Despite all the reports of Internet security attacks over the years, including the recent ones on Google’s e-mail service, many people have reacted to the break-ins with a shrug(耸肩).
Mr. Shulman and his company examined a list of 32 million passwords that an unknown hacker stole last month from RockYou, a company that makes software for users of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. The list was briefly posted on the Web, and hackers and security researchers downloaded it.
The list provided an unusually detailed window into computer users’ password habits. Typically, only government agencies like the F.B.I. or the National Security Agency have had access to such a large password list.
Some Web sites try to keep back the attackers by freezing an account for a certain period of time if too many incorrect passwords are typed. But experts say that the hackers simply learn to trick the system, by making guesses at an acceptable rate, for instance.
To improve security, some Web sites are forcing users to mix letters, numbers and even symbols in their passwords. Others, like Twitter, prevent people from picking common passwords.
Still, researchers say, social networking and entertainment Web sites often try to make life simpler for their users and are reluctant to put too many controls in place.
Even commercial sites like eBay must weigh the consequences of freezing accounts, since a hacker could, say, try to win an auction(拍卖) by freezing the accounts of other potential buyers.
But owing to the reality of our overcrowded brains, the experts suggest that everyone choose at least two different passwords — a complex one for Web sites where security is vital, such as banks and e-mail, and a simpler one for less risky places, such as social networking and entertainment sites.
Mr. Moss relies on passwords at least 12 characters long, figuring that those make him a more difficult target than the millions of people who choose five- and six-character passwords.
“It’s like the joke where the hikers run into a bear in the forest, and the hiker that survives is the one who outruns his companions,” Mr. Moss said. “You just want to run that bit faster.
59. The underlined sentence “Many people have reacted to the break-ins with a shrug” shows that many people ______.
don’t take seriously the hacker’s break-ins
are worried and frightened at the hacker’s break-ins
don’t know what to do with the hacker’s attacks
are eager to get helps from the experts
60. According to the passage, which of the following web sites needs a more complex password?
A social web site.
An entertainment web site.
A commercial web site.
A government web site.
61. The Internet users are advised to______ in order to keep back the hackers.
mix letters, numbers and symbols as well
choose passwords with at least 12 characters
choose passwords with 5 or 6 characters
choose at least two different passwords
62. Which would be the best title for the passage?
Password, Simple or Complex?
Popular Passwords, High Risk!
Clever Hackers, Stupid Netizens.
Hacker, the Enemy of Internet Security.
Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a better student. By using your time properly, you can do your homework more quickly. Learning to study is not difficult.
The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn. It doesn’t mean that you must always like the subject. It does mean, however, that you must be wil1ing to do whatever is necessary to learn. Try to understand why it is important and how it will help you now and later to do and learn other things. Knowing mathematics facts will be useful in your whole life. Knowing how to spell makes any kind of writing easier. Sometimes the subject that you think is going to be uninteresting will be exciting when you begin to work at it and understand it more clearly. Learning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them.
Here’s some advice for you: have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study, so that you can concentrate on your study without interruptions(中断); have everything ready before you sit down to study, a dictionary, paper, a pen and books; be sure you understand what you should learn before you start; read carefully and pay special attention to the most important things; when memorizing, first find out the main parts and then recite the whole thing; check your homework after you finish it; never forget the importance of review and preview.
Don’t try to spend a lot of time researching learning methods. There are many students who know many good learning methods but don’t study well. They forget that the most useful learning method is to study hard.The main goal of the article is .
A.to prove that learning is not difficult |
B.to make the readers be interested in study |
C.to tell the importance of self teaching |
D.to tell the students how to study well |
The first thing to remember in studying is that .
A.you must like the subject | B.you must follow the teacher |
C.you must enjoy learning | D.you must study hard |
We learn things because .
A.our parents want us to learn | B.every student learns at school |
C.we may use these things in the future | D.we like the subjects |
The following advice is given in the article EXCEPT .
A.To put a pen, paper and books beside you before study. |
B.To study at any possible time and place. |
C.To review and preview |
D.To pay attention to the most important things. |
Among the following statements, which is true?
A.The more learning methods we have, the better we will study. |
B.Finding the best learning method is the most important in learning. |
C.If you don’t work hard, though you have a good learning method, you can’t be good at study. |
D.Once we have mastered a good learning method, we can improve our study greatly. |
All of us eat every day, but most of us don’t understand nutrition(营养). How much do you know about good nutrition? Are the following statements true or false?
