Passage Two
More and more, the operations of our businesses, governments, and financial
institutions are controlled by information that exists only inside computer memories. Anyone
clever enough to modify this information for his own purposes can reap big reward. Even
worse, a number of people who have done this and been caught at it have managed to get
away without punishment.
It’s easy for computer crimes to go undetected if no one checks up on what the
computer is doing. But even if the crime is detected, the criminal may walk away not only
unpunished but with a glowing recommendation from his former employers.
Of course, we have no statistics on crimes that go undetected. But it’s disturbing to note
how many of the crimes we do know about were detected by accident, not by systematic
inspections or other security procedures. The computer criminals who have been caught may
have been the victims of uncommonly bad luck.
Unlike other lawbreakers, who must leave the country, commit suicide, or go to jail,
computer criminals sometimes escape punishment, demanding not only that they not be
charged but that they be given good recommendations and perhaps other benefits. All too
often, their demands have been met.
Why? Because company executives are afraid of the bad publicity that would result if
the public found out that their computer had been misused. They hesitate at the thought of a
criminal boasting in open court of how he juggled (篡改) the most confidential (保密)
records right under the noses of the company’s executives, accountants, and security staff.
And so another computer criminal departs with just the recommendations he needs to
continue his crimes elsewhere.
46. It can be concluded from the passage that ______.
A. it is still impossible to detect computer crimes today
B. people commit computer crimes at the request of their company
C. computer criminals escape punishment because they can’t be detected
D. computer crimes are the most serious problem in the operation of financial institutions
47. It is implied in the third paragraph that ______.
A. most computer criminals who are caught blame their bad luck
B. the rapid increase of computer crimes is a troublesome problem
C. most computer criminals are smart enough to cover up their crimes
D. many more computer crimes, which are discovered, go undetected
48. Which of the following statements is mentioned in the passage?
A. A strict law against computer crimes must be enforced.
B. Companies usually hesitate to uncover computer crimes to protect their reputation.
C. Companies will guard against computer crimes to protect their reputation.
D. Companies need to impose restrictions on confidential information.
49. What may happen to computer criminals once they are caught?
A. With a bad reputation they can hardly find another job.
B. They may walk away and easily find another job.
C. They will be denied access to confidential records.
D. They must leave the country to go to jail.
50. The passage is mainly about ______.
A. why computer criminals are often able to escape punishment
B. why computer crimes are difficult to be detected by systematic inspections
C. how computer criminals mange to get good recommendations from their former
employers
D. why computer crimes can’t be eliminated
Passage Three
Another cultural aspect of nonverbal communication is one that you might not think
about: space. Every person perceives himself to have a sort of invisible shield surrounding
his physical body. When someone comes too close, he feels uncomfortable. When he bumps
onto someone, he feels obligated to apologize. But the size of a person’s “comfort zone”
depends on his cultural ethnic origin. For example, in casual conversation, many Americans
stand about four feet apart. In other words, they like to keep each other “at arm’s length”,
people in Latin or Arab cultures, in contrast, stand very close to each other, and touch each
other often. If someone from one of those cultures stands too close to an American while in
conversation, the American may feel uncomfortable and back away.
When Americans are talking, they expect others to respond to what they are saying. To
Americans, polite conversationalists empathize by displaying expressions of excitement or
disgust, shock or sadness. People with a “poker face”, whose emotions are hidden by a
deadpan expression, are looked upon with suspicion. Americans also indicate their
attentiveness in a conversation by raising their eyebrows, nodding, smiling politely and
maintaining good eye contact. Whereas some cultures view direct eye contact as impolite or
threatening, Americans see it as a sign of genuineness and honesty. If a person doesn’t look
you in the eye, American might say, you should question his motives—or assume that he
doesn’t like you. Yet with all the concern for eye contact, Americans still consider
staring—especially at strangers—to be rude.
51. What the author discussed in the previous section is most probably about______.
A. classification of nonverbal communication
B. the reasons why people should think about space
C. the relationship between communication and space
D. some other cultural aspects of nonverbal communication
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