For more than 10 years there has been a bigger rise in car crime than in most other types of crime. An average of more than two cars a minute are broken into, vandalized(破坏)or stolen in the UK. Car crime accounts for almost a third of all reported offences with no signs that the trend is slowing down.(重庆MBA培训)
Although there are highly professional criminals involved in car theft, almost 90 percent of car crime is committed by the opportunist. Amateur thieves are aided by our carelessness. When the Automobile Association (AA) engineers surveyed one town centre car park last year, 10 percent of cars checked were unlocked, a figure backed up by a Home Office national survey that found 12 percent of drivers sometimes left their cars unlocked.
The vehicles are sitting in petrol stations while drivers pay for their fuel. The AA has discovered that cars are left unattended for an average of three minutes and sometimes much longer as drivers buy drinks, cigarettes and other consumer items and then pay at the counter. With payment by credit card more and more common, it is not unusual for a driver to be out of his car as long as six minutes providing the car thief with a golden opportunity.
In an exclusive AA survey, carried out at a busy garage on a main road out of London, 300 motorists were questioned over three days of the holiday period. 24 percent admitted that they “always” or “sometimes” leave the keys in the car. This means that nationwide, a million cars daily become easy targets for the opportunist thief.
The AA recommends locking up whenever you leave the car — and for however short a period. A partially open sunroof or window is a further come-on to thieves.
Leaving valuables in view is an invitation to the criminal. A Manchester probationary(假释期)service research project, which interviewed almost 100 car thieves last year, found many would investigate a coat thrown on a seat. Never leave any documents showing your home address in the car. If you have a garage, use it and lock it — a garaged car is at substantially less risk.
There are many other traps to avoid. The Home Office has found little awareness among drivers about safe parking. Most motorists questioned made no efforts to avoid parking in quiet spots away from street lights just the places thieves love. The AA advises drivers to park in places with people around — thieves do not like audiences.
1. The passage seems to imply that payment by credit card______.(重庆MBA培训)
A.is preferable for safe parking
B.is now a common practice
C.takes longer than necessary
D.aids a car thief in a way
2. Which of the following statements is correct?
A.In the UK, a million cars are stolen daily.
B.In the UK, there are amateur car thieves only.
C.There are more car crimes than any other type of offences.
D.One in ten drivers invites car theft due to carelessness.
3.The researches mentioned in the passage on car theft include all the following EXCEPT_____.
A.checking private garages
B.interviewing motorists
C.questioning car thieves
D.examining parking lots
4. The best way for a driver to avoid car theft is ______.
A.leaving documents showing one’s home address in the car
B.locking one’s car in a parking lot at any time
C.not leaving the car unattended for longer than necessary
D.not leaving a sunroof or window partially open
5. In the last paragraph, the term “safe parking” means_____.(重庆MBA培训)
A.not parking under street lights
B.not parking in front of a theatre or cinema
C.avoiding traps set by a possible car thief
D.parking where a lot of people pass by
答案解析:
1.D。第三段中讲到“With payment by credit card more and more common, it is not unusual for a driver to be out of his car for as long as six minutes providing the car thief with a golden opportunity”。文章暗示了,信用卡付账单延长了消费时间,使小偷有机可乘。故答案为D。
2. D。第二段提到“…10 percent of cars checked were unlocked…”有10%的汽车都没有锁,故答案为D,十分之一的司机由于粗心而给了小偷机会。
3. A。B、C、D三项在文章中都有提到过,只有A项没有被提及。故答案为A。
4. B。从倒数第二段的“If you have a garage, use it and lock it — a garaged car is at substantially less risk.”可知,防止汽车被盗的最佳方法是任何时候都要在停车场锁车。故答案为B。
5. D。最后一段提到最好是将汽车停在人多的地方。所以,safe parking主要指D项。(重庆MBA培训)