专八阅读训练：Crime in Computer

Crime in Computer

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

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

A competitor sabotages a company’s computer system to destroy or cripple the firm’soperational ability, thus neutralizing its competitive capability either in the private or thegovernment sector. This computer sabotage may also be tied to an attempt by affluent investorsto acquire the victim firm. With the growing reliance by firms on computers for their recordkeepingand daily operations, sabotage of their computers can result in internal havoc, after which thegroup interested in acquiring the firm can easily buy it at a substantially lower price. Criminal groupscould also resort to sabotage if the company is a competitor of a business owned or controlled byorganized crime.

Politically motivated sabotage is on the increase; political extremist groups have sprouted onevery continent. Sophisticated computer technology arms these groups with awesome powersand opens technologically advanced nations to their attack. Several attempts have already beenmade to destroy computer facility at an air force base. A university computer facility involved innational 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 thatneither government nor private computer systems are adequately protected against sabotage.Organized criminal syndicates have shown their willingness to work with politically motivatedgroups. Investigators have uncovered evidence of cooperation between criminal groups andforeign governments in narcotics. Criminal groups have taken attempts in assassinating politicalleaders…. Computers are used in hospital life-support system, in laboratories, and in major surgery.Criminals could easily turn these computers into tools of devastation. By sabotaging the computerof a life-support system, criminals could kill an individual as easily as they had used a gun. Bymanipulating 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 maybecome the hit man of the twentieth century.

The computer opens vast areas of crime to organized criminal groups, both national andinternational. 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 requitinga vast network of fences. Although criminals have adapted to computer technology, lawenforcement 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 relatively 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 killing 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.