2007年9月高级口译真题(2)

英语自学网

　　SECTION 2: READING TEST
　　Directions: In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by several questions about it. You are to choose ONE best answer, (A), (B), (C) or (D), to each question. Answer all the questions following each passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
　　Questions 1-5
　　Advances in surveillance technology could seriously damage individual privacy unless drastic measures are taken to protect personal data, scientists have said. Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, gave warning last year that Britain was "sleepwalking" into a surveillance society. Yesterday the country's leading engineers developed the theme, fleshing out a dystopian vision that not even George Orwell could have predicted.
　　They said that travel passes, supermarket loyalty cards and mobile phones could be used to track individuals' every move. They also predicted that CCTV (close-circuit television) footage could become available for public consumption and that terrorists could hijack the biometric chips in passports and rig them up as a trigger for explosives.
　　The report by the Royal Academy of Engineering, Dilemmas of Privacy and Surveillance-Challenges of Technological Change, argues that the scientists developing surveillance technology should also think about measures to protect privacy. "Just as security features have been incorporated into car design, privacy-protecting features should be incorporated into the design of products and services that rely on divulging personal information," the report says.
　　"There is a choice between a Big Brother world where individual privacy is almost extinct and a world where the data are kept by individual organizations or services and kept secret and secure." The report says that shoppers should be allowed to buy goods and services without revealing their identities to the companies that provide them. It argues that travel and supermarket loyalty cards and mobile phones are mines of personal information that should be closely scrutinized to make sure that data is not abused.
　　Professor Nigel Gilbert, chairman of the report group, said: "In most cases, supermarket loyalty cards will have your name on. Why? What is needed in a loyalty card is for the supermarket to know what has been bought so you can get your discounts.
　　"Does it need to identify you? No, it just needs authentication that you've bought the goods. It is the same for Oyster cards on the Tube, some of which you have to register for. These are all apparently small things but people are being required to give away more identification information than is required."
　　Ian Forbes, the report's coauthor, said that because footage from CCTV cameras could be digitized and potentially stored for ever, that necessitated greater scrutiny of the controlling networks. Britain has about five million CCTV cameras, one for every 12 people.
　　The report says: "Give this potential, it cannot be guaranteed that surveillance images will remain private, or will not be altered, misused or manipulated." The report also gives warning that biometric passports and identity cards would give fresh opportunities to fraudsters and terrorists to read remotely the data chips that they contain. It says that it could be possible to rig a bomb to go off in the presence of a certain person or someone of a particular nationality.
　　The report proposes that the Information Commissioner should be given extended powers, and that stiffer penalties, including prison sentences, should be introduced for those who misuse personal data. The Commons Home Affairs Select Committee is expected to announce an inquiry into the growing use of surveillance.
　　1. When Richard Thomas gave warning that Britain was "sleepwalking" into a surveillance society, he was telling us that _______.
　　(A) Britain was not going to become a surveillance society
　　(B) Britain was fully aware of the possible future of a surveillance society
　　(C) Britain was fighting against the surveillance society
　　(D) Britain was not realizing the implication of the surveillance society
　　2. According to the report by the Royal Academy of Engineering, _______.
　　(A) privacy-protecting technology should be developed on the basis of surveillance technology
　　(B) technological change can hardly challenge the protection of individual privacy
　　(C) scientists should focus more on the development of products protecting privacy
　　(D) the design of surveillance products should take into account the protection of privacy
            
            

