When we worry about who might be spying on our private lives, we usually think about the Federal agents. But the private sector outdoes the government every time. It’s Linda Tripp, not the FBI, who is facing charges under Maryland’s laws against secret telephone taping. It’s our banks, not the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), that pass our private financial data to telemarketing firms.
Consumer activists are pressing Congress for better privacy laws without much result so far. The legislators lean toward letting business people track our financial habits virtually at will.
As an example of what’s going on, consider U.S. Bancorp, which was recently sued for deceptive practices by the state of Minnesota. According to the lawsuit, the bank supplied a telemarketer called Member Works with sensitive customer data such as names, phone numbers, bank-account and credit-card numbers, social security numbers, account balances and credit limits.
With these customer lists in hand, Member Works started dialing for dollars-selling dental plans, videogames, computer software and other products and services. Customers who accepted a “free trial offer” had 30 days to cancel. If the deadline passed, they were charged automatically through their bank or credit-card accounts. U.S. Bancorp collected a share of the revenues.
Customers were doubly deceived, the lawsuit claims. They didn’t know that the bank was giving account numbers to Member Works. And if customers asked, they were led to think the answer was no.
The state sued Member Works separately for deceptive selling. The company denies that it did anything wrong. For its part, U.S. Bancorp settled without admitting any mistakes. But it agreed to stop exposing its customers to nonfinancial products sold by outside firms. A few top banks decided to do the same. Many other banks will still do business with Member Works and similar firms.
And banks will still be mining data from your account in order to sell you financial products, including things of little value, such as credit insurance and credit-card protection plans.
You have almost no protection from businesses that use your personal accounts for profit. For example, no federal law shields “transaction and experience” information-mainly the details of your bank and credit-card accounts. Social Security numbers are for sale by private firms. They’ve generally agreed not to sell to the public. But to businesses, the numbers are an open book. Self-regulation doesn’t work. A firm might publish a privacy-protection policy, but who enforces it?
Take U.S. Bancorp again. Customers were told, in writing, that “all personal information you supply to us will be considered confidential.” Then it sold your data to Member Works. The bank even claims that it doesn’t “sell” your data at all. It merely “shares” it and reaps a profit. Now you know.Contrary to popular belief, the author finds that spying on people’s privacy ________.
| A．is practiced exclusively by the FBI |
| B．is more common in business circles |
| C．has been intensified with the help of the IRS |
| D．is mainly carried out by means of secret taping |
We know from the passage that ________.
| A．the state of Minnesota is considering drawing up laws to protect private information |
| B．most states are turning a blind eye to the deceptive practices of private businesses |
| C．legislators are acting to pass a law to provide better privacy protection |
| D．lawmakers tend to give a free hand to businesses to inquire into customers’ buying habits |
When the “free trial” deadline is over, you’ll be charged without notice for a product or service if ________.
| A．you happen to reveal your credit card number |
| B．you fail to cancel it within the specified period |
| C．you fail to apply for extension of the deadline |
| D．you find the product or service unsatisfactory |
Businesses do not regard information concerning personal bank accounts as private because ________.
| A．it is considered “transaction and experience” information is not protected by law |
| B．it has always been considered an open secret by the general public |
| C．its sale can be brought under control through self-regulation |
| D．its revelation will do no harm to consumers under the current protection policy |
Mexico's neighbours are the United States to the north and Guatemala and Belize to the south. Mexico is about one quarter of the size of the United States. Mexico has more than ninety million people. The language of Mexico is Spanish. This makes Mexico the world's largest Spanish-speaking country.
Mexico City is the capital and largest city of Mexico. The city is also very high. It is 7349 feet high (2240 metres). This makes it one of the highest capital cities in the world. The population, of Mexico City grows bigger every day. About thirty million people live there. It has more people than any other city in the world, even more than Tokyo.
Mexico also has its specialities. Many of the foods we eat started in Mexico. Foods like beans, maize, avocados, tomatoes, peanuts, chili peppers, vanilla, and chocolate come from Mexico. Mexico is also famous for its cactus (仙人掌) plants. Mexico has more kinds of cactus than any other country.Mexico is ____the USA.
A. on the south of B. on the north of
C. a part of D. as large asMexicans speak______.
| A．English | B．Spanish | C．French | D．Latin(拉丁语) |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Mexico City is the capital of Mexico. |
| B．The population of Mexico City is 30,000,000. |
| C．Tokyo is one of the cities with the largest population. |
| D．Mexico City is the highest city in the world. |
Tomatoes were originally (最初) grown in ______.
| A．America | B．Spain | C．Tokyo | D．Mexico |
The best title (题目) of the passage is ___.
| A．Mexico City | B．Mexico's plants | C．Mexico | D．Mexico's population |
Mr. Scott has worked at a police station since he left army five years ago. He’s brave and has already caught many thieves. He was promoted (提升) to the rank of officer last month. Now he works harder.
It was Mrs. Scott’s birthday yesterday. The woman thought her husband was very busy, and she decided to hold a small party only with her husband. Mr. Scott agreed with her and they didn’t invite any friends of theirs to the party. At noon he didn’t go home for lunch and went to a shop. There he bought an expensive diamond necklace for his wife. He hoped to put it on her neck with his own hands at the party. To his sorrow, a rich woman’s house was broken into and some jewelry was stolen, and at once he was sent there to solve the case (案件)，when he came back to his office, it was late at night. He was tired and hungry. He brought out the necklace and was going to leave when he was asked to answer a telephone. Several minutes later when he came into his office, he found the necklace was gone, and he saw the case (盒子) only on his table. He became very angry and called all the policemen in and told them about it. But nobody admitted having stolen the necklace.
