Speeding off (超速行驶) in a stolen car, the
thief thinks he has got a great catch. But he is in a nasty surprise. The car is
fitted with a remote immobilizer (使车辆不能调动的装置), and a radio signal from a control
center miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine {{U}}
{{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}, he will not be able to start it
again. For now, such devices {{U}} {{U}} 2
{{/U}} {{/U}}only available for fleets of trucks and specialist vehicles used
on construction sites. But remote immobilization technology could soon start to
trickle (慢慢地移动) down to ordinary cars, and {{U}} {{U}} 3
{{/U}} {{/U}}be available to ordinary cars in the UK {{U}} {{U}}
4 {{/U}} {{/U}}two months. The idea goes like this. A
control box fitted to the car incorporates {{U}} {{U}} 4
{{/U}} {{/U}}miniature cellphone (移动电话，手机), a microprocessor and memory, and a
GPS satellite positioning receiver. {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}}
{{/U}}the car is stolen, a coded cellphone signal will tell the unit to block the
vehicle's engine management system and prevent the engine {{U}} {{U}}
7 {{/U}} {{/U}}restarted. There are even plans for
immobilizers {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}shut down vehicles on
the move, though there are fears over the safety implications of such a
system. In the UK, an array of technical fixes is already
making {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}harder for car thieves. "The
pattern of vehicles crime has changed," says Martyn Randall of Thatcham, a
security research organization based in Berkshire that is funded in part
{{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}the motor insurance
industry. He says it would only take him a few minutes to
{{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}} {{/U}}a novice (新手，初学者) how to steal a car
using a bare minimum of tools. But only if the car is more than 10 years old.
Modern cars are a far tougher (艰苦的) proposition (任务), as their engine management
computer will not {{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}} {{/U}}them to start
unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out by the ignition (点火) key. In the
UK, technologies like this {{U}} {{U}} 13 {{/U}} {{/U}}achieve a
31 percent drop in vehicle-related crime since 1997. But
determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars. Often
by getting hold of the owner's keys in a burglary (盗窃). In 2000,12 percent of
vehicles stolen in the UK were taken using the owner's keys double the previous
year's figure. Remote-controlled immobilization system would
{{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}} {{/U}}a major new obstacle in the
criminal's way by making such thefts pointless. A group that includes Thatcham,
the police, insurance companies and security technology firms have developed
standards for a system that could go on the market sooner than the {{U}}
{{U}} 15 {{/U}} {{/U}}expects.
单选题
A. off
B. on
C. at
D. of
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据本处后半句“he will not be able to start it again”可知，此处应为switch the engine off“关闭引擎”。而B项on不符合文意，C项at与D项of都不能与switch搭配。故本题选A。
【答案解析】[解析] 四个选项中A项speak“说话”，B项have“有”，C项link“连接”，D项put“放”。此处后面a major new obstacle in the criminal's way直译为：“罪犯犯罪路上的一个新的主要障碍。”只有D项意思符合。此句意为：“远程制动系统给盗贼设置了一个全新的障碍，使他们无从下手。”故本题选D。