快速阅读练习及答案

Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly

For questions 1-7, mark

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

N (for NO) if he 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 the 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

“

< br>weapons

”

or fingerprints does not occur as it

might in the investigation of more conventional crimes.