2007 考研英语 Text 4｜数据安全：老板们的新难题
主旨
祸不单行：企业刚解决了会计和合规问题，又面临一个可能让高管丢饭碗的新问题——数据不安全；它过去被当作底层 IT 员工的事，如今已成为各行业老板的要务 → 今年几起大规模客户和员工数据泄露，让管理者匆忙检查复杂的 IT 系统，寻找潜在漏洞 → 专家说：数据正成为需要像其他资产一样保护的资产，保护客户数据是市场价值的关键；也许该制定”公认安全准则”，安全投资是管理问题而非技术问题 → 奇怪的是老板们竟对此感到意外：信任是最宝贵的经济资产，易毁难复，而泄露个人数据最容易毁掉信任 → 美国对数据泄露缺乏法律处罚助长了现状，但这可能很快改变：多项数据安全立法正在讨论，联邦贸易委员会也已警告企业：数据安全不足，监管者将采取行动。
原文：2007 Text 4 · 话题：商业 / 信息安全 · 答案：36 D｜37 A｜38 B｜39 A｜40 B
一、核心词
| 词 | 本文义 | 原文搭配 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| accounting n. | 会计 | have finally sorted out their worst accounting and compliance troubles | account |
| compliance n. | 合规 | have finally sorted out their worst accounting and compliance troubles | comply 遵守 |
| feeble adj. | 虚弱的，无力的 | improved their feeble corporation governance | |
| governance n. | 治理 | improved their feeble corporation governance | govern |
| nasty adj. | 糟糕的，令人不快的 | the sort of nasty headlines | |
| inevitably adv. | 不可避免地 | that inevitably lead to heads rolling in the executive suite | in- + evit 避开 |
| insecurity n. | 不安全 | data insecurity | in- + security |
| agenda n. | 议程 | is now high on the boss’s agenda in businesses of every variety | |
| massive adj. | 大规模的 | Several massive leakages of customer and employee data | mass |
| leakage n. | 泄露 | Several massive leakages of customer and employee data | leak |
| diverse adj. | 各种各样的 | from organizations as diverse as Time Warner | di- + vers 转 |
| contractor n. | 承包商 | the American defense contractor | contract 合同 |
| hurriedly adv. | 匆忙地 | have left managers hurriedly peering into their intricate IT systems | hurry |
| intricate adj. | 错综复杂的 | have left managers hurriedly peering into their intricate IT systems | |
| vulnerability n. | 漏洞，弱点 | in search of potential vulnerabilities | vulner 伤 |
| asset n. | 资产 | Data is becoming an asset which needs to be guarded as much as any other asset | |
| redundancy n. | 冗余（备份） | Setting the proper investment level for security, redundancy, and recovery | redundant 多余的 |
| recovery n. | 恢复 | Setting the proper investment level for security, redundancy, and recovery | recover |
| restore v. | 恢复 | is easily destroyed and hugely expensive to restore | re- + store |
| sensitive adj. | 敏感的 | letting sensitive personal data get into the wrong hands | sens 感觉 |
| justify v. | 证明……正当 | though not justified | just 正当 + -ify |
| penalty n. | 惩罚 | the lack of legal penalty | |
| astray adv. | 丢失，走失 | when data went astray | a- + stray 迷路 |
| theft n. | 盗窃 | the theft of information about some 40 million credit-card accounts | thief |
| disclose v. | 披露 | disclosed on June 17th | dis- + close → 打开 |
| overshadow v. | 使黯然失色 | overshadowed a hugely important decision | over + shadow |
| adequate adj. | 足够的 | fail to provide adequate data security | ad- + equ 相等 |
二、搭配与写作迁移
| 原文表达 | 含义 | 写作迁移 |
|---|---|---|
| It never rains but it pours. | 祸不单行 | |
| sort out | 解决 | sort out the problem |
| threaten to do | 可能会（带来坏事） | |
| lead to heads rolling | 导致有人丢官 | 阅读表达 |
| put right | 纠正，处理好 | |
| be high on the agenda | 被列为要务 | Environmental protection is high on the government’s agenda. |
| businesses of every variety | 各行各业 | |
| peer into | 仔细查看 | |
| in search of | 寻找 | |
| be guarded as much as | 像……一样受到保护 | |
| be the key to | 是……的关键 | |
| on behalf of | 代表 | |
| It is time for | 是时候…… | It is time for schools to rethink homework. |
| a management issue, not a technical one | 管理问题而非技术问题 | |
| come as a surprise to | 让……感到意外 | |
| get into the wrong hands | 落入坏人之手 | |
| the current state of affairs | 目前的状况 | |
| pass a law | 通过法律 | |
| go astray | 丢失 | |
| do the rounds | 流传，被讨论 | |
| put A on notice | 警告 A | |
| fail to provide adequate | 未能提供足够的 |
三、熟词僻义
- pour v. 倾盆而下（It never rains but it pours 祸不单行，≠倒）：It never rains but it pours.
