A group of Russian criminals have stolen l.2 billion username and password combinations for more than 500 millione-mail addresses. It's the largest known theft on the Internet, according to a report of The New York Times.
Cyber security firm Hold Security discovered the security breach(漏洞 ). The firm found that the group of criminals collected personal information from 420,000 websites, including household names and small Internet sites. The criminals were based in a small city in south central Russia. They hacked websites inside Russia as well as big companies in the U.S. and other countries ,The New Times reports.
The criminals found hundreds of thousands of weak websites and attacked their coding，Hold Security said. Alex Holden is chief information security officer of Hold Security. “The hackers did not just target U.S. companies；they targeted any website they could get，” Holden said. “And most of these sites are still easy to attack”.
According to Hold Security, the criminals have been using the stolen information to send junk mail through e-mail and on social networks like Twitter. They can also use the 500 million stolen e-mail -addresses to plan other crimes. They could use information from bank e-mails to steal your identity or sell the e-mail address to other criminals to make quick cash.
The reported break-ins are the latest events to raise doubts about security at big and small companies. Last winter, hackers stole 40 million credit card numbers and 70 million addresses, phone numbers and other personal information from the retailer Target Corp. The brand is still working to regain its shoppers' trust.
John Prisco is a CEO of a security firm. He says security hacks are more common than many people and companies realize. "This issue reminds me of an iceberg, where 90% of it is actually under water," Prisco said in an e-mailed statement. So many cyber breaches today are not actually reported, because companies are losing information and they are not even aware of it. "
Security experts believe hackers will continue breaking into computer networks unless companies become more protective of personal information. What did a group of Russian criminals do according to the report?
| A．They stole e-mail addresses of the Internet users. |
| B．They destroyed the websites of some big companies. |
| C．They attacked American companies in southern Russia. |
| D．They downloaded the secret information of some banks. |
According to Alex Holden, the criminals entered some websites easily because .
| A．some websites don't have their own coding |
| B．most of the websites lack protective measures |
| C．Russia is more developed in computer science |
| D．the hackers are equipped with high technology |
What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?
| A．The criminals are fond of using social networks. |
| B．The criminals sell the stolen information for money. |
| C．The stolen information causes great economic losses. |
| D．The stolen information could bring harmful effects. |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 imply?
| A．We cannot tell how large an iceberg is just from the part on the water. |
| B．Many companies are unwilling to report their information stolen. |
| C．Many companies are not aware their information has been stolen. |
| D．People usually can see just a small part of an iceberg. |
Build the Dream is a website produced by Travis Perkins, one of the UK's leading builders merchants, to assist with self-builds, renovations, extensions and improvements. Go with the first step; find land, get planning permission and cost your project. Start out with our advice and practical help on costing your project—labor, materials and those hidden extras. All of the information you need on all aspects of building your project, from sourcing building materials to understanding building regulations and from site safety to hiring tools and equipment.
Click for details
Cost Your Project. Our cost-effective estimating and take-off service gets your project off to a flying start. Your material and labor costs are set out by build stage to help you control your project costs.
☆Use Our Estimating Service
All Your Toolhire Needs, All in One Place
☆Visit the Travis Perkins Hire Website
Branch Finder. We supply more than 120,000 products across our 1200+ branch network to satisfy your self-build needs. Use our Branch Finder Service your local branch.
☆Use Our Branch Finder Service
Code For Sustainable Homes. The Code for Sustainable Homes sets new national standards for the sustainable design and construction of new homes.
☆Read More About the Code for Sustainable Homes
Finishing Touches. We can provide everything you need to complete your project including Kitchens, Tiles, Doors, Floors & Windows and Landscaping Materials.
Building Materials. We supply over 120,000 products from the leading manufacturers.
☆Read more about Building MaterialsIf you want to do self-builds, the first step to follow is to________ .
| A．get permission; cost project; finish touches |
| B．cost project; build project; finish touches |
| C．find land; cost project; build project |
| D．find land; get permission; cost project |
Where will you click when you need to hire tools?
| A．Use Our Estimating Service |
| B．Use Our Branch Finder Service |
| C．Visit the Travis Perkins Hire Website |
| D．Read more about Building Materials |
What does Code For Sustainable Homes do?
| A．Assists with self-builds. |
| B．Sets national standards for design and constructions. |
| C．Offers help on costing your project, and so on. |
| D．Offer the information on all aspects. |
What’s the aim of Build the Dream?
| A．To build one’s dream. |
| B．To supply building materials. |
| C．To help leading manufacturers. |
| D．To attract people to do self-builds. |
It remains a curiosity and a bit of a historical mystery why we don't all drive on the same side of the road. The fact is that most people are right-handed; that's why, for much of history, drivers have stuck to the left. Ancient Romans using two-wheeled carriages are believed to have held the reins(缰绳) with their right hands and a whip with their left; to avoid whipping the near drivers, they favored the left-hand side the road. It's also easier for right-handers to get on a horse from the left, so riders were attracted to that side to avoid the near traffic as they climbed on and off. Finally, knights(骑士) and the other drivers favored the left so they could do battle, if necessary, with their good hand.