1. People who don’t eat meat can stay healthy.
True. As long as people eat enough milk, eggs and meat alternates(替代物), they can get enough protein.
2. Fresh vegetables cooked at home are always more nutritious than canned vegetables.
False. The difference depends more on how vegetables are prepared than whether they are fresh or canned. Vegetables cooked in too much water can lose a large quantity of vitamins.
3. Food eaten between meals can be just as good for health as food eaten at regular meals.
True. Nutritional value depends on what types of food you eat, not when you eat them. Eating an egg or an orange between meals can contribute to a good diet.
4. Taking extra vitamins beyond the recommended daily allowances won’t give you more energy.
True. It’s widely believed that extra vitamins provide more energy. But taking more than the baby needs doesn’t make it function better, just as overfilling your gas tank doesn’t make your car run better.
5. Natural vitamins are better supplements(补充)for the diet than synthetic vitamins.
False. There is no difference. A vitamin has the same properties(性质)and specific chemical structure whether made in a laboratory or taken from plant or animal parts.
6. Older people need the same amount of vitamins as younger people.
True. Older people need the same quantity of vitamins as younger people although they need fewer calories. Certain illnesses raise the requirements for some vitamins, but that is true for the young as well as the old.
7. Food grown in poor soil is lower in vitamins than food grown in rich sold.
False. The vitamins in our foods are made by the plants themselves. They don’t come from the soil.
However, the minerals in a plant depend on the minerals in the soil.
If you have answered these questions correctly, you can say you know much about food and nutrition by today’s standards. But remember that nutrition is a growing science and that may be aged as new information is obtained.The main purpose of the passage is to .
A.list today’s standards of some food and nutrition |
B.introduce what should be eaten and what not |
C.explain what is helpful to your health and what is not |
D.test our nutrition IQ by judging the problems listed |
From the surrounding words and sentences we know that the underlined phrase “contribute to” means .
A.help to bring about | B.take the place of |
C.make room for | D.turn to |
The underlined word “synthetic” most probably meansin Chinese.
A.不同的 | B.特别的 |
C.合成的 | D.天然的 |
Global Positioning Systems(GPS) are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.
We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype (网络电话软件). He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay. BARRY BROWN: “And they justpluggedin an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'.”
Mr Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. BARRY BROWN: “One problem with a lot of the GPS units is that they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you theoverviewthat you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.”
It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues(时机问题) related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says, “ To make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.”In paragraph 2, Mr. Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to _______.
A.build up his own reputation |
B.laugh at his stupid friend |
C.prove the GPS system is only garbage |
D.describe an example of human error |
What is the disadvantage of small screens in GPS equipment according to the text?
A.They just provide the next turn. | B.They are harmful to eyes. |
C.They make drivers tired easily. | D.They often break down suddenly. |
Which of the following statements would Barry Brown most likely agree with?
A.GPS units are to blame for most GPS service failures. |
B.We should introduce higher standards for the driving license. |
C.Cameras are urgently needed to help improve GPS systems. |
D.Drivers, GPS systems and passengers should unite to improve GPS systems. |
What is Mr. Brown’s attitude towards GPS?
A.Unconcerned. | B.Prejudiced. |
C.Objective. | D.Critical. |
Which of the following statements can best describe the main idea of the pasage?
A.Driving with GPS can be difficult. |
B.Driving confusions can be caused by small screens. |
C.Driving without GPS should be much more convenient. |
D.GPS equipment in driving to be deserted or improved |
My grandmother was from a town in Michigan. Summer after summer, I enjoyed staying with my grandparents as a young child. I was from the city and loved the small town they lived in. People knew everyone, their kids, their pets, their ancestors. The bond with them continued to grow as I grew and they got older. Grandma was always using her hands for something exciting. She would make little sandwiches and we’d have tea parties. She’d make beautiful quilts for each one. I remember the small thimble(顶针) she would use while doing her needle work.
A few years ago, when Grandma left this earth, I bid farewell to a loving grandmother. How quickly our lives can change. We had just had tea together a couple of months earlier, on her 91st birthday.
