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It never rains but it pours.Just as bosses and boards have finally sorted out their worst accounting and compliance troubles，and improved their feeble corporation governance，a new problem threatens to earn them-especially in America-the sort of nasty headlines that inevitably lead to heads rolling in the executive suite：data insecurity.Left，until now, to odd，low-level IT staff to put right, and seen as a concern only of data-rich industries such as banking，telecoms and air travel，information protection is now high on the boss’s agenda in businesses of every variety.

Several massive leakages of customer and employee data this year—from organizations as diverse as Time Warner, the American defense contractor Science Applications International Corp and even the University of California，Berkeley—have left managers hurriedly peering into their intricate IT systems and business processes in search of potential vulnerabilities.

“Data is becoming an asset which needs to be guarded as much as any other asset，”says Haim Mendelson of Stanford University’s business school.“The ability to guard customer data is the key to market value，which the board is responsible for on behalf of shareholders”.Indeed，just as there is the concept of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles(GAAP)，perhaps it is time for GASP, Generally Accepted Security Practices，suggested Eli Noam of New York’s Columbia Business School.“Setting the proper investment 1evel for security, redundancy, and recovery is a management issue，not a technical one,” he says.

The mystery is that this should come as a surprise to any boss.Surely it should be obvious to the dimmest executive that trust，that most valuable of economic assets.is easily destroyed and hugely expensive to restore——and that few things are more likely to destroy trust than a company letting sensitive personal data get into the wrong hands.

The current state of affairs may have been encouraged—though not justified—by the lack of legal penalty(in America，but not Europe)for data leakage.Until California recently passed a law, American firms did not have to tell anyone.even the victim，when data went astray.That may change fast：lots of proposed data-security legislation is now doing the rounds in Washington，D.C.Meanwhile，the theft of information about some 40 million credit.card accounts in America.disclosed on June 17th.overshadowed a hugely important decision a day earlier by America’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC)that puts corporate America on notice that regulators will act if firms fail to provide adequate data security.

36.The statement “It never rains but it pours” is used to introduce____.

A. the fierce business competition.

B. the feeble boss-board relations.

C. the threat from news reports.

D. the severity of data leakage.

37.According to Paragraph 2，some organizations check their systems to find out____.

A. whether there is any weak point.

B. what sort of data has been stolen.

C. who is responsible for the leakage.

D. how the potential spies can be located.

38.In bringing up the concept of GASP the author is making the point that____.

A. shareholders’ interests should be properly attended to.

B. information protection should be given due attention.

C. businesses should enhance their level of accounting security.

D. the market value of customer data should be emphasized.

39.According to Paragraph 4，what puzzles the author is that some bosses fail to____.

A. see the link between trust and data protection.

B. perceive the sensitivity of personal data.

C. realize the high cost of data restoration.

D. appreciate the economic value of trust.

40.It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that____.

A. data leakage is more severe in Europe.

B. FTC’s decision is essential to data security.

C. California，takes the lead in security legislation.

D. legal penalty is a major solution to data leakage.
 

答案解析

文章解析：根据中心统一原则确定，

文章首段主题句是Just as bosses and boards have finally sorted out their worst accounting and compliance troubles，and improved their feeble corporation governance，a new problem threatens to earn them--especially in America--the sort of nasty headlines that inevitably lead to heads rolling in the executive suite：data insecurity.当老板和董事们刚刚整顿好糟糕的财务和规章问题，加强了薄弱的公司机制后，新的“数据不安全”问题可能让他们特别是在美国成为报纸恶毒的头版头条，毫无疑问，这会导致执行官们走马换任。

第二段确定段落内容方向的语句是Several massive leakages of customer and employee data this year have left managers hurriedly peering into their intricate IT systems and business processes in search of potential vulnerabilities.今年几宗大的客户和雇员数据的泄露事件让经理们赶紧盯着他们复杂的IT系统和商业流程，以搜索可能的安全缺陷。

第三段确定段落内容方向的语句是Indeed，just as there is the concept of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles(GAAP)，perhaps it is time for GASP, Generally Accepted Security Practices，suggested Eli Noam of New York’s Columbia Business School.确实，正如有公认的财会准则一样，到了有公共安全惯例的时候了。纽约哥伦比亚大学商学院的Eli Noam提出如是建议。

第四段确定段落内容方向的语句是The mystery is that this should come as a surprise to any boss.令人费解的是这一问题似乎让老板们大吃一惊。

第五段确定段落内容方向的语句是The current state of affairs may have been encouraged—though not justified—by the lack of legal penalty(in America，but not Europe)for data leakage.现在这种状况，虽然不合理，可能会由于缺乏对数据泄露的法律制裁而加剧(是美国缺乏法律制裁，而不是欧洲)。

不难发现，这篇文章围绕着数据信息泄露来展开。

题目解析：

36.结构题The statement “It never rains but it pours” is used to introduce_____.

