Passage Sixteen (Crime in Computer)

   New and bizarre crimes have come into being with the advent¹ of computer technology. Organized crime to has been directly involved; the new technology offers it unlimited² opportunities, such as data crimes, theft of services, property-related crimes, industrial sabotage³, politically related sabotage, vandalism, crimes against the individual and financially related crimes…

   Theft of data, or data crime, has attracted the interest of organized criminal syndicates. This is usually the theft or copying of valuable computer grogram. An international market already exists for computerized data, and specialized⁴ fences are said to be playing a key role in this rapidly expanding criminal market. Buyers for stolen programs may range from a firm’s competitors to foreign nations.

   A competitor sabotages⁵ a company’s computer system to destroy or cripple the firm’s operational ability, thus neutralizing⁶ its competitive capability⁷ either in the private or the government sector⁸. This computer sabotage may also be tied to an attempt by affluent⁹ investors¹⁰ to acquire the victim firm. With the growing reliance by firms on computers for their recordkeeping and daily operations, sabotage of their computers can result in internal havoc¹¹, after which the group interested in acquiring the firm can easily buy it at a substantially lower price. Criminal groups could also resort to sabotage if the company is a competitor of a business owned or controlled by organized crime.

   Politically motivated sabotage is on the increase; political extremist groups have sprouted¹² on every continent. Sophisticated computer technology arms these groups with awesome¹³ powers and opens technologically¹⁴ advanced nations to their attack. Several attempts have already been made to destroy computer facility at an air force base. A university computer facility involved in national 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 that neither government nor private computer systems are adequately protected against sabotage. Organized criminal syndicates have shown their willingness to work with politically motivated groups. Investigators¹⁵ have uncovered evidence of cooperation between criminal groups and foreign governments in narcotics¹⁶. Criminal groups have taken attempts in assassinating¹⁷ political leaders…. Computers are used in hospital life-support system, in laboratories, and in major surgery. Criminals could easily turn these computers into tools of devastation¹⁸. By sabotaging¹⁹ the computer of a life-support system, criminals could kill an individual as easily as they had used a gun. By manipulating 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 may become the hit man of the twentieth century.

   The computer opens vast areas of crime to organized criminal groups, both national and international. 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 requiting²⁰ a vast network of fences. Although criminals have adapted to computer technology, law enforcement 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 relatively²¹ 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 killing²² 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.

 

Vocabulary

1.   bizarre                  奇怪的

2.   vandalism               破坏，故意破坏文化，艺术的行为

3.   cripple                  使瘫痪，削弱

4.   fence                   贼市，脏品买卖处

5.   neutralize               使成为无效

6.   affluent                 富裕的

7.   recordkeeping            记录存贮

8.   havoc                  浩劫，大破坏

9.   resort to                求助于，借助于

10.  motivate                作为……的动机，激发

11.  extremist                过激分子，极端主义分子

12.  sprout                  萌发迅速发展

13.  awesome               令人惊惧的，引起敬畏的

14.  vulnerability             易受攻击，脆弱

15.  devastation              劫持，破坏

16.  hospital life-support system 医院的生命维持系统

17.  hit man                 职业凶手（杀手）

18.  pool                   集中（资金）合办，入股

19.  criminology             犯罪学，刑事学

 

难句译注

1.        Organized crime to has been directly involved; the new technology offers it unlimited opportunities, such as data crimes, theft of services, property-related crimes, industrial sabotage, politically related sabotage, vandalism, crimes against the individual and financially related crimes…

[结构简析] 句子很长，都是简单句，中间有分号隔开，后面是举例。

[参考译文] 有组织犯罪团伙也直接参与：计算机新技术较为犯罪提供了无限的机会，如数据信息犯罪，偷窃服务项目，跟财产有关的犯罪，工业破坏，跟政治有关的破坏，破坏文化艺术，对个人和财经方面的罪行等等。

2.        An international market already exists for computerized data, and specialized fences are said to be playing a key role in this rapidly expanding criminal market.

[结构简析] 并列句，and 作对比连接词用。

[参考译文] 一个计算机信息的国际市场已经存在，而专门从事脏品交易的市场据说在迅速扩展的犯罪市场中起着关键的作用。

3.        A competitor sabotages a company’s computer system to destroy or cripple the firm’s operational ability, thus neutralizing its competitive capability either in the private or the government sector.

[结构简析] 主谓宾补结构，后跟thus+从句表示结果。

[参考译文] 竞争对手破坏一个公司的计算机系统为的是摧毁或削弱公司的操作运行能力，从而使其丧失在私人或政府部门中的竞争力。

4.        The computer opens vast areas of crime to organized criminal groups, both national and international. 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 requiting a vast network of fences.

[结构简析] 两句话。前一句为主谓宾，后一句为主从句，从句内采用too…to 句型，后跟分词独立结构进一步说明。

[参考译文] 计算机为国内和国际有组织犯罪集团开辟了犯罪的广泛领域。它要求它们集中资源，提高通力协作力量，因为许多犯罪太复杂，一个集团难以驾驭，特别是那些需要巨大的脏品交易时常网络的罪行。

 

写作方法与文章大意

文章介绍“计算机犯罪”，采用分类写作手法，先列出种种计算机犯罪项，下面逐一说明。文本只选四种犯罪——信息数据偷窃或信息（数据）犯罪，产业破坏，政治破坏，对个人生命破坏。分四段叙述，每段为一种罪行，最后是对比罪犯势力越来越有组织，势力请大，而司法部门却没有准备好。

 

答案祥解

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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