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专八阅读训练: Crime in Computer

2011-08-18 06:00
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Crime in Computer

New and bizarre crimes have come into being with theadvent of computer technology. Organized crime to has beendirectly involved; the new technology offers it unlimitedopportunities, such as data crimes, theft of services, property-related crimes, industrial sabotage, politically related sabotage,vandalism, crimes against the individual and financially relatedcrimes…

Theft of data, or data crime, has attracted the interest of organized criminal syndicates. This isusually the theft or copying of valuable computer grogram. An international market already existsfor computerized data, and specialized fences are said to be playing a key role in this rapidlyexpanding criminal market. Buyers for stolen programs may range from a firm’s competitors toforeign nations.

A competitor sabotages a company’s computer system to destroy or cripple the firm’soperational ability, thus neutralizing its competitive capability either in the private or thegovernment sector. This computer sabotage may also be tied to an attempt by affluent investorsto acquire the victim firm. With the growing reliance by firms on computers for their recordkeepingand daily operations, sabotage of their computers can result in internal havoc, after which thegroup interested in acquiring the firm can easily buy it at a substantially lower price. Criminal groupscould also resort to sabotage if the company is a competitor of a business owned or controlled byorganized crime.

Politically motivated sabotage is on the increase; political extremist groups have sprouted onevery continent. Sophisticated computer technology arms these groups with awesome powersand opens technologically advanced nations to their attack. Several attempts have already beenmade to destroy computer facility at an air force base. A university computer facility involved innational defence work suffered more than $2 million in damages as a result of a bombing.

Computer vulnerability has been amply documented. One congressional study concluded thatneither government nor private computer systems are adequately protected against sabotage.Organized criminal syndicates have shown their willingness to work with politically motivatedgroups. Investigators have uncovered evidence of cooperation between criminal groups andforeign governments in narcotics. Criminal groups have taken attempts in assassinating politicalleaders…. Computers are used in hospital life-support system, in laboratories, and in major surgery.Criminals could easily turn these computers into tools of devastation. By sabotaging the computerof a life-support system, criminals could kill an individual as easily as they had used a gun. Bymanipulating a computer, they could guide awesome tools of terror against large urban centers.Cities and nations could become hostages. Homicide could take a now form. The computer maybecome the hit man of the twentieth century.

The computer opens vast areas of crime to organized criminal groups, both national andinternational. It calls on them to pool their resources and increase their cooperative efforts,because many of these crimes are too complex for one group to handle, especially those requitinga vast network of fences. Although criminals have adapted to computer technology, lawenforcement has not. Many still think in terms of traditional criminology.

1. How many kinds of crimes are mentioned in the passage?
[A] 7 [B] 8 [C] 9 [D] 10

2. What is the purpose of a competitor to sabotage a company’s computer?
[A] His purpose is to destroy or weaken the firm’s operational ability.
[B] His purpose is to weaken firm’s competitive capability and get it.
[C] His purpose is to buy the rival’s company at a relatively low price.
[D] His purpose is to steal important data.

3. Which of the following can be labeled as a politically motivated sabotage of a computer system?
[A] Sabotage of a university computer.
[B] Sabotage of a hospital computer.
[C] Sabotage of computer at a secret training base.
[D] Sabotage of a factory computer.

4. What does the author mean by “Homicide could take a new form”?
[A] There is no need to use a gun in killing a person.
[B] Criminals can kill whoever they want by a computer.
[C] The computer can replace any weapons.
[D] The function of a computer is just like a gun.

答案详解(反白可见):

1. B. 8种,具体罪行。见难句译注1。

2. B. 他的目的是削弱公司竞争力进而得到它。答案见难句译注2及第二段第二句起:“计算机破坏也可以和富裕的投资者欲得到对手的公司的企图相连。随着公司对计算机记录存储的信赖性加强,破坏他们的计算机可以造成内部大破坏。之后,对取得这个公司感性趣的集团很容易在级低价格上买进。”
A. 削弱公司运转能力。   C. 在相当低的价格上买进对手的公司。这两个选项都只是破坏目的的一个方面。  D. 偷窃重要资料,文内没有讲。

3. C 破坏秘密训练基础。这可以标以政治目的的破坏计算机。
A. 大学   B. 医院    D. 工厂。 这三个地方都难以和政治直接相连,第三段讲的大学是“参与国防保卫工作的大学计算机措施”,和一般大学不一样。只有秘密训练的基地和真正相连的可能性最大,所以选C.

4. B. 犯罪可以通过计算机任意杀人。答案在第五段:“犯罪集团曾采取步骤暗杀政治领袖。医院的生命维护系统,实验室,大型外科手术中都用计算机。罪犯们很容易把这些计算机转变成破坏的工具。通过破坏生命维护系统计算机,罪犯们就像用枪一样很容易杀死人。通过控制计算机,他们可以指导这可怖的工具攻击大城市中心。城市和国家都可以成为人质。谋杀具有新的形式,计算机可能成为21世纪的事业杀手。”
A. 杀人不需要用枪。这话太笼统,不用枪,用什么。用毒药,用刀?  C. 计算机可以取代任何武器。      D. 计算机的功能就像枪,错误的。

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