选项A. the fierce business competition.激烈的商业竞争。

B. the feeble boss-board relations.淡薄的老板与董事关系。

C. the threat from news reports.来自新闻报道的威胁。

D. the severity of data leakage.数据泄露的严重性。

注意：“文章首段借用某人的话目的是什么?”这种提问方式是一种特殊题型，答案对应的相关信息句为文章的中心思想。文章第一段主题句：Just as bosses and boards have finally sorted out their worst accounting and compliance troubles，and improved their feeble corporation governance，a new problem threatens to earn them--especially in America--the sort of nasty headlines that inevitably lead to heads rolling in the executive suite：data insecurity.“当老板和董事们刚刚整顿好糟糕的财务和规章问题，加强了薄弱的公司机制后，新的“数据不安全”问题可能让他们特别是在美国成为报纸恶毒的头版头条，毫无疑问，这会导致执行官们走马换任。”文章第二段主题句Several massive leakages of customer and employee data this year have left managers hurriedly peering into their intricate IT systems and business processes in search of potential vulnerabilities.“今年几宗大的客户和雇员数据的泄露事件让经理们赶紧盯着他们复杂的IT系统和商业流程，以搜索可能的安全缺陷。”第三段主题句为Indeed，just as there is the concept of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles(GAAP)，perhaps it is time for GASP, Generally Accepted Security Practices，suggested Eli Noam of New York’s Columbia Business School.“确实，正如有公认的财会准则一样，到了有公共安全惯例的时候了。纽约哥伦比亚大学商学院的Eli Noam提出如是建议。”。第四段主题句为The mystery is that this should come as a surprise to any boss.“令人费解的是这一问题似乎让老板们大吃一惊”。第五段主题句为The current state of affairs may have been encouraged—though not justified—by the lack of legal penalty(in America，but not Europe)for data leakage.“现在这种状况，虽然不合理，可能会由于缺乏对数据泄露的法律制裁而加剧(是美国缺乏法律制裁，而不是欧洲)。” 可见，这篇文章谈到数据泄露的问题。因此，正确答案为D. the severity of data leakage. 数据泄露的严重性。

37.细节题According to Paragraph 2，some organizations check their systems to find out_____.

选项A. whether there is any weak point.是否存在任何弱点。

B. what sort of data has been stolen.什么类型的数据被盗。

C. who is responsible for the leakage.谁为数据泄露负责。

D. how the potential spies can be located.怎样定位潜在的间谍。

该题利用定位词“some organizations”定位到文章第二段Several massive leakages of customer and employee data this year—from organizations as diverse as Time Warner, the American defense contractor Science Applications International Corp and even the University of California，Berkeley—have left managers hurriedly peering into their intricate IT systems and business processes in search of potential vulnerabilities.“今年几宗大的客户和雇员数据的泄露事件，包括时代华纳，美国国防承包商国际科学应用公司，甚至加州大学伯克利分校等差异如此之大的机构，让经理们赶紧盯着他们复杂的IT系统和商业流程，以搜索可能的安全缺陷。” 选项A. whether there is any weak point.是否存在任何弱点，与相关信息句动作“让经理们赶紧盯着他们复杂的IT系统和商业流程，以搜索可能的安全缺陷”相关联，动作“是否存在弱点”对应于“搜索可能的安全缺陷”，体现“同意替换”的关系;选项B. what sort of data has been stolen.什么类型的数据被盗，与相关信息句动作“让经理们赶紧盯着他们复杂的IT系统和商业流程，以搜索可能的安全缺陷”没有任何关联，选项中强调“数据类型”而语句中表达“是否有安全缺陷”;选项C. who is responsible for the leakage.谁为数据泄露负责，与相关信息句动作“让经理们赶紧盯着他们复杂的IT系统和商业流程，以搜索可能的安全缺陷”没有任何关联;选项D. how the potential spies can be located.怎样定位潜在的间谍，与相关信息句动作“让经理们赶紧盯着他们复杂的IT系统和商业流程，以搜索可能的安全缺陷”没有任何关联。因此，答案为A. whether there is any weak point.是否存在任何弱点。

38.细节题In bringing up the concept of GASP the author is making the point that_____.

选项A. shareholders’ interests should be properly attended to.