So why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there's no doubt Napoleon was a major influence. The French have used the right since the late 18th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, people in upper class drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasantry to the right. During the violence, fearful rich people sought to mix with the peasantry by traveling on the right as well. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-handed conquest, like Great Britain, kept their left-handed tradition.Who had a major effect on “keep-right” traffic law?
| A．Ancient Romans | B．Hitler |
| C．Napoleon | D．Austrians |
What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered. |
| B．Hitler ordered right-hand traffic in Austria. |
| C．Great Britain escaped right-handed conquest. |
| D．The reasons that most of the world drives on the right side. |
What does the word peasantry in the last paragraph mean?
| A．People in upper class. |
| B．Right-handers. |
| C．Drivers. |
| D．Poor people. |
Apart from Great Britain, which country mentioned in the text keeps left-hand
traffic?
| A．France | B．Ancient Rome |
| C．Russia | D．Germany |
A jobless man Hambley applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
"You are employed" he said. "Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start."
Hambley replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email."
"I'm sorry", said the HR manager. "If you don't have an email that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."
The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only ten dollars in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy ten kilograms tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital（本金）. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with sixty dollars.
Hambley realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go earlier every day, and return late. Thus, his money doubled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, Hambley is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker(代理人), and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his email. Hambley replied, "I don't have an email."
The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build a company. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?" Hambley thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!" Hambley was refused by the HR manager because he________.
| A．didn’t have an email |
| B．didn’t exist |
| C．couldn’t clean the floor. |
| D．was dishonest |
In less than two hours, Hambley succeeded in earning ________ dollars.
| A．twenty | B．sixty | C．ten | D．thirty |
What do the underlined words “the retailers”refer to?
| A．People that sell insurance. |
| B．People that sell goods to the public. |
| C．People that double their capital |
| D．People that have their own truck. |
What is Hambley’s opinion on Network?
| A．It’s helpful |
| B．He wanted to use it later. |
| C．An office boy should use it. |
| D．It doesn’t mean everything. |
（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
Elephants are trained, at an early age, not to escape. One leg of a baby elephant is tied with a rope to a wooden post planted in the ground. The rope limits the baby elephant to an area determined by the length of the rope. At first the baby elephant tries to break free from the rope, but the rope is too strong. Soon the elephant learns that he cannot break the rope in any case. This space defined by the rope becomes the elephant's comfort zone.
As the elephant grows up it could easily break the rope, but it does not even try because it was conditioned as a baby to think that it still could not break free. As a result, the large elephant remains tied and stays in a small space.
This metaphor(隐喻) can be used to describe what happens to human beings as we become trapped in a comfort zone. Just as the elephant's space determines what it can do, our comfort zone determines what we are able to achieve. Fortunately, humans are born with the ability to make conscious choices. The elephant doesn't try to break the rope free while we can easily leave our comfort zone.
In order to expand our potential and succeed in life, we must expand our comfort zone into unfamiliar fields. You will never realize what you are truly able to achieve if you remain in your comfort zone. The area where the baby elephant can move around is decided by ________.
| A．the space covered by the elephant |
| B．the length of the rope |
| C．the elephant’s comfort zone |
| D．the wooden post planted in the ground |
The large elephant does not try to break the rope, because ________.
| A．the rope is too strong |
| B．a wooden post is planted in the ground |
| C．the elephant likes the small space |
| D．the elephant thinks it still could not break free |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．How to train elephants |
| B．A cautious elephant |
| C．A comfort zone |
| D．Expand your comfort zone |
“In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves… self-discipline（自律）with all of them came first.” — Harry S. Truman
That is the quotation (引语) that had me thinking yesterday. Discipline（纪律）, in particular self-discipline, is what will get us through most things in life, from writing this simple post to Achieving Greatness for You and I. You may ask, “Why is discipline important in writing this post?” For people who have tried writing, you would know how hard it might get sometimes to actually sit down and finish the whole article in one period without getting up every few minutes to get a drink, a snack or toilet break etc.
Just with most things in life, often we lack the self-discipline to see us through what we are hoping to do or achieve. One area where self-discipline is clearly important is in losing weight. Some people are constantly looking for quick fix to their weight problem; they will jump at anything that is claimed to help them lose weight in the shortest time. They may lose weight fast, but they will find the result short-term especially if they do not change the way they live and the food they eat.
A friend of mine shared his experience going through the journey from 115 kilograms to 56 kilograms in around one year. His journey of losing weight started from a trip with his daughter to the doctor for her check-up. He playfully weighed himself on the weighing machine while his daughter was having the check-up. The doctor saw his weight and made a remark, “If you maintain that balloon weight, you cannot see your grandchildren.”
That made him decide, “Enough is enough!” Not only that, he felt tired easily and his excessive (过多的) weight made him feel like a walking balloon. In that moment of awakening, he made decisions to change his lifestyle and eating habits.What does the author mainly talk about in the passage?
| A．His writing hobby. |
| B．The best way to lose weight. |
| C．The importance of self-discipline. |
| D．How to live a healthy life. |
We know from the second paragraph that the author __________ .
| A．can write easily after finishing his routines |
| B．doesn’t think writing is an easy job |
| C．writes just for fun |
| D．must have achieved much in his writing |
The author’s friend was determined to lose weight when he __________ .
| A．had a trip with his daughter and her family |
| B．knew the doctor was just making fun of him |
| C．was much touched by the doctor’s remark |
| D．realized that he would become a grandparent soon |
The author holds the belief（信念）that __________ .
| A．we can’t achieve anything in life without self-discipline |
| B．only great men need self-discipline |
| C．self-discipline is most needed in losing weight |
| D．self-discipline has something to do with one’s lifestyle |