Question

    The problem of robocalls has gotten so bad that many people now refuse to pick up calls from numbers they don’t know. By next year, half of the calls we receive will be scams(欺诈). We are finally waking up to the severity of the problem by supporting and developing a group of tools, apps and approaches intended to prevent scammers from getting through. Unfortunately, it’s too little, too late. By the time these “solutions”(解决方案) become widely available, scammers will have moved onto cleverer means. In the near future, it’s not just going to be the number you see on your screen that will be in doubt. Soon you will also question whether the voice you’re hearing is actually real.

That’s because there are a number of powerful voice manipulation(处理) and automation technologies that are about to become widely available for anyone to use. At this year’s I/O Conference, a company showed a new voice technology able to produce such a convincing human-sounding voice that it was able to speak to a receptionist and book a reservation without detection.

These developments are likely to make our current problems with robocalls much worse. The reason that robocalls are a headache has less to do with amount than precision. A decade of data breaches(数据侵入) of personal information has led to a situation where scammers can easily learn your mother’s name, and far more. Armed with this knowledge, they’re able to carry out individually targeted campaigns to cheat people. This means, for example, that a scammer could call you from what looks to be a familiar number and talk to you using a voice that sounds exactly like your bank teller’s, tricking you into “confirming” your address, mother’s name, and card number. Scammers follow money, so companies will be the worst hit. A lot of business is still done over the phone, and much of it is based on trust and existing relationships. Voice manipulation technologies may weaken that gradually.

We need to deal with the insecure nature of our telecom networks. Phone carriers and consumers need to work together to find ways of determining and communicating what is real. That might mean either developing a uniform way to mark videos and images, showing when and who they were made by, or abandoning phone calls altogether and moving towards data-based communications—using apps like FaceTime or WhatsApp, which can be tied to your identity.

Credibility is hard to earn but easy to lose, and the problem is only going to get harder from here on out.

1.How does the author feel about the solutions to problem of robocalls?

A.Panicked. B.Confused. C.Embarrassed. D.Disappointed.

2.Taking advantage of the new technologies, scammer can ________.

A.aim at victims precisely B.damage databases easily

C.start campaigns rapidly D.spread information widely

3.What does the passage imply?

A.Honesty is the best policy.

B.Technologies can be double-edged.

C.There are more solutions than problems.

D.Credibility holds the key to development.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A.Where the Problem of Robocalls Is Rooted

B.Who Is to Blame for the Problem of Robocalls

C.Why Robocalls Are About to Get More Dangerous

D.How Robocalls Are Affecting the World of Technology

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章指出语音操作与自动化技术的出现使得机器人电话可以以假乱真，欺诈现象更加严重，解决这个问题需要电话运营商和消费者共同努力。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中的We are finally waking up to the severity of the problem by supporting and developing a group of tools, apps and approaches intended to prevent scammers from getting through. Unfortunately, it’s too little, too late. By the time these “solutions”(解决方案) become widely available, scammers will have moved onto cleverer means.可知，我们认识到了问题的严重性，支持和开发了旨在防止欺诈者通过的工具、应用程序和方法，。不幸的是，我们的努力太少了，也太晚了。在这些“解决方案”被广泛使用的时候，骗子将转移到更巧妙的手段上。由此推知，作者认为这些“解决办法”对于解决问题起不了什么作用，因此作者感到很“失望”。故D选项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段中的The reason that robocalls are a headache has less to do with amount than precision. A decade of data breaches(数据侵入) of personal information has led to a situation where scammers can easily learn your mother’s name, and far more. Armed with this knowledge, they’re able to carry out individually targeted campaigns to cheat people. This means, for example, that a scammer could call you from what looks to be a familiar number and talk to you using a voice that sounds exactly like your bank teller’s, tricking you into “confirming” your address, mother’s name, and card number.可知，机器人通话之所以令人头痛，与其说与数量有关，不如说与精确度有关。长达十年的个人信息泄露已经导致了这样一种情况：骗子可以轻易地知道你母亲的名字，甚至更多。有了这些知识，他们就能够开展有针对性的活动来欺骗人们。根据这些可知，利用这种新的技术，欺诈者们可以精确的确定他们行骗的目标。故A选项正确。

3.推理判断题。根据第二段最后一句At this year’s I/O Conference, a company showed a new voice technology able to produce such a convincing human-sounding voice that it was able to speak to a receptionist and book a reservation without detection.可知，这项语音技术可以产生一个听起来和人类非常相似的声音，它可以和接待员进行交谈，进行预订。由此可知，这项新技术有其好的方面。根据第三段的叙述可知，欺诈者们可以利用这项新技术来进行欺诈行为。由此推知，这项新技术既可以发挥好的作用，也可能为坏人所利用，产生不好的影响，因此可以说它是一把双刃剑。故B选项正确。

4.主旨大意题。第一段提到：robocalls（机器人电话：自动拨号播放录音信息的推销电话）在未来变得会越来越严重，不仅仅是出现在你的手机屏幕上的电话号码令人怀疑，而且你会质疑听到的声音是否是真的。第二段介绍原因：语音操作与自动化技术的出现使得机器人电话可以以假乱真。第三段介绍了语音操作和自动化技术发展会使得机器人电话产生的问题更加严重。最后两段提出我们该如何应对这些问题。综上，文章第一段点明文章中心：机器人电话问题在未来会变得越来越严重。下文都是围绕这一话题展开的。故C选项适合作标题。