持股人的利益应当受到妥善保护。

B. information protection should be given due attention.

应当全力注意保护信息。

C. businesses should enhance their level of accounting security.

商业机构应该提高计算安全级别。

D. the market value of customer data should be emphasized.

顾客数据的市场价值应该得到重视。

该题利用定位词“the concept of GASP”定位到文章第三段Indeed，just as there is the concept of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles(GAAP)，perhaps it is time for GASP, Generally Accepted Security Practices，suggested Eli Noam of New York’s Columbia Business School.“确实，正如有公认的财会准则一样，到了有公共安全惯例的时候了。纽约哥伦比亚大学商学院的Eli Noam提出如是建议。” 选项A. shareholders’ interests should be properly attended to. 持股人的利益应当受到妥善保护，与相关信息句动作“正如有公认的财会准则一样，到了有公共安全惯例的时候了”没有任何关联，文章中叙述到保护数据信息不被泄露，而该选项却叙述到保护持股人的利益;选项B. information protection should be given due attention.应当全力注意保护信息，与相关信息句动作“正如有公认的财会准则一样，到了有公共安全惯例的时候了”相关联，动作“注意保护信息”对应于“应该有公共安全惯例”;选项C. businesses should enhance their level of accounting security.商业机构应该提高计算安全级别，与相关信息句动作“正如有公认的财会准则一样，到了有公共安全惯例的时候了”没有任何关联;选项D. the market value of customer data should be emphasized.顾客数据的市场价值应该得到重视，与相关信息句动作“正如有公认的财会准则一样，到了有公共安全惯例的时候了”没有任何关联。因此，正确答案为B. information protection should be given due attention.应当全力注意保护信息。

39.细节题According to Paragraph 4，what puzzles the author is that some bosses fail to_____.

选项A. see the link between trust and data protection.

看到信任和数据保护的联系。

B. perceive the sensitivity of personal data.

理解个人数据的敏感性。

C. realize the high cost of data restoration.

意识到数据储存的巨大成本。

D. appreciate the economic value of trust.

欣赏信任的经济价值。

该题利用定位词“some bosses”定位到文章第四段The mystery is that this should come as a surprise to any boss.Surely it should be obvious to the dimmest executive that trust，that most valuable of economic assets, is easily destroyed and hugely expensive to restore——and that few things are more likely to destroy trust than a company letting sensitive personal data get into the wrong hands.“令人费解的是这一问题似乎让老板们大吃一惊。想必最迟钝的老板也明白，信任是最有价值的资产，它很容易被毁掉，而修复信任需要花费巨资。没有什么能比一家公司让敏感的个人数据流到别有用心的人手里更能毁掉信任了。” 选项A. see the link between trust and data protection.看到信任和数据保护的联系，与相关信息句动作“信任是最有价值的资产，它很容易被毁掉，而修复信任需要花费巨资。没有什么能比一家公司让敏感的个人数据流到别有用心的人手里更能毁掉信任了”相关联，体现“同意替换”的关系;选项B. perceive the sensitivity of personal data. 理解个人数据的敏感性，与相关信息句动作“信任是最有价值的资产，它很容易被毁掉，而修复信任需要花费巨资。没有什么能比一家公司让敏感的个人数据流到别有用心的人手里更能毁掉信任了”没有关联，相关信息句中没有涉及“个人数据的敏感性”;选项C. realize the high cost of data restoration.意识到数据储存的巨大成本，与相关信息句动作“信任是最有价值的资产，它很容易被毁掉，而修复信任需要花费巨资。没有什么能比一家公司让敏感的个人数据流到别有用心的人手里更能毁掉信任了”没有关联，相关信息句中没有涉及“数据存储的成本”;D. appreciate the economic value of trust.欣赏信任的经济价值，与相关信息句动作“信任是最有价值的资产，它很容易被毁掉，而修复信任需要花费巨资。没有什么能比一家公司让敏感的个人数据流到别有用心的人手里更能毁掉信任了”没有关联，相关信息句中没有涉及“信任的经济价值”。因此，答案为A. see the link between trust and data protection.看到信任和数据保护的联系。

40.推断题It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that_____.

选项A. data leakage is more severe in Europe.