- earn v. 招致（≠挣）：a new problem threatens to earn them
- suite n. 套房 → 高管层（executive suite，≠套件）：that inevitably lead to heads rolling in the executive suite
- odd adj. 零散的，打杂的（≠奇怪的）：odd, low-level IT staff to put right
- peer v. 仔细看（≠同龄人 n.）：have left managers hurriedly peering into their intricate IT systems
- dim adj. 迟钝的（≠昏暗的）：the dimmest executive
- round n. 巡回（do the rounds 被广泛讨论，≠圆的）：is now doing the rounds in Washington
- notice n. 警告（on notice，≠注意）：puts corporate America on notice
四、题目与选项词
| 词 / 搭配 | 义 | 出处 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| fierce adj. | 激烈的 | Q36 [A] | |
| severity n. | 严重性 | Q36 [D] | severe |
| weak point | 弱点 | Q37 [A] | |
| spy n. | 间谍 | Q37 [D] | |
| attend to | 照顾，处理 | Q38 [A] | |
| due adj. | 应有的 | Q38 [B] | |
| enhance v. | 提高 | Q38 [C] | |
| perceive v. | 察觉 | Q39 [B] | per- + ceive 拿 |
| restoration n. | 恢复 | Q39 [C] | restore |
| appreciate v. | 认识到……的价值 | Q39 [D] | 熟词僻义：≠感激 |
| take the lead | 领先 | Q40 [C] |
五、同义替换：原文 → 正确项
| 题 | 原文 | 正确项 |
|---|---|---|
| 36 D | a new problem threatens to earn them / data insecurity | the severity of data leakage |
| 37 A | in search of potential vulnerabilities | whether there is any weak point |
| 38 B | perhaps it is time for GASP / is a management issue, not a technical one | information protection should be given due attention |
| 39 A | few things are more likely to destroy trust than a company letting sensitive personal data get into the wrong hands | see the link between trust and data protection |
| 40 B | overshadowed a hugely important decision / puts corporate America on notice | FTC’s decision is essential to data security |
六、长难句
① just as 时间从句 + 破折号插入 + 双宾语 + 冒号揭示（Q36 出处）
Just as bosses and boards have finally sorted out their worst accounting and compliance troubles, and improved their feeble corporation governance, a new problem threatens to earn them – especially in America – the sort of nasty headlines that inevitably lead to heads rolling in the executive suite: data insecurity.
- 主干：a new problem threatens to earn them the sort of nasty headlines
- Just as …：时间状语从句，“正当……之时”，两个并列谓语 sorted out / improved
- earn sb sth：双宾语，“给某人招来……”；破折号中间插入 especially in America
- that inevitably lead to …：定语从句修饰 headlines；冒号后揭示 new problem 是什么
- 译：正当老板和董事会终于解决了最棘手的会计和合规问题、改善了薄弱的公司治理之时，一个新问题又可能给他们（尤其是在美国）招来那种必然导致高管丢官的负面头条新闻：数据不安全。
② 两个过去分词短语前置作状语（开篇背景）
Left, until now, to odd, low-level IT staff to put right, and seen as a concern only of data-rich industries such as banking, telecoms and air travel, information protection is now high on the boss’s agenda in businesses of every variety.
- 主干：information protection is now high on the boss’s agenda
- Left … to … to put right：过去分词短语作状语，“一直被留给……去处理”
- seen as a concern only of …：第二个过去分词短语，“被视为只是……的问题”
- 两个分词的逻辑主语都是 information protection
- 译：信息保护此前一直被交给零散的底层 IT 员工去处理，并被视为只是银行、电信和航空等数据密集型行业才需要关心的问题，如今它已成为各行各业老板的头等要务。
③ 形式主语 + 两个并列 that 从句 + 同位语 + 比较（Q39 出处）
Surely it should be obvious to the dimmest executive that trust, that most valuable of economic assets, is easily destroyed and hugely expensive to restore – and that few things are more likely to destroy trust than a company letting sensitive personal data get into the wrong hands.
- 主干：it should be obvious to the dimmest executive that … and that …（it 形式主语）
- 第一个 that 从句：trust is easily destroyed and hugely expensive to restore；that most valuable of economic assets 是 trust 的同位语
- 第二个 that 从句：few things are more likely to … than …（否定 + 比较 = 最高级）
- a company letting … get into the wrong hands：动名词复合结构
- 译：即使是最迟钝的高管也应该明白：信任这一最宝贵的经济资产很容易被摧毁，而重建的代价极其高昂；而且，没有什么比公司让敏感的个人数据落入坏人之手更容易摧毁信任了。
七、句型
- It never rains but it pours.（俗语开篇） 原句：It never rains but it pours. 套用：It never rains but it pours: after losing his job, he fell ill.
- Data is becoming an asset which needs to be guarded as much as any other asset.（重新定性） 原句：Data is becoming an asset which needs to be guarded as much as any other asset 套用：Time is becoming a resource which needs to be managed as carefully as money.
- Just as there is A, perhaps it is time for B.（类比提建议） 原句：just as there is the concept of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), perhaps it is time for GASP 套用：Just as there are traffic rules on the road, perhaps it is time for rules on the Internet.
- A is a management issue, not a technical one.（重新定位问题） 原句：is a management issue, not a technical one 套用：Food waste is a matter of habit, not a matter of money.
- The mystery is that this should come as a surprise to any boss.（表达不解） 原句：The mystery is that this should come as a surprise to any boss. 套用：The mystery is that this should come as a surprise to anyone.
- The current state of affairs may have been encouraged – though not justified – by …（归因但不开脱） 原句：The current state of affairs may have been encouraged – though not justified – by the lack of legal penalty 套用：Such behavior may have been encouraged – though not justified – by weak supervision.