大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷839
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The $5bn fine for Facebook by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)—assuming it is approved by the Department of Justice—is both eye-catching and sets a new record. The fine follows an investigation which began last March, triggered by the Cambridge Analytica case in which personal information was leaked to a political consultancy through a third party. Using fines to encourage better privacy protection is a questionable strategy. If they become seen as the cost of carrying on with business as usual, the FTC will be undermined.
The banking sector\’s treatment after the financial crisis does not give cause for hope. As with Facebook, regulators there failed to act until the damage was plain to see. Faced with overwhelming public pressure, they hurriedly applied hefty financial penalties to make up for it. Over a decade on from the global financial crisis, many of the fundamental ways in which banks operate remain worryingly unchanged.
The 2 per cent rise in Facebook shares after the fine was reported shows how little impact the market believes it will have on the company\’s finances or business model. So the focus now should be put on getting tech companies to change their structure and behaviour, rather than price fines into their business models.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic presidential hopeful, has proposed breaking up companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon. In Germany, Facebook\’s attempt to pool data from across its platforms without user consent was blocked. EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager is launching a formal investigation into Amazon\’s data practices and how it wears two hats, as a retailer and a marketplace for rivals.
Antitrust actions would reduce the risks that combined data sets from different platforms pose to privacy. Criminal sanctions for top executives, perhaps including jail time, may ultimately be necessary to achieve genuine changes in conduct. Until now, very few have faced any meaningful penalties for their actions. While the \\
1.The $5bn fine for Facebook________.(B)
A. triggered the lawsuit against Cambridge Analytica
B. may be useless in protecting privacy better
C. resulted from a political conspiracy
D. may undermine its international credibility
解析：细节题。根据题干关键词The $5bn fine for Facebook定位至文章第一段第一句，该句无法解题，继续看下文。第一段第一、二句介绍脸书被罚50亿美元这一事件，第三、四句表明作者对罚款这一方式的看法。B项“可能无法更好地保护隐私”是对第三句Using fines to encourage better privacy protection is a questionable strategy(用罚款来促进更好的隐私保护是一种有待商榷的策略)的适度推断。故本题选B。
2.Which of the following is true of banking regulators according to Paragraph 2?(C)
A. They took prompt measures to make up for the loss.
B. They were overwhelmed by the financial crisis.
C. Their financial penalties turned out to be a failure.
D. They changed the ways in which banks operate.
解析：细节题。根据题干关键词banking regulators和Paragraph 2定位至原文第二段第一、二句。第二段前三句指出银行监管机构也以巨额罚款作为惩罚措施，第四句表明罚款措施带来的后果。C项“它们的罚款最后证明是失败的”是对第四句中many of the fundamental ways in which banks operate remain worryingly unchanged(银行的许多基本经营方式仍未改变，这着实令人担忧)的适度推断，即说明罚款对银行的基本经营方式并未起到什么作用。故本题选C。
3.It can be inferred from Paragraphs 3 and 4 that companies like Facebook and Amazon________.(D)
A. welcome Elizabeth Warren’s proposal
B. suffered a big decrease in their shares
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