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　　3. According to the passage, the greatest threat to an individual in a surveillance society is _______.
　　(A) your every move will be tracked
　　(B) your personal information will be publicized
　　(C) your personal property will be stolen
　　(D) your life will be taken
　　4. George Orwell is mentioned in the passage because _______.
　　(A) he was the one who coined the expression "Big Brother"
　　(B) he was a famous British novelist in the 20th century
　　(C) he described a world where individual privacy is denied
　　(D) he conducted the investigation of the damage done to individual privacy
　　5. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
　　(A) Supermarkets often get more personal information of customers than is required.
　　(B) It is suggested that the surveillance images should be kept top secret.
　　(C) The coverage of CCTV cameras in England is quite extensive.
　　(D) Tough measures and penalties are proposed to stop the misuse of personal data.
　　Questions 6-10
　　Journalists who write about families as well as social and cultural issues can count on receiving an annual barrage of public relations pitches for Valentine's Day. The PR blitz begins right after Christmas and continues almost until the big day itself. Daily, sometimes hourly, e-mails pop up on my computer screen, as publicity agents propose stories on a variety of love-rated subjects.
　　Some suggest traditional topics: How about interviewing the author of a new book on how to find the perfect mate? Or what about a story offering ideas on the best gifts to give to your heartthrob? Other suggestions take a thoroughly modern approach to romance. Publicists would be happy to provide information about the newest matchmaking website or the hottest dating coach. There's even a "psychic medium" who promises to tell radio and television audiences about their "current and future relationships."
　　Individually, these story promotions could be taken for what they are: just another day, another client, another dollar in the life of publicity agents. But collectively, they signal more than simply a desire to capitalize on a holiday that has mushroomed into a $17 billion industry. In their varied forms, these promotions reflect the urgency of the quest for love and companionship in a society where one-quarter of all households now consist of single people.
　　These pitches also serve as a measure of how much Valentine's Day itself has changed. They can impel long-married observers to look back with a certain nostalgia to a time several decades ago when Feb. 14 didn't carry such intensity-and when courtship didn't cost quite so much. That was a time before men were expected to spend two months' worth of their salary for an engagement ring, before men and women decided they would settle for nothing less than a "soul mate," and before it was necessary to seek advice from an army of self-help gurus bearing titles such as "relationship and interpersonal communication expert." That was also an era when many hopeful Prince Charmings could show their love with a card or a heart-shaped box of drugstore chocolates, and when even a single rose could melt a young woman's heart.
　　What a contrast to today, when anything less than a dozen long-stemmed roses can risk making a sender appear frugal, and when an ardent suitor who wants to make an impression will buy chocolates from Belgium, whatever the cost. This year the average man will spend $120 and the average woman $85, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).
　　Is this love, or obligation? For some men, it might even include a bit of guilt. As Tracy Mullin, CEO of the NRF, notes, presumably with tongue planted firmly in cheek, some men "may be looking at Valentine's Day as a way to make up for that HDTV they splurged on for the Super Bowl." As one public radio station announcer put it during a Valentine's Day fundraiser offering long-stemmed roses. "This is a perfect way to fulfill your Valentine's obligations." Another host making a similar appeal urged listeners to "take care of your Valentine's Day duties."
　　And if you don't? One relationship expert quoted in a Valentine's Day press release offers the stern warning that "if a guy doesn't come through on Valentine's Day, it means he doesn't care about you," so just say goodbye and move on. But assuming he does care, another PR firm suggests a high-tech approach to the day. "This year, think outside the box and send a Video Valentine!" the e-mail pitch begins. "Too shy to say those three little words in person? Profess your love on video! Or use your cellphone to record yourself shopping for the perfect gift." Diamonds, anyone?
　　Whatever the approach, couples might do well to follow the advice of a group of husbands in Japan who say they know the answer to wedded bliss. In an effort to communicate better with their wives, they offer Three Principles of Love: Say "sorry" without fear, say "thank you" without hesitation, and say "I love you" without shame. It's a trio of sentiments that women could adopt as well.
　　Tomorrow all the unsold Valentines with their declarations of love and affection will disappear from card racks, to be replaced by Easter messages featuring eggs and bunnies. Long stemmed roses will begin to open, boxes of chocolate will be nibbled away, and cards with sentimental messages will be propped on desks and dressers. Whatever hopes and expectations are fulfilled-or not-today, the celebration offers a touching reminder that when it comes to matters of the heart, the approaches might change, but the yearning for love and companionship doesn't. Above all, it offers this comforting reassurance: Cupid lives.
            
            

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　　6. The author introduces the "story promotions" before Valentine's Day _______.
　　(A) to show the continuation of this long tradition
　　(B) to display the busy life of journalists in the western world
　　(C) to highlight the commercialization of a traditional holiday
　　(D) to reveal the rapidly changing patterns of holiday celebrations
　　7. The word "pitches" used in the passage can best be paraphrased as _______.
　　(A) phrases of promotion (B) commending remarks
　　(C) objective descriptions (D) terms of courtship
　　8. In describing how people celebrated Valentine's Day a few decades ago, the author _______.
　　(A) tells us that dating is a nice experience
　　(B) reminds people how much the practice has changed
　　(C) hints that companionship should be cherished
　　(D) argues that social progress is inevitable
　　9. When the author is asking "Is this love, or obligation?"(para. 6), he is implying that _______.
　　(A) obligation could be taken as equal to love
　　(B) the changing pattern will not be popular
　　(C) love cannot be replaced by obligation
　　(D) the changing attitude is not healthy
　　10. The last sentence of the passage "Cupid lives." _______.
　　(A) serves as a concluding remark summarizing the main idea of the passage
　　(B) is used as a contrast to the prevailing practice of Valentine's Day celebration
　　(C) shows the author's belief in human yearning for love and companionship
　　(D) is used as a fierce attack against the changing human relationship
实习编辑：褚萍湘