The word "extortion"(Last line, Para. 2) means ______.

t. Security of the computer and of the information and assets contained within it are therefore of paramount importance to management. Skilled computer criminals can break into a computer system far more easily than an armed robber can gain access to a bank vault, and usually with far less risk of apprehension and punishment. A slight change in a complex program can bring about the misappropriation of thousands of pounds. Accidental erasure of crucial data can paralyze company's operations. Anyone familiar with the necessary procedure can gain access to information stored in the computer, no matter how confidential, and utilize it for his own purposes.

Although the actual extent of computer crime is difficult to measure, most experts agree that it is one of the fastest growing areas of illegal activity. The principal reason for both the growth and the lack of accurate measurement is the difficulty in detecting a well-executed theft. Losses per incident thus tend to be higher than in other types of theft. Once the Computer criminal has compromised the system, it is just as easy to steal a great sum as it is to steal a little, and to continue stealing long after the initial theft. Indeed, the computer criminal may find it more difficult to stop his illicit activity than to start it.

Computer criminals are, for the most part, well-educated and highly intelligent. The fact that computer criminals do not fit criminal stereotypes helps them to obtain the positions they require to carry out crimes. Being intelligent, they have fertile imaginations, and the variety of ways in which they use equipment to their advantages is constantly being extended. In addition to direct theft of funds, the theft of data for corporate espionage or extortion is becoming widespread, and can obviously have a substantial effect on a company's finances. Another lucrative scheme, often difficult to detect, involves accumulating fractions of pence from individual payroll accounts, with electronic transfer of the accumulated amount to the criminal's payroll. Employers are hardly concerned with pence, much less fractions of pence. In addition, undoubtedly, the company's payroll is unaffected. But the cumulative value of fractions of pence per employee in a company with a substantial payroll can add up to a useful gain.

Guarding against computer abuse—whether deliberate or accidental—involves attention to the protection of hardware from physical damage as well as protection of software and data. Computer must be isolated from other company facilities, and unauthorized person should never be admitted to the computer area. Event though some risks are reduced through this measure, most damage to software, accidental and intentional, is caused by those whose jobs require at least some access to the computer. The writer of the program is often the one responsible for its misuse. Programs devised exclusively for a particular company are therefore far more valuable to abuse and accident than standard software packages produced by external suppliers.

Skilled computer criminals can break into a computer system______.

A．quite easily

B．without any risk

C．more easily than an armed robber can gain access to a bank vault and with far less risk

D．without being punished

his week between the two ringmasters of Formula One (F1) motor racing. Bernie Ecelestone, a very wealthy British motor sport entrepreneur, is at odds. It would seem with his longstanding associate, Max Mosley, president of F1's governing body, the Federation International of Automobile (FIA).

On the surface, the dispute has broken out over what looked like a done deal. Last June, the FIA voted unanimously to extend Mr. Ecelestone's exclusive fights to stage and broadcast F1 racing, which expire in 2010. For these favorable rights, Mr. Ecelestone was to pay the FIA a mere $360 million in total, and only $60 million immediately. The FIA claims that Mr. Ecelestone has not made the payment of $60 million, a claim denied by Mr. Ecelestone, who insists the money has been placed in an escrow account. Mr. Mosley has asked Mr. Ecelestone to pay up or risk losing the deal for the F1 rights after 2010, perhaps in a group of car makers that own F1 teams. For his part, Mr. Ecelestone has, rather theatrically, accused Mr. Mosley of "trying to do some extortion".

What is going on？ Only three things can be stated with confidence. First, the idea that Mr. Ecelestone cannot find the 560 million is ridiculous: his family trust is not exactly short of cash. having raised around $2 billion in the past two years. Second. it would not be in Mr. Ecelestone's long-term financial interest to discard a deal which could only enhance the value of his family's remaining 50% stake in SLEC, the holding company for the group of companies that runs the commercial side of F1. Third, the timing of the dispute is very interesting.

Why？ Because the other 50% stake in SLEC owned by EM. TV. a debt-ridden German media company, is up for sale. EM. TV badly needs to sell this stake in the near future to keep its bankers at dead end. The uncertainty created by the dispute between Mr. Ecelestone and Mr. Mosley might depress the value of EM. TV's holding. Could that work to Mr. Ecetestone's advantage？ Quite possibly. The lower the value of EM. TV's stake, the higher the relative value of an option Mr. Ecelestone holds to sell a further 25% of SLEC m EM. TV for around $1 billion—and the better the deal Mr. Ecelestone might be able to extract for surrendering the option. Whoever buys EM. TV's stake in SLEC will have to negotiate with Mr. Ecelestone over this instrument. The Economist understands that Mr. Ecelestone has the fight to veto a plan proposed last December by Kireh, a privately owned German media group, to buy half of EM. TV's holding for $550 million.

In the coming weeks, Mr. Ecelestone will doubtless be deploying his formidable negotiating skills to best advantage. It would be hasty to bet against his securing a good deal out of EM. TV's difficulties. His dispute with the F1A may then be easily resolved. As usual, he holds all the cards.

FIA would give its partner the right to stage the racing till ______.

A．Mr. Ecelestone gave all the money

B．the contract time is reached

C．the 100th year after 2010

D．Mr, Ecelestone gave it $60 million

A.thing

B.person

C.smell

D.color

A.so

B.as a result

C.but

D.in a word

A.holy

B.dirty

C.saintly

D.pure

A.degrading

B.opposing

C.supporting

D.changing

In this passage, "learned" is used ______.

A. as a word equal to "educated"

B. as a word similar to "informed"

C. as a word close to "acquired"

D. as a word opposite to "popular"

A.promising

B.outstanding

C.expected

D.qualified