本題解題依據(jù)為第二段最后一段話(huà)“…the easy access of microcomputers to huge mainframe data bases.”與原文之義吻合。

　　3. Y. 該句句意為: 本文第三段暗示大多數(shù)利用計(jì)算機(jī)犯罪者是相關(guān)公司雇員。本題解題依據(jù)為文章第三段最后一句話(huà)，其大意為: 現(xiàn)實(shí)情況表明很可能是該公司雇員內(nèi)部人…,與原文所述之義吻合。

　　4. N. 該句句意為: 許多公司不舉報(bào)計(jì)算機(jī)犯罪是因?yàn)榉�律訴訟通常花費(fèi)很多錢(qián)。解題依據(jù)為本文第九段第一和第二句話(huà)，他們不舉報(bào)是害怕公眾發(fā)現(xiàn)其計(jì)算機(jī)系統(tǒng)的弱點(diǎn)而對(duì)其喪失信心。據(jù)此可確定與原文所述不符。

　　5. N. 該句句意為: 當(dāng)計(jì)算機(jī)犯罪在滿(mǎn)是人的房間里發(fā)生時(shí)，通常有很多證人指證犯罪。本題解題依據(jù)為本文第六段第一句話(huà)，該句大意為:即使計(jì)算機(jī)犯罪發(fā)生在滿(mǎn)是人的房間里，通常也無(wú)證人。據(jù)此可知該句所述之義與原文不符。

　　6. Y. 該句句意為:本篇文章主要是關(guān)于計(jì)算機(jī)犯罪的增長(zhǎng)及與之作斗爭(zhēng)的困難性，通覽全文，尤其根據(jù)小標(biāo)題的提示,我們不難看出文章主要論述了計(jì)算機(jī)犯罪與日俱增及難于發(fā)覺(jué)和阻止諸方面的原因，即文章的中心思想，與原文所述主旨吻合。

　　7. NG.該句句意為:計(jì)算機(jī)犯罪上升是因?yàn)橛懈�多便宜的�?jì)算機(jī)。本文第二段用a，b，c列出了計(jì)算機(jī)犯罪增加的三大原因，其中并未提及計(jì)算機(jī)便宜這一點(diǎn)。

　　8. twelve 答案依據(jù)為第二段第一句話(huà)。

　　9. an example “…be cited as an example”,表示“引用…來(lái)作為一個(gè)例證”答案依據(jù)為文章最后一段第二句話(huà)。但原文沒(méi)有直接照抄的語(yǔ)言，只能根據(jù)理解完成此空。

　　10. customer trust 答案依據(jù)為本文第九段最后一句話(huà)。