1 . Over 2. 5 quintillion (1018) bytes of data are created each day. Many of them consist of information that would allow people to be personally identified.
At the same time that we share our personal information, there is a growing concern with how that information is being gathered, stored, used and shared. While many economies like Canada and the EU have privacy laws dating back to the mid-1990s, changes to data practices in the past five years have motivated governments to review or update existing laws.
Changes to privacy laws are being fuelled by growing public concerns with the idea of unrestricted data accumulation and use. For instance, earlier this year, the World Economic Forum found that 1/3 of global citizens have no idea about how their personal information is used and that trust is lacking.
Privacy laws are changing to deal with the real and noticed risks of harm which result from the under-regulated or unregulated data economy. The EU has introduced big reform to laws which are aimed at protecting privacy. The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduced strict requirements for those that control or process the personal data of the people who live in the EU. The GDPR's stated goals focus on the protection and basic rights of personal information. Certain US states are also entering the ring in the fight for control over personal data. They have passed or are actively considering privacy laws. California is out front. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides greater control to individuals over their personal information. There is a sense that privacy laws are on the near horizon in the US.
These are two examples that are actively pursuing more progressive privacy laws. One important consideration is to harmonize global standards for best law practices. This will ease compliance (遵守)across border and provide a valuable signal to the public that governments are keeping pace with rapid change.
1. What's the cause of the change of privacy laws?A.A growing need for information. | B.Public concerns over data security. |
C.General awareness of data control. | D.Collection of personal information. |
A.By giving examples. | B.By listing statistics. |
C.By analyzing reasons. | D.By making comparisons. |
A.The practice of laws in different fields. |
B.The reflection of reality in different eras. |
C.The consistency of laws in different regions. |
D.The adaptation to changes in different societies. |
A.EU passes new laws for privacy protection. |
B.Governments ignore the violation of personal privacy. |
C.Privacy laws are changing to protect personal information. |
D.People lack the awareness of personal information protection. |
2 . Traveling by subway can sometimes be quite an adventure, especially during rush hour. There are the times when you have to avoid cups of coffee that could spill (溅) on you. The smells of some passengers’ food are very strong, too. According to the Beijing subway passenger regulations, which went into effect on May 15th, passengers except babies and the sick are no longer allowed to eat or drink on the subway. Violators (违反者) who do not stop after being asked to will be asked to get off. The violation will also be recorded in the violators’ credit record.
Some support the rule. The reason is that the smell of food and drink can annoy other passengers. “The smell of food fills the carriage, causing people discomfort, especially in the hot summer, Besides, eating on the subway produces rubbish. And on subway trains, people often spill their drinks,” said Zheng Yiou, 17, a student from Hefei.
However, others question this rule. “Some citizens live so far from their work places that they have limited time to have breakfast before they go to work. Eating while they travel saves them time and decreases the chance that they will be late for work,” He Songlin, a 17-year-old student from Chengdu said, “And some people, like those with low- blood sugar levels, get sick if they can’t eat when they must.”
Other Chinese cities like Nanjing and Chengdu have similar regulations. Some foreign cities also ban eating and drinking on the subway. For example, eating and drinking have long been banned on the subway in Washington DC. Singapore fines people who eat or drink on the subway up to 500 Singapore dollars, which is RMB 2,417 yuan.
Chen Yanyan, a professor from Beijing University of Technology, believed we should consider the need of some people to eat or drink on the subway. “Commuters (上班族) and travelers are sometimes too busy to eat. Maybe we could learn from Tokyo, where there are many subway stations equipped with services, allowing passengers to eat and drink,” she said.
1. In which city was subway passenger regulations carried out on May 15th?A.Chengdu. | B.Nanjing. |
C.Washington DC. | D.Beijing. |
A.Eating on the subway. | B.Drinking on the subway. |
C.Being fined up to 2417 yuan. | D.Being asked to get off the train. |
A.Worried. | B.Sympathetic. |
C.Doubtful. | D.Uninterested |
A.Food and Drink Banned on Subway. |
B.The Adventure of Subway Traveling |
C.Ways to Eat and Drink on Subway. |
D.The Services on Subway Stations |
The expensive trip to church was a surprise for Richard Albert, who lives right on the Canadian border. Like the other half-dozen people of Township 15, crossing the border is a daily occurrence for Albert. The nearby Quebec village of St. Pamphile is where they shop, eat and go to church.
There are many such situations in these areas along the largely unguarded 5,530-mile border between Canada and the US-which in some cases actually runs down the middle of streets or through buildings.
As a result, Albert says he did not expect any problems three weeks ago when he returned home to the US after attending church in Canada, as usual. The US customs(海关)station in this are is closed on Sundays, so be just drove around the locked gate, as he had done every weekend since the gate appeared last May, following a tightening of border security. Two days later. Albert was told to go to the customs office, where an officer told him be had been caught on camera crossing the border illegally(非法).
Ottawa has given out special passes to some 300 US citizens in that area so they can enter the country when Canadian customs stations are closed, but the US stopped a similar program last May. That forces the people to a 200-miledetour along hilly roads to get home through another border checkpoint.
Albert has requested that the customs office change their decisions on the fine, but he has not attended a Sunday church since. “I feel like I’m living in a prison,” he said.
1. We learn from the text that Richard Albert is .
A.an American living in Township 15 |
B.a Canadian living in a Quebec village |
C.a Canadian working in a customs station |
D.an American working in a Canadian church |
A.failed to obey traffic rules | B.broke the American security rules |
C.worked in St. Pamphile without a pass | D.damaged the gate of the customs office |
A.a drive through the town | B.a race across the fields |
C.a roundabout way of travelling | D.a journey in the mountain area |
A.A Cross-country Trip | B.A Special Border Pass |
C.An Unguarded Border | D.An Expensive Church Visit |