I missed her very much. On one particular birthday, when I was feeling a little low, something happened to make me feel like she was sharing that special day with me. I was arranging some colorful pillows that she had made, and suddenly I felt something inside one pillow. It was small and hard. I moved the object to a seam(接缝) that I carefully opened, and to my delight out came a tiny silver thimble! How happy I was to find something that had been a part of her. Not realizing it had fallen off her finger, I pictured her sewing it in that little pillow that I just happened to place on my bedspread that day. I carefully laid the thimble alongside the others I’ve collected over the years, where I could continue to see the gift God chose to reveal to me. What a precious memory of a very special lady who somehow, I knew, was laughing in delight at sewing her thimble inside my pillow.
I made some tea, using my best china, as Grandma always did, and enjoyed my tea and Grandma’s thimble. What a wonderful birthday that was!The author liked staying with her grandparents because________.
A.they often bought her some gifts |
B.she was curious about people and things there |
C.she could have tea parties and eat sandwiches |
D.she could learn to sew quilts |
How did the author feel when she found the silver thimble?
A.Sad | B.Proud | C.Lucky | D.Cheerful |
It can be inferred from the passage that the silver thimble________.
A.was the item the author had been trying to find |
B.was the most treasured possession of Grandma |
C.was very precious to the author |
D.was a birthday gift Grandma had given the author |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.A little pillow | B.Grandma’s silver thimble |
C.My grandparents | D.My childhood |
Is language, like food, a basic human need without which a child at a critical period of life can be starved and damaged? Judging from the experiment of Frederick in the thirteenth century, it may be. Hoping to discover what language a child would speak if he heard no mother tongue, he told the nurses to keep silent.
All the infants died before the first year. But clearly there was more than lack of language here. What was missing was mothering. Without good mothering, in the first year of life especially, the capacity to survive is seriously affected.
Today no such severe lack exists as that ordered by Frederick. Nevertheless, some children are still backward in speaking. Most often the reason for this is that the mother is insensitive to the signals of the infant, whose brain is programmed to learn language rapidly. If there sensitive periods are neglected, the ideal time for acquiring skills passes and they might never be learned so easily again. A bird learns to sing and to fly at the right time, but the process is slow and hard once the critical stage has passed.
Experts suggest that speech stages are reached in a fixed order and at a constant age, but there are cases where speech has started late in a child who eventually turns out to be of high IQ. At twelve weeks a baby smiles and makes vowel-like sounds; at twelve months they can speak simple words and understand simple commands; at eighteen months he has a vocabulary of three to five words. At three he knows about 1,000 words, which he can put into sentences, and at four his language differs from that of his parents in style rather than grammar.
Recent evidence suggests that an infant is born with the capacity to speak. What is special about man’s brain, compared with that of the monkey, is the complex system which enables a child to connect the sight and feel of, say, a toy-bear with the sound pattern “toy bear”. And even more incredible is the young brain’s ability to pick out an order in language from the mixture of sound around him, to analyze, to combine and recombine the parts of a language in new ways.
But speech has to be induced(激发,引起), and this depends on interaction between the mother and the child, where the mother recognizes the signals in the children’s babbling(咿呀声),grasping and smiling, and responds to them. Insensitivity of the mother to these signals dulls the interaction because the child gets discouraged and sends out only the obvious signals. Sensitivity to the child’s nonverbal signals is essential to the growth and development of language.The writer mentioned the experiment of Frederick to __________.
A.support his idea | B.introduce his topic |
C.describe a new finding | D.give an example of his theory |
The purpose of Frederick’s experiment was to __________.
A.prove that children are born with the ability to speak |
B.discover what language a child would speak without hearing any human speech |
C.find out what role careful nursing would play in teaching a child to speak |
D.prove that a child could be damaged without learning a language |
The reason why some children are backward in speaking is most probably that ________.
A.they are not able to learn language rapidly |
B.they are exposed to too much language at once |
C.their mothers do not respond enough to their attempts to speak |
D.their mothers are not clever enough to help them |
If a child starts to speak later than others, he will __________ in future.
A.have a high IQ | B.be less intelligent |
C.be insensitive to verbal signals | D.not necessarily be backward |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.A child is born with the ability to speak. |
B.A child’s brain has a complex system which helps to connect the sight and feel of an object. |
C.A child can produce his own sentences. |
D.A child owes his speech ability to good nursing. |
According to the passage, the writer agrees that__________.
A.the infants will certainly die because of lack of language. |
B.all children learn their language in fixed stages |
C.the child’s brain is highly selective |
D.insensitivity to the child’s non-verbal signals will not affect the development of the child’s language |