“I’ll give you a chance.” Said Mr. Scott, “ All the lights will be turned off. The man who took the necklace away will be able to put the necklace into the case in the dark.”
A few minutes later, Mr. Scott turned on the lights again. To his surprise, the case was also stolen.Mr. Scott was promoted because _______.
| A．he had been in the army. |
| B．he was young. |
| C．he had worked there for five years. |
| D．he did his duty better than his workmates. |
Having read the story, we can know ______.
| A．Mr. and Mrs. Scott loved each other. |
| B．the necklace was the most expensive in the town. |
| C．The Scotts had a few friends there. |
| D．Mr. Scott was the richest at the police station. |
At last, _________
| A．Mr. Scott knew who had stolen the necklace. |
| B．Mr. Scott lost both the necklace and the case. |
| C．the thief put the necklace back into the case. |
| D．Mr. Scott caught the thief in his office. |
Happy April Fool’s Day! In celebration of the day, we have put together a list of some of the greatest hoaxes (恶作剧) in history. They are the lies that have been designed for innocent people who are ready to believe them.
▲INSTANT COLOR TV
In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station’s Kjell Stepson, appearing on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily transform their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon (尼龙) stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people, were taken in. Actual color TV transmission only started to appear in Sweden on April 1, 1970.
▲SAN SERRIFFE
In 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven –page supplement(增刊) in honor of the tenth anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately asked for more information about the beautiful holiday spot. Few noticed that every thing about the island was made up.
▲NIXON FOR PRESIDENT
In 1992 American National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that, Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, “ I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips(片断) of Nixon delivering his election speech. Listeners responded immediately to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and anger. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Huckleberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon’s voice was copied by comedian Rich Little.Which of the following countries in NOT mentioned in the text?
| A．India | B．The UK | C．The United States | D．Sweden |
Who worked as a host on the radio?
| A．Kjell Stepson | B．Rich Little | C．Richard Nixon | D．John Huckleberry |
When did the small republic San Serriffe come into being?
| A．In 1962 | B．In 1977 | C．In 1992 | D．Never |
Where can we probably read this article?
| A．In the ad. | B．In a magazine | C．In a novel | D．In a news report |
Florence Nightingale was born in a rich family. When she was young she took lessons in music and drawing, and read great books. She also traveled a great deal with her mother and father.
As a child she felt that visiting sick people was both a duty and a pleasure. She enjoyed helping them.
At last mind was made up. “I’m going to be a nurse,” she decided.
“Nursing isn’t the right work for a lady,” her father told her.
“Then I will make it so,” she smiled. And she went to learn nursing in Germany and France. When she returned to England, Florence started a nursing home for home. During the Crimean War in 1854 she went with a group of thirty eight nurses to the front hospitals. What they saw there was terrible. Dirt and death were everywhere to be seen — and smelled. The officer there did not want any woman to tell him how to run a hospital, either. But the brave nurse went to work.
Florence used her own money and some from friends to buy clothes, beds, medicine and food for the men. Her only pay was in smiles from the lips of dying soldiers. But they were more than enough for this kind woman.
After she returned to England, she was honored for her services by Queen Victoria. But Florence said that her work had just begun. She raised money to build the Nightingale Home for Nurses in London. She also wrote a book on public health, which was printed in several countries.
Florence Nightingale died at the age of ninety, still trying to serve others through her work as a nurse. Indeed, it is because of her that we honor nurses today.When she was a child, Florence ____ .
| A．loved to travel very much |
| B．knew what her duty in life was |
| C．loved to help the sick people |
| D．was most interested in music and drawing |
What made Florence make up her mind to become a nurse？
| A．Her father’s support. |
| B．Her desire to help the sick. |
| C．Her education in Germany and France. |
| D．Her knowledge from reading great books. |
During the Crimean War in 1854, Florence served in the front hospital where ____ .
| A．she earned a little money |
| B．work was very difficult |
| C．few soldiers died because of her work |
| D．she didn’t have enough food or clothes |
The passage can best be described as ____ .
| A．the life story of a famous woman |
| B．a description of the nursing work |
| C．an example of successful education |
| D．the history of nursing in England |
In England a woman fell down a stair. Panic followed—178 persons lost their lives. In Michigan a woman fell ill. There was a call for water. Someone thought it meant fire---71 were killed. In Oklahoma an old man’s hair caught fire---36 died.
What should you do to be out of danger?
1. As you sit in any crowd, pick out an exit(出口) which is not the one where most persons enter and plan to use if necessary.
2. If a rush stairs, do not get into it . Stay still. Let it pass. Then go to the exit you have chosen.
3. Do not cry out. Speak quietly. Act calmly.
4.Do not stop for your hat and coat unless they are at hand.
5. If there is smoke, crouch. The best air is about three feet above the floor.
6. When you are outside the building, stay out. Many dead would be alive if they had not returned for something.
7. When you get out, move far from the door so that others can get out.The first paragraph tells us that over two hundred people lost their lives because of_________.
| A．a fire | B．a call for water |
| C． falling downstairs | D．panic |
If you are in a crowd when panic stars, you should ________.
| A．run with the others. |
| B．call for help as loudly as you can. |
| C．hurry at once to an exit. |
| D．stay still until the crowd has passed. |
What should you do once out of a place where there is panic?
| A．stay outside. |
| B．go back for your wallet. |
| C．return to ask people not to run. |
| D．stand near the exit. |
When you are safe outside a burning building , stay away from the door so that _______.
| A．the smoke can get out. |
| B．you will not get burned |
| C．others may leave. |
| D．others may enter. |