同等学力英语阅读及翻译专项练习 4

For more than 10 years there has been a bigger rise in car crime than in most other types of crime. An average of more than two cars a minute are broken into, vandalized ( 破坏 ) or stolen in the UK. Car crime accounts for almost a third of all reported offences with no signs that the trend is slowing down.

Although there are highly professional criminals involved in car theft, almost 90 percent of car crime is committed by the opportunist. Amateur thieves are aided by our carelessness. When the Automobile Association (AA) engineers surveyed one town center car park last year, 10 percent of cars checked were unlocked, a figure backed up by a Home Office national survey that found 12 percent of drivers sometimes left their cars unlocked.

The vehicles are sitting in petrol stations while drivers pay for their fuel. The AA has discovered that cars are left unattended for an average of three minutes—and sometimes much longer—as drivers buy drinks, cigarettes and other consumer items and then pay at the counter. With payment by credit card more and more common, it is not unusual for a driver to be out of his car as long as six minutes providing the car thief with a golden opportunity.

In an exclusive AA survey, carried out at a busy garage on a main road out of London , 300 motorists were questioned over three days of the holiday period. 24 percent admitted that they “always” or “sometimes” leave the keys in the car. This means that nationwide, a million cars daily become easy targets for the opportunist thief.

The AA recommends locking up whenever you leave the car—and for however short a period. A partially open sunroof or window is a further come-on to thieves.

Leaving valuables in view is an invitation to the criminal. A Manchester probationary ( 假释期 ) service research project, which interviewed almost 100 car thieves last year, found many would investigate a coat thrown on a seat. Never leave any documents showing your home address in the car. If you have a garage, use it and lock it—a garaged car is at substantially less risk.

There are many other traps to avoid. The Home Office has found little awareness among drivers about safe parking. Most motorists questioned made no efforts to avoid parking in quiet spots away from street lights—just the places thieves love. The AA advises drivers to park in places with people around—thieves do not like audiences.

1. The passage seems to imply that payment by credit card ______.

A. is preferable for safe parking B. is now a common practice

C. takes longer than necessary D. aids a car thief in a way

2. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A. In the UK , a million cars are stolen daily.

B. In the UK , there are amateur car thieves only.

C. There are more car crimes than any other type of offences.

D. One in ten drivers invites car theft due to carelessness.

3. The researches mentioned in the passage on car theft include all the following EXCEPT ______.

A. checking private garages B. interviewing motorists

C. questioning car thieves D. examining parking lots

4. The best way for a driver to avoid car theft is ______.

A. leaving documents showing one's home address in the car

B. locking one's car in a parking lot at any time

C. not leaving the car unattended for longer than necessary

D. not leaving a sunroof or window partially open

5. In the last paragraph, the term “safe parking” means ______.

A. not parking under street lights B. not parking in front of a theatre or cinema

C. avoiding traps set by a possible car thief D. parking where a lot of people pass by

十多年来，汽车犯罪率一直比大多数其他类型的犯罪率上升得都快。在英国，平均一分钟就有超过两辆的汽车被闯入、遭破坏或是被偷窃。汽车犯罪几乎占了所有报道过的犯罪的三分之一，并且没有迹象显示这种趋势正在减缓。

尽管所涉及的汽车盗窃案中有非常职业的罪犯，但是，几乎百分之九十的汽车犯罪案都是机会主义者犯下的。我们的粗心大意助长了业余盗窃者的盗窃行为。去年，“汽车协会”的工程师在调查一个镇中心的停车场时发现，百分之十被调查的汽车没有上锁，这一数字得到了内政部一次全国性调查的证实——该调查发现，百分之十二的司机有时不锁汽车。

司机在付油钱时车辆就停在加油站。“汽车协会”发现，当司机去购买饮料、香烟和其他消费品然后到柜台付款时，汽车无人照顾的平均时间为三分钟——有时长得多。由于用信用卡付款越来越普遍，司机不在车里的时间长达六分钟的现象也就不罕见了，这就为盗车贼提供了绝好的机会。

“汽车协会”在伦敦市外一条主干道旁的一家繁忙的汽车修理厂进行了一次专门调查，在为期三天的假期中询问了三百名司机。百分之二十四的司机承认，他们“经常”或“有时”把钥匙留在车上。这就意味着：在全国范围内，每天有一百万辆汽车容易成为机会主义盗窃贼的目标。

“汽车协会”忠告：无论你什么时候离开车辆，你都应该上锁——不管多短的时间都应该这样。对于盗车贼来说，开了一半的天窗和车窗也是一种诱惑。

对于罪犯来说，把你的贵重物品放在可以看得见的地方是一种诱惑。去年，对曼彻斯特的缓刑期服刑人员实施了一个研究计划——该研究计划采访了一百名盗车贼，结果发现：许多盗车贼会研究扔在车座上的外套。千万不要遗留任何显示你家庭地址的文件在车里。如果你有车库，你就应该利用它，并锁上它——一辆开进车库的汽车被盗窃的风险要小得多。

还有许多其他方法可以避免汽车被盗。内政部发现，司机几乎没有安全停车的意识。大多数被询问的司机没有尽量避免把汽车停在远离路灯的僻静之处——这种地方正是盗车贼喜欢的地方。“汽车协会”劝告司机把汽车停在周围有人出入的地方——盗车贼不喜欢有旁观者。

参考答案 ： 1 ． D 2 ． D 3 ． A 4 ． B 5 ． D