Text 3
The war on drugs in the United States is an escalating battle that has, as of recent times, reached unprecedented levels. In every city and state across the nation, law enforcement officials are working around the clock to eradicate the illegal use, possession and distribution of controlled substances at all levels of society. The increasing devotion of resources and efforts to the battle has achieved mixed results.
A growing amount of money is being devoted to the funding of the war on drugs as time progresses. At last count, 19.2 billion dollars was being spent annually on the ongoing struggle, consisting of pay for law enforcement officials, education, treatment and other uses. This staggering amount translates into a stunning 609 dollars per second.
Results are being achieved. An arrest for drug-related offenses occurs every 20 seconds, and 648 people are put in prison every day on drug-related charges. These numbers illustrate the prevailing tactic used by the U.S. government in the war against drugs – going after the people supporting the industry. By removing both the suppliers and purchasers of illegal drugs, it is hoped that the industry will collapse by itself, through the elimination of supply and demand.
Aside from directly arresting those individuals responsible for the selling and purchasing of illegal drugs, the United States has also embarked on a campaign to take away the tools by which the drugs are used, primarily in the form of needles. To this end, there has been a recent federal ban on needle exchanges intended to restrict access to the tools necessary for the use of some illegal drugs.
This program has drawn harsh criticism, however, as it has resulted in the use and reuse of unsanitary needles, possibly contributing to the number of AIDS infections in drug users who would otherwise have avoided infection by using sterile needles that could have been provided, but for the federal ban. According to a study conducted by the AIDS Prevention Studies Center of the University of California at San Francisco, 4000 new infections of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, could be avoided per year if the federal ban on needle exchanges was lifted. This translates into more than 10 new cases of HIV avoided per day, a figure that causes one to pause and consider whether the war on drugs is being fought in the best manner possible. (395 words)
本文重點(diǎn)詞匯和詞組：escalating 逐步升級(jí)的；as of 從…起；around the clock日日夜夜； eradicate 根除；杜絕；staggering大得驚人的；stunning令人震驚的；go after追捕；sterile 消毒過的；embark on 著手，從事；but for 要不是…的話；HIV (=human immunodeficiency virus) 人免疫力缺乏病毒（艾滋病病毒）；lift vt. 撤消，解除。
1.By referring to “mixed results” in paragraph 1, the author most probably intends to mean ________.
A. all sorts of successes B. confused consequences
C. positive and negative effects D. significant and pleasing outcome
2.The author outlines the government’s strategy in the war on drugs in paragraph 3 to ________.
A.support the main view presented in the text
B.show that this strategy is the most effective
C.discredit later the strategy in subsequent paragraphs
D.explain why the statistics cited are relevant and important
3.The author brings up the issue of HIV and AIDS infections in paragraph 5 in order to ________.
A.illustrate another social issue that is not receiving enough attention
B.identify one group of people whom the war on drugs is indirectly affecting
C.illustrate an issue that must be taken seriously while fighting the war on drugs
D.identify one of the main motivations for the current strategy in the war on drugs
4.The author’s opinion of the ongoing war on drugs is one of ________.
A. strong disapproval B. critical support C. reluctant opposition D. silent consent
5.The main point of this text is to ________.
A. convince the reader that the war on drugs is being won
B. state the harmfulness of drugs and support the war on them
C. highlight the importance of launching a battle against drugs
D. inform the reader of the current status of the war on drugs
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
