Last year, CurtDunnam bought a Chevrolet Blazer with one of the most popular new features inhigh-end cars: the OnStar personal security system.

The heavilyadvertised communications and tracking feature is used nationwide by more thantwo million drivers, who simply push a button to connect, via a built-incell-phone, to a member of the OnStar staff. A Global Positioning System, or G.P. S., helps the employee give verbal directions to the driver or locate thecar after an accident. The company can even send a signal to unlock car doorsfor locked-out owners, or honk the horn to help people find their cars in anendless plain of parking spaces. The biggest selling point for the system isits use in frustrating car thieves. Once an owner reports to the police that acar has been stolen, the company can track it to help arrest the thieves, aservice it performs about 400 times each month.

But for Mr.Dunnam, the more he learned about his car’s security features, the less securehe felt. He has enough technical knowledge to worry that someone else—law enforcement officers, orhackers—couldlisten in on his phone calls, or gain control over his automotive systemswithout his knowledge or consent. “While I don’t believe G. M. intentionallydesigned this system to facilitate such activities, they sure have made iteasy,” he said.

Mr. Dunnam saidhe had become even more concerned because of a federal appeals court caseinvolving a criminal investigation, in which federal authorities had demandedthat a company attach a wiretap to tracking services like those installed inhis car. The suit did not reveal which company was involved. A three-judgepanel in San Francisco rejected the request, but not on privacy grounds; thepanel said the wiretap would interfere with the operation of the safetyservices. OnStar has said that its equipment was not involved in that case. AnOnStar spokeswoman, Geri I., suggested that Mr. Dunnam’s worries wereoverblown. The signals that the company sends to unlock car doors or tracklocation—basedinformation can be triggered only with a secure exchange of specificidentifying data, which ought to hinder all but the most determined hackers,she said.

1．The most important feature of OnStaradvertised by the company is that it can ______.

A. help peoplefind their cars in the big parking lot

B. give verbaldirection to drivers lost in unfamiliar areas

C. open cardoors for owners unable to find their car keys

D. make itdifficult for thieves to get away with stolen cars

2．We can conclude from the passage thatOnStar is ______.

A. toocomplicated to use especially for new drivers

B. not as usefuland effective as the company claims

C. popularlyused among the more expensive cars

D. not widelyused in the country except in a few states

3．Mr. Dunnam felt dissatisfied with OnStarbecause ______.

A. his personalinformation might be revealed

B. his demandfor better services was rejected

C. OnStar posedpotential danger to driving safety

D. OnStar hadbeen developed mainly to facilitate police work

4．The three-judge panel rejected therequest of the federal authorities because ______.

A. it was inviolation of individual privacy

B. it wasagainst the Constitution of the nation

C. the wiretapmight affect the safety of personal data

D. the wiretapmight reduce the efficiency of the system

5．OnStar spokeswoman suggested that Mr.Dunnam’s worries ______.

A. exaggeratedthe problems that might occur

B. representedreasonable concerns of customers

C. presentedproblems for them to solve

D. made sensedue to the existence of hackers

6．The passage is mainly written to ______.

A. promote thebrand and sale of OnStar

B. point out theworries caused by OnStar

C. introduce thenew features of OnStar

D. show thefuture trend represented by OnStar

【答案与解析】

1．D 第二段第四句作者说：该系统最大的卖点就是它能阻止盗车贼偷走汽车。一旦车主向警察报告车丢了，公司将启动跟踪系统抓住偷车贼。

2．C 文章第一句作者说：去年Curt Dunnam买了一辆雪佛莱Blazer牌汽车，该车具有高档车中最受欢迎的特点，即配有OnStar个人安全系统。

3．A 第三段第二句作者说：Dunnam先生在这方面有足够的技术知识，因此他担心别人，如执法官或黑客，可能会听到他的车载电话通话的内容，或在他不知情或不同意的情况下控制他的车的安全系统。

4．D 第四段第三句后半部作者说：（由三位法官组成的）裁决小组说监听系统(wiretap)能够干扰安全服务系统的工作。

5．A 第四段第五句作者说：一位OnStar公司的女发言人Geri I.指出Dunnam先生的担心是过虑了。公司发出的开车门的信号或跟踪定位信号只有在确认车主的特别数据信息后才能发出。它可以阻止所有的其他人控制你的车，除非那些铁了心要偷你的车的黑客。

6．B 文章先引出OnStar这一话题，简要介绍其功能后，作者着重指出了由此而引发的忧虑。故选项B正确。 GdZhR7mxJhxbAKz34+p9/wQS8uKW2jOEp9ES7/DwlH9CwPX0hENVdTY2kqBym0mG