阅读理解
The Internet has turned into a massive surveillance tool. We're constantly monitored, sometimes by corporations wanting to sell us stuff and sometimes by governments wanting to keep an eye on us. Momentary conversation is over. Wholesale surveillance is the norm.
It's about to get worse, though. The Internet of Things refers to a world where much more than our computers and cell phones is Internet-enabled. Soon there will be Internet-connected modules on our cars and home appliances. In its extreme, everything can be connected to the Internet. It's true that the "Internet of Things" will make a lot of wonderful things possible, but it also gives the governments and corporations that follow our every move something they don't yet have: eyes and ears.
In the near term, the sheer volume of data will limit the sorts of conclusions that can be drawn. The invasiveness of "Internet of Things" new technologies depends on asking the right questions. For example, if a private investigator is watching you in the physical world, she or he might observe odd behaviour and investigate further based on that. Such occasional observations are harder to achieve when you're filtering databases based on pre-programmed queries. These analytical limitations also mean that companies like Google and Facebook will benefit more from the Internet of Things than individuals—not only because they have access to more data, but also because they have more sophisticated query technology.
In the longer term, the Internet of Things means ubiquitous surveillance. If an object "knows" you have purchased it, and communicates via either Wi-Fi or the mobile network, then whoever or whatever it is communicating with will know where you are. Your car will know who is in it, who is driving, and what traffic laws that driver is following or ignoring. Fast food restaurants will know what you usually order, and exactly how to entice you to order more.
Will you know any of this? It depends. Lots of devices have, and will have, privacy settings. But these settings are remarkable not in how much privacy they afford, but in how much they deny. You'd think that your privacy settings would keep random strangers from learning everything about you, but it only keeps random strangers who don't pay for the privilege—or don't work for the government and have the ability to demand the data. Power is what matters here: you'll be able to keep the powerless from invading your privacy, but you'll have no ability to prevent the powerful from doing it again and again.
It's about to get worse, though. The Internet of Things refers to a world where much more than our computers and cell phones is Internet-enabled. Soon there will be Internet-connected modules on our cars and home appliances. In its extreme, everything can be connected to the Internet. It's true that the "Internet of Things" will make a lot of wonderful things possible, but it also gives the governments and corporations that follow our every move something they don't yet have: eyes and ears.
In the near term, the sheer volume of data will limit the sorts of conclusions that can be drawn. The invasiveness of "Internet of Things" new technologies depends on asking the right questions. For example, if a private investigator is watching you in the physical world, she or he might observe odd behaviour and investigate further based on that. Such occasional observations are harder to achieve when you're filtering databases based on pre-programmed queries. These analytical limitations also mean that companies like Google and Facebook will benefit more from the Internet of Things than individuals—not only because they have access to more data, but also because they have more sophisticated query technology.
In the longer term, the Internet of Things means ubiquitous surveillance. If an object "knows" you have purchased it, and communicates via either Wi-Fi or the mobile network, then whoever or whatever it is communicating with will know where you are. Your car will know who is in it, who is driving, and what traffic laws that driver is following or ignoring. Fast food restaurants will know what you usually order, and exactly how to entice you to order more.
Will you know any of this? It depends. Lots of devices have, and will have, privacy settings. But these settings are remarkable not in how much privacy they afford, but in how much they deny. You'd think that your privacy settings would keep random strangers from learning everything about you, but it only keeps random strangers who don't pay for the privilege—or don't work for the government and have the ability to demand the data. Power is what matters here: you'll be able to keep the powerless from invading your privacy, but you'll have no ability to prevent the powerful from doing it again and again.
单选题
6.The first two paragraphs mainly discuss______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】主旨题。根据题干定位至本文前两段，第一段指出“互联网已转变为巨型监控工具”以及这一科技带来的负面情况，第二段指出该负面问题正在进一步发展，即物联网将使一切处于联网状态，个人数据的获得变得容易；段末的eyes and ears为借代用法，指物联网发展为权力机构提供的监控工具，暗指人类隐私面临巨大威胁。其中，monitor，keep an eye on，surveillance等词也反映出段落主旨，因此C项正确。
单选题
7.The example of the private investigator's act is mentioned to highlight______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】细节题。第三段重点介绍物联网新技术的发展在短期内的影响：庞大的数据会使结论受限。随后解释原因：借“私家侦探侦查过程(通过直接观察发现偶发异常从而得出结果)”反衬出“‘经过编程的查询(工具)’如遇用户过滤数据库，则监控工作会变得困难”，后再用“具备高级问询技术的谷歌和脸谱网将会受益”说明“程序化问询的局限性”，凸显“高级查询技术”在物联网时代的至关重要性。所以A项符合题意。
单选题
8.The author implies that privacy settings______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】细节题。根据题干可定位至第五段。第二句提到“许多设备已经拥有或即将拥有隐私设置”，随后作者笔锋一转指出隐私设置与人们对其功能预想的反差：它们更多是为了“否定隐私权”服务，而不是为了“保护隐私权”，接着对此情况展开解释：掌握用户隐私的过程和掌握用户浏览习惯及通过搜索引擎掌握其搜索习惯一样可以在暗中实现而不为人所察觉；只要肯付费、有技术，隐私设置便成为窃取隐私的帮凶。所以C项正确。
单选题
9.The last paragraph implies that personal privacy______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】细节题。最后一段指出，个人隐私权取决于power，即为“了解隐私”付费的特权人群和有能力获取数据的人群，反之则不能，因此B项正确。
单选题
10.The author's tone behind the Internet of Things is one of______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】态度题。纵观全文，在向读者介绍物联网新技术在未来或将给人类隐私带来的影响的过程中，作者自始至终表现出提醒的语气，首段使用被动语态体现出无奈以及人们对此情况未加重视的现状。末段Will you know any of this?更暗示该影响不容忽视，提醒人们重视。所以作者对于物联网的态度是“担忧的”，D项为正确选项。