2015考研英语阅读理解精读P20—工学类.docVIP

2015考研英语阅读理解精读P20—工学类 　Passage 20 　　It is a devastating prospect. Terrorists electronically break into the computers that control the water supply of a large American city, open and close valves to contaminate the water with untreated sewage or toxic chemicals, and then release it in a devastating flood. As the emergency services struggle to respond, the terrorists strike again, shutting down the telephone network and electrical power grid with just a few mouse clicks. Businesses are paralysed, hospitals are overwhelmed and roads are gridlocked as people try to flee. 　　This kind of scenario is invoked by doom-mongers who insist that stepping up physical security since the September 11th attacks is not enough. Road-blocks and soldiers around power stations cannot prevent digital terrorism. Until we secure our cyber-infrastructure, a few keystrokes and an Internet connection is all one needs to disable the economy and endanger lives, Lamar Smith, a Texas congressman, told a judiciary committee in February. He ended with his catchphrase: A mouse can be just as dangerous as a bullet or a bomb. Is he right? 　　It is true that utility companies and other operators of critical infrastructure are increasingly connected to the Internet. But just because an electricity companys customers can pay their bills online, it does not necessarily follow that the companys critical control systems are vulnerable to attack. Control systems are usually kept entirely separate from other systems, for good reason. They tend to be obscure, old-fashioned systems that are incompatible with Internet technology anyhow. Even authorised users require specialist knowledge to operate them. And telecoms firms, hospitals and businesses usually have contingency plans to deal with power failures or flooding. 　　A simulation carried out in August by the United States Naval War College in conjunction with Gartner, a consultancy, concluded that an electronic Pearl Harbour attack on Americas critical infras