现代大学英语听力3原文及答案unit9

less than the jolly old elf, and on the package, a picture of Santa himself.

\a merger with Santa is a marketer's dream. \NASDAQ! To the top of the Dow! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away—wow!\

And Mum in her handkerchief and me in my cap, had just settled down for a long winter's nap. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, the whirr and the hum of our satellite platter. As it turned toward that new Christmas star in the sky, the SANTALITE owned by the Microsoft guy. As I sprang from my bed and was turning around, my computer turned on with a Jingle-Bells sound.

And there on the screen was a smiling Bill Gates next to jolly old Santa, two arm-in-arm mates. And I heard them exclaim in voices so bright, have a Microsoft Christmas, and to all a good night!

Task 8 【答案】 A.

1) You would need a computer because of its \and speed; a computer can consider more factors than a person can. 2) The reservation clerk uses a machine to record information about where you want to go and the flight number of the plane that will take you to your destination. 3) The computer not only determines what seats are available at what prices, but it also prints the tickets at the same time. B.

1) there is a limit to the number of considerations the human mind can

2) analyzing this factor in relation to information about the business that has already been programmed 3) in which computers are being

4) whether or not there is space for you

C. See the last paragraph but one in the script. 【原文】

Suppose you are a manufacturer of bicycles. You are trying to decide whether or not to build a larger factory or to buy more machines. You could just say to yourself, \has been good. We've sold a lot of bicycles recently, so I think we ought to expand our plant.\

Or you could consider such questions as the following: How much would the changes cost Can the bicycle-riding population be expected to increase or decrease Many such questions would have to be answered, but there is a limit to the number of considerations the human mind can take into account.

In a situation like this, you would need a computer. Because of its \than a person can. Does the bicycle manufacturer wonder how the weather will affect bicycle sales The computer can tell him by analyzing this factor in relation to information about the business that has already been programmed into the computer. This is just one of many situations in which computers are being used today. This new servant of man is only about twenty-five years old, but it has already changed the lives of more than 200 million Americans. Wherever the citizen turns, he finds a computer working.

Computers are used when one reserves space on an airplane.

Walk into any airline office. Before selling you a ticket, the reservation clerk uses a machine that looks like a typewriter to record information about where you want to go and the flight number of the plane that will take you to your destination. This information is sent instantly to a central computer that may be many kilometers away from the airline office. Within seconds, the computer informs the clerk whether or not there is space for you on that plane.

Such reservation systems are now in increasing use. They are also employed by hotels, by com-panics that rent cars, and by offices that sell tickets to theaters and sports events. The computer not only determines what seats are available at what prices, but it also prints the tickets at the same time. When computers are used in the way just described, some part of the system can actually be seen. Usually what one sees is a machine that looks like a typewriter; it is called a computer terminal. But computers are also used in unseen ways. For example, they determine how much time there should be between traffic signals to prevent traffic problems and to keep millions of cars moving in an orderly flow. When you buy an automobile, a factory process that is controlled by a computer enables you to obtain a car with your own choice of colours and special features in just a few weeks' time. In medical laboratories, computers have reduced the errors in testing, and they have saved doctors countless hours of work. Before long, medical histories of all Americans will be kept in computer \home, local doctors will be able to get his medical record immediately. In science, the computer has performed in minutes experiments which would have required thousands of hours of work by human hands and minds.

The United States is not the only country affected by the \revolution\All the major countries of the world have computers, and the developing countries are increasingly aware that computers play a big part in their economic advancement.

Task 9 【答案】

A. 1) a) 2) b) 3) c) B. 1) T 2) F 3) F C.

1) potential criminals: Computer crime

2) using less obvious and less easily remembered passwords that allow access to

3) limit the user's access to information as well as the operations the user D.

Courts are being tougher and computer security is improving. Computer security is getting more sophisticated. For example, less obvious passwords are being used, and access-control software and \back\systems have been developed. Scrambling devices and audit trails are also available. 【原文】

Let's talk a little now about what is being done to stop computer crime. First, the courts are getting much tougher on hackers. They are punishing computer criminals more severely. They are trying to send a strong message to potential criminals: Computer crime is serious. If you're caught doing it, you'll be punished. This is seen as a way of preventing hacking.

Computer security is getting more sophisticated. It's being improved by using less obvious and less easily remembered passwords that allow access to systems. These passwords should be given to the minimum number of people.

Access-control software is becoming more common. This software limits the user's access to information as well as the operations the user can perform. So, for example, access control software might only let users read certain files or programs, but not let them input data, and may keep them out of other files entirely.

Then there are \back\systems that ask the user or caller for a password. The system then checks the password in a directory and calls the user back at his or her telephone number. This stops hackers who are calling from another number from gaining access to the system.

Scrambling devices are also being developed by computer engineers. These devices scramble messages so that hackers can't understand them. Data can be unscrambled and used only if the scrambling key is known by the user. Scrambling is a very effective way of protecting information.

Audit trail software is also now available. Audit trails monitor the use of a computer and alert owners to any attempt to enter their computer system. It is usually possible to identify any user who gained access to the system and when the access occurred, making it possible to trace the hacker.

Well, those are some of the major things that are happening at the present time in order to decrease computer crime. None of them is completely satisfactory, but together they are certainly helping. These changes, as well as the improvements that are certain to come, should influence people to stop hacking by making it less profitable and more risky.

Task 10 【原文】

\astronauts are returning to earth at exactly 5:24. Splashdown will be in the Pacific, 427ciles west of Hawaii.\