数据泄露在欧洲更加严重。

B. FTC’s decision is essential to data security.

FTC的决定对数据安全至关重要。

C. California takes the lead in security legislation.

加州在安全法规方面居于领先地位。

D. legal penalty is a major solution to data leakage.

法律惩罚是解决数据泄露的主要方法。

该题目作为推断题，要明确找到指定的最后一段的主题句。根据“主题句---细节句原则”，文章尾段The current state of affairs may have been encouraged—though not justified—by the lack of legal penalty(in America，but not Europe)for data leakage.Until California recently passed a law, American firms did not have to tell anyone, even the victim，when data went astray.That may change fast：lots of proposed data-security legislation is now doing the rounds in Washington，D.C.Meanwhile，the theft of information about some 40 million credit.card accounts in America.disclosed on June 17th， overshadowed a hugely important decision a day earlier by America’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC)that puts corporate America on notice that regulators will act if firms fail to provide adequate data security.段落中间没有转折词，段落尾句Meanwhile，the theft of information about some 40 million credit.card accounts in America.disclosed on June 17th， overshadowed a hugely important decision a day earlier by America’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC)that puts corporate America on notice that regulators will act if firms fail to provide adequate data security.“同时，6月17日公布的美国大约4千万信用卡帐户信息失窃事件让一天前美国联邦贸易委员会公布的一个重要决定黯然失色，该决定通知美国公司如果不能提供充分的数据保障，就会按章惩罚。”明确是细节。 因此，段落的主题句为段首句The current state of affairs may have been encouraged—though not justified—by the lack of legal penalty(in America，but not Europe)for data leakage.“现在这种状况，虽然不合理，可能会由于缺乏对数据泄露的法律制裁而加剧(是美国缺乏法律制裁，而不是欧洲)。”选项A. data leakage is more severe in Europe.数据泄露在欧洲更加严重，与相关信息句动作“可能会由于缺乏对数据泄露的法律制裁而加剧(是美国缺乏法律制裁，而不是欧洲)”似乎有关联，但是相关信息句中没有将数据泄露的严重性进行比较;选项B. FTC’s decision is essential to data security.FTC的决定对数据安全至关重要，与相关信息句动作“可能会由于缺乏对数据泄露的法律制裁而加剧(是美国缺乏法律制裁，而不是欧洲)”没有任何关联;选项C. California takes the lead in security legislation. 加州在安全法规方面居于领先地位，与相关信息句动作“可能会由于缺乏对数据泄露的法律制裁而加剧(是美国缺乏法律制裁，而不是欧洲)”没有任何关联;选项D. legal penalty is a major solution to data leakage.法律惩罚是解决数据泄露的主要方法，与相关信息句动作“可能会由于缺乏对数据泄露的法律制裁而加剧(是美国缺乏法律制裁，而不是欧洲)”相关联，体现“肯定与否定替换”的关系。因此，正确答案为D. legal penalty is a major solution to data leakage.法律惩罚是解决数据泄露的主要方法。

全文翻译不雨则已，一雨倾盆。当老板和董事们刚刚整顿好最糟糕的财务和规章问题，加强了薄弱的公司机制之后，新的“数据不安全”问题可能让他们特别是在美国成为报纸恶毒的头版头条，毫无疑问，这会导致执行官们走马换任。直到现在，信息保护还只是临时的，低级IT员工的工作，只是在数据量大的行业诸如银行业，电信业，航空公司受到重视，而现在却高高列在各行各业老板们的日程表上。

今年几宗大的客户和雇员数据的泄露事件，包括时代华纳，美国国防承包商国际科学应用公司，甚至加州大学伯克利分校等差异如此大的机构，让经理们赶紧盯着他们复杂的IT系统和商业流程，以搜索可能存在的安全缺陷。

斯坦福大学商业院的Haim Medelson说，“数据正成为一种财产，需要像保护其他财产一样保护它。保护客户数据的能力对于市场价值至关重要，而市场价值是董事会应该对股民负责的。”确实，正如有公认的财会准则(GAAP)一样，到了有公认安全惯例(GASP)的时候了。纽约哥伦比亚大学商学院的Eli Noam建议，“为数据安全，备份，恢复设立适当的投资标准是一个管理问题，不是技术问题。”

令人费解的是这一问题似乎让老板们大吃一惊。想必最迟钝的老板来也明白，信任是最有价值的经济资产，他能容易被毁掉，而修复信任需要花费巨资。没有什么能比一家公司让敏感的个人数据流到别有用心的人手里更能毁掉信任的了。

现在这种情况，虽然不合理，可能还由于缺乏对数据泄露的法律制裁而加剧。(是美国缺乏法律制裁，而不是欧洲)。最近加州通过一项法令，在这之前，当数据泄露时，美国公司都不必告诉任何人，甚至是受害者本人。这种情况很快就会改变：许多有关数据安全的立法提案正在华盛顿特区进行讨论。同时6月17日公布的美国大约4千万信用卡帐户信息失窃事件让一天前美国联邦贸易委员会公布的一个重要决定黯然失色，该决定通知美国公司如果不能提供充分的数据安全保障，就会按章惩罚。