■Section B
Directions:
There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished sentences.
For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
The United States and the European Union are nearing completion of an agreement allowing law enforcement and security agencies to obtain private information —like credit card transactions, travel histories and Internet browsing habits —about people on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
The potential agreement, as outlined in an internal report obtained by The New York Times, would represent a diplomatic breakthrough for American counter-terrorism officials, who have clashed with the European Union over demands for personal data. Europe generally has more stringent laws restricting how governments and businesses can collect and transfer such information.
Negotiators, who have been meeting since February 2007, have largely agreed on draft language for 12 major issues central to a "binding international agreement", the report said. The pact would make clear that it is lawful for European governments and companies to transfer personal information to the United States, and vice versa.
But the two sides are still at odds on several other matters, including whether European citizens should be able to sue the United States government for its handling of their personal data, the report said.
The report, which lays out the progress of the talks and lists the completed draft language, was jointly written by the negotiators from the United States Homeland Security, Justice and State Departments, and by their European Union counterparts. The talks grew out of two conflicts over information-sharing after the September 2001 terrorist attacks. The United States government demanded access to customer data held by airlines flying out of Europe and by a consortium, known as Swift, which tracks global bank transfers.
American investigators wanted the data so they could look for suspicious activities. But several European countries objected, citing violations of their privacy laws. Each dispute frayed diplomatic relations and required difficult negotiations to resolve.
American and European Union officials are trying to head off future confrontations "by finding common ground on privacy and by agreeing not to impose conflicting obligations on private companies," said Stewart A. Baker, the assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Home-land Security, who is involved in the talks. "Globalization means that more and more companies are going to get caught between U.S. and European law,"he said.
21. What is the agreement between the United States and the European Union about?
A) Some regulations of credit card transactions, travel histories and Internet browsing habits.
B) To improve the economic cooperation in agriculture, manufacture industry, and service industry.
C) Some special agencies can get private information from each other.
D) To strengthen the management on immigration and travel industry.
22. What can we learn from the second paragraph?
A) The potential agreement will be reported in The New York Times.
B) The U.S. security officials have the same opinion with the European Union over demands for personal data.
C) The potential agreement will be a diplomatic break-through for American counter-terrorism officials.
D) Europe shouldn’t have so strict laws on the information governments and businesses can collect and transfer.
23. What will the contract of the agreement make clear?
A) The draft language for 12 major issues central to a "binding international agreement".
B) The legality of transferring personal information for both the U.S. and the European governments and companies.
C) Some details about the agreement, which weren’t written on the draft.
D) The negotiators’ names and the beginning time of the meeting.
24. What is the other conflict besides the U.S. tracking global bank transfers?
A) The U.S. access to customer data held by airlines flying out of Europe.
B) Europe has the right to refuse to offer some inner information.
C) The U.S. privilege of selling information to other countries.
D) Europe has the responsibility to make sure the accuracy of the information.
25. What does Stewart A. Baker mean by saying "Globalization means that more and more companies are going to get caught between U.S. and European law"?
A) More companies will benefit from the U.S. and European law.
B) U.S. and European law will not impose conflicting obligations on private companies.
C) U.S. and European law will find common ground on privacy.
D) With the enlargement of the effect of U.S. and European law, more companies will have to obey it. |
