Text 4（課外閱讀） [2003 RC Text 1]
Wild Bill Donovan would have loved the Internet. The American spymaster who built the Office of Strategic Services in World War II and later laid the roots for the CIA was fascinated with information. Donovan believed in using whatever tools came to hand in the “great game” of espionage -- spying as a “profession.” These days the Net, which has already re-made such everyday pastimes as buying books and sending mail, is reshaping Donovan’s vocation as well.
The latest revolution isn’t simply a matter of gentlemen reading other gentlemen’s e-mail. That kind of electronic spying has been going on for decades. In the past three or four years, the World Wide Web has given birth to a whole industry of point-and-click spying. The spooks call it “open source intelligence,” and as the Net grows, it is becoming increasingly influential. In 1995 the CIA held a contest to see who could compile the most data about Burundi. The winner, by a large margin, was a tiny Virginia company called Open Source Solutions, whose clear advantage was its mastery of the electronic world.
Among the firms making the biggest splash in this new world is Straitford, Inc., a private intelligence-analysis firm based in Austin, Texas. Straitford makes money by selling the results of spying (covering Chile and Russia) to corporations like energy-services firm McDermott International. Many of its predictions are available online at www.straitford.com.
Straitford president George Friedman says he sees the online world as a kind of mutually reinforcing tool for both information collection and distribution, a spymaster’s dream. Last week his firm was busy vacuuming up data bits from the far corners of the world and predicting a crisis in Ukraine. “As soon as that report runs, we’ll suddenly get 500 new Internet sign-ups from Ukraine,” says Friedman, a former political science professor. “And we’ll hear back from some of them.” Open-source spying does have its risk, of course, since it can be difficult to tell good information from bad. That’s where Straitford earns its keep.
Friedman relies on a lean staff of 20 in Austin. Several of his staff members have military intelligence backgrounds. He sees the firm’s outsider status as the key to its success. Straitford briefs don’t sound like usual Washington back-and-forthing, whereby agencies avoid dramatic declarations on the chance they might be wrong. Straitford, says Friedman, takes pride in its independent voice. (396 words)
1. The emergence of the Net has __________.
A. received support from fans like Donovan B. remolded the intelligence services
C. restored many common pastimes D. revived spying as a profession
2. Donovan’s story is mentioned in the text to ________.
A. introduce the topic of online spying B. show how he fought for the U.S.
C. give an episode of the information war D. honor his unique services to the CIA
3. The phrase ‘making the biggest splash’ (line 1, paragraph 3) most probably means _________.
A. causing the biggest trouble B. exerting the greatest effort
C. achieving the greatest success D. enjoying the widest popularity
4. It can be learned from paragraph 4 that _________.
A. Straitford’s prediction about Ukraine has proved true B. Straitford guarantees the truthfulness of its information
C. Straitford’s business is characterized by unpredictability D. Straitford is able to provide fairly reliable information
5. Straitford is most proud of its __________.
A. official status B. nonconformist image
C. efficient staff D. military background
Text 2 Word Study
1. slack adj. 1)松的，松馳的，寬松的：A rope is slack if it hasn’t been pulled tight. (如果一根繩子沒(méi)有拉緊，那它是松的。) 2)松懈的，馬虎的：A slack person is one who does things carelessly. (一個(gè)馬虎的人是一個(gè)做事粗枝大葉的人。) 3)緩慢的：The horse was moving at a slack pace. (這匹馬以緩慢的步伐走著。) 4) 生意清淡，蕭條：Business is slack at this season. (在這個(gè)季節(jié)生意清淡蕭條。) vt. 1)放松；使緩慢：Slack the rope before trying to unite the knot. (在試圖打結(jié)之前請(qǐng)把這條繩子放松。) The train slacked off it speed as it came into the station. (這列火車(chē)進(jìn)站時(shí)，它放慢了速度。) 2) vi.馬虎，懈�。篐e was scolded for slacking. (他由于馬虎而挨罵。)
2. outrage vt. (=shock or offend sb.; upset greatly) 震駭；觸犯；使氣憤：outrage public opinion 違反民意。They were outraged by the announcement of massive price increases. (物價(jià)大幅上漲的消息一公布，他們氣憤填膺。) n. 1)殘暴行為，罪行：The use of H-bombs would be an outrage against humanity. (使用氫彈是反人類的殘暴行為。) 2)憤怒：The farmers felt outrage at the attack on their villages. (農(nóng)民們對(duì)進(jìn)攻他們的村莊感到憤怒。) 同根詞outrageous adj. 憤怒的；殘暴的；令人反感的：outrageous behavior令人憤怒的行為。
3. all too 實(shí)在太：The holidays were all too short.（假期實(shí)在太短了。） The day passed all too quickly.（這天過(guò)得實(shí)在太快了。）
4. grieve vi./vt. 悲痛，難過(guò)；傷心：I shall not grieve at his death. (他死我不會(huì)悲痛。) I was grieved to see the change in my old friend. (我傷心地看到我老朋友的這種變化。) grief n. 悲痛；悲痛的事：My mother is overcome with grief. (我母親悲痛欲極。) His wild behavior was a grief to his parents. (他的粗野行為使他父母很傷心。) 同根詞grievous adj. 令人悲痛的；極嚴(yán)重的。 grievance n. 不滿意見(jiàn)，苦情，牢騷；抱怨不平：He won’t listen to our grievance.
5. above all (=most important)最重要的。
6. exchange 交換；交流：to exchange experience 交流經(jīng)驗(yàn)。to exchange views交流觀點(diǎn)看法。exchange… for…把…換成…：Where can I exchange dollars for pounds? (我在哪里能把美元換成英鎊？) exchange … with 和…交換：He exchanged seats with me. (他與我交換座位。) n. 交換；交流：a secret exchange of messages 秘密交換信息。foreign exchange reserves外匯儲(chǔ)備。詞組：in exchange for 作為交換：I took his watch in exchange for my camera. (我拿了他的手表?yè)Q我的相機(jī)。)
7. in return for 作為…的回報(bào)；以答謝：I’m sending him a present in return for all his kindness to us. (我將寄給他一件禮品以答謝他對(duì)我們的好意。)
8. adjoin vt. 與…相鄰。markedly 顯著地，明顯地。toss vt. (=throw sth. lightly)輕扔，擲。induce vt. (=persuade or influence sb to do sth.)引誘，誘發(fā)，誘惑。stem from (=come from)來(lái)自。as yet (=so far) 至今。
Text 3 Word Study
precede vi./ vt. 在…之前，在…前面：The Greek civilization preceded the Roman one. (希臘文明先于羅馬文明。) 2) They came into the room preceded by a small dog. (一條小狗在前面，他們走進(jìn)房間。) 3) A major precedes a captain. (少校的職位比大尉高。) 4) He preceded his speech with a warning against inattention. (他講話以前先警告聽(tīng)眾不要心不在焉。)
