English Test

READING COMPREHENSION (100 points)

Text 1 – Computer hackers

Forensic science utilizes the global resources of the Internet to access
databases and to communicate with concerned experts. This form of
communication, however, can make forensic databases and files
vulnerable to deliberate sabotage. Computer hackers are people who
gain remote access (typically unauthorized and unapproved) to files
stored in another computer, or even to the operating system of the
computer. In the 1950 and 1960s, hackers were motivated more by a
desire to learn the operating characteristics of a computer than by any
malicious intent.
Since then, however, computer hacking has become much more
sophisticated, organized, and, in many cases, illegal. Some hackers are motivated by a desire to cripple
sensitive sites, make mischief, and to acquire restricted information.
In the late 1990s, several computer hackers attempted to gain access to files in the computer network at
the Pentagon. The incidents, which were dubbed Solar Sunrise, were regarded as a dress rehearsal for a
later and more malicious cyber-attack, and stimulated a revamping of the military's computer
defenses. In another example, computer hackers were able to gain access to patient files at the Indiana
University School of Medicine in February 2003.
One well-known hacker is Kevin Mitnick. Beginning in the late 1970s and continuing through the late
1980s, Mitnick was apprehended at least five times for hacking into various computer sites. Indeed, his
lenient one-year jail sentence and subsequent counseling was based on his defense that he suffered
from a computer addiction. In 1989, he vanished, only to reappear in 1992, when police became suspicious
of tampering with a California Department of Motor Vehicles database. Mitnick was arrested in 1995 and
remained in prison until his release in 2002. He was barred by law from using a computer until January
21, 2003 and later published The Art Of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind The Exploits Of Hackers,
Intruders, And Deceivers in 2005.
The U.S. Patriot Act was signed into law on October 26, 2001. Its intent was to curb the danger posed to
the country by terrorism. Computer hackers did not escape the legislative crack-down, since hacking
represents a potential national security threat.
Under the act's provisions, the power of federal officials in criminal investigations involving hacking
activities has been increased. Indeed, the threats to civilian privacy and national security from computer
hackers was deemed so urgent that the U.S. government further enacted the Cyber-Security
Enhancement Act in July 2002, as part of the Homeland Security measures in the wake of the terrorist
attacks on September 11, 2001. Under this legislation, hackers can be regarded as terrorists, and can be
imprisoned for up to 20 years. In seeking to prosecute a suspected hacker, investigators have the power
to conduct Internet searches or telephone taps without court-sanctioned permission.
One tool that a hacker can use to compromise an individual computer or a computer network is a virus.
Depending on their design and intent, the consequences of a virus can range from the inconvenient (i.e.,
defacing of a web site) to the catastrophic (i.e., disabling of a computer network). Within a few years
during the 1990s, the number of known computer viruses increased to over 30,000. That number is now
upwards of 100,000, with new viruses appearing virtually daily.
Despite the threat that they can pose, computer hackers can also be of benefit. By exposing the flaws
in a computer network, they can aid in the redesign of the system to make information more
inaccessible to unauthorized access.

Text 2 – Hackers attack Canadian cyber systems

February 17, 2011 - By Paula Newton, CNN
The Canadian government confirmed Thursday that its computer systems fell
victim to a concerted and sophisticated cyber attack in recent months but
stressed that the attack was thwarted before classified information could be
stolen.
“Every indication we have at this point is that our sensors and our cyber-
protection systems got the alerts out in time, that the information doors were
slammed shut,” said Stockwell Day, a Canadian cabinet minister in charge of
government operations.
But he added that the attack took direct aim at sensitive financial data prompting Canada to launch an
unprecedented investigation into how and why its systems were compromised.
"I wouldn't say it's the most aggressive, but it was a significant one -- significant that they were going
after financial records," said Day.
Using a technique called '‘pear-phishing'’ the government confirms that hackers were able to embed
programs into government computer systems that acted as '‘cyber spies”. Governments around the world
have been scrambling to get ahead of hackers who are increasingly bold in their attempts too steal
classified data.

A- Complete the sentences according to text 1. (5 x 7 points)

1- Internet resources are ...
2- Solar Sunrise was the ...
3- Kevin MItnick has been ...
4- According to the Cyber-Security Enhancement Act ...
5- Nowadays American investigators can ...

B- Reread text 2 and answer the following questions. (3 x 10 points)

1- What happened to the cyber attack suffered by the Canadian government?
2- What was the goal of this attack?
3- How did the hackers work?

C- What do the underlined words D- Find equivalent words in text 1.

refer to in the text 1. (5 x 3 points) (5 x 4 points)
1- which 1- damage
2- his 2- distant
3- its 3- called
4- their 4- preparation
5- they 5- change
 II – LANGUAGE STUDY (50 points)

A-Fill in the gaps with the right phrasal verb and form. (5 x 3 points)

break down / look into / make out / take on / make up

1- The police is ... his computer files to see how deep he is involved in this scandal.
2- Many companies want ... Kevin Mitnick ... because he his a fantastic hacker.

3- He is always ... excuses to have access to my e-mail. It’s so annoying!

4- My computer has just..........I can’t finish my school work.
5- She is complaining because she can’t.......how that computer programme functions.
B-Rewrite the sentences starting by the words given. (5 x 7 points)

1- “Every indication we have at this point is that our sensors and our cyber-protection systems got
the alerts out in time, that the information doors were slammed shut,” said Stockwell Day.
Stockwell Day said ...
2- Hackers attacked the Canadian government computer systems last February.
The Canadian ....
3- Computer viruses can have very inconvenient consequences. They can vary from the
defacing of a web site to the disabling of a computer network.
Computer viruses can have ...
4- The U.S. Patriot Act was signed into law on October 26, 2001. Its intent was to curb the danger posed
to the country by terrorism.

The U.S. Patriot Act, …

Kevin Mitnick is a famous hacker. Mitnick was apprehended at least five times for hacking into various
computer sites.

Kevin Mitnick, …

III- Writing (50 points)

Having in mind what you have been learning in the English classes and the
film “Firewall” write a text of about 150 words on “Computer Security”.