Until I was twelve years old, I thought everyone in the world knew about the grinnies, if I thought about the term at all -- which is unlikely. After all, everyone in my family used the word quite naturally, and we understood each other. So far as I knew, it was a word like any other word -- like bath, orchocolate, orhomework. But it was my homework which led to my discovery thatgrinnieswas a word not known outside my family. My last report card had said that I was a "C" student in English, and my parents, both teachers, decided that no child of theirs would be just an average student of anything. So nightly I spelled words aloud and answered questions about the fine points of grammar. I wrote and rewrote and rewrote every composition until I convinced my mother that I could make no more improvements. And the hard work paid off. One day the teacher returned compositions, and there it was -- a big fat, bright red "A" on the top of my paper. Naturally, I was delighted, but I didn't know I was attracting attention until the teacher spoke sharply, "Helen, what are you doing?" Called suddenly out of my happy thoughts, I said "Oh, I've got the grinnies!" The teacher and my classmates burst into laughter, and then I understood that grinnies were used inside my family. Other people were not so lucky. And it is really lucky to have the grinnies, an uncontrollable, natural state of great pleasure. Grinnies are shown on the outside by sparkling eyes and a wide, wide smile -- not just any smile, but one that shows the teeth and stretches the mouth to its limits. A person experiencing the grinnies appears to be all mouth. On the inside grinnies are characterized by a feeling of joyful anxiety. Grinnies usually last just a few seconds, but they can come and go. Sometimes, when life seems just perfect, I have occasional attacks of the grinnies for a whole day. The term originated in my mother's family. Her younger sister, Rose, who had deep dimples , often expressed her pleasure with such a grin that the dimples appeared... After the writer was twelve years old, she _ . A) thought everyone knew the meaning of "grinnies" B) equaled "grinnies" to bath or chocolate in meaning C) got to know "grinnies" was used only inside her family D) discovered the word "grinnies" through her mother
C
They may be just passing your office, computer bag slung over one shoulder. Or they may be sitting in a car outside it, causally tapping away at a laptop. They look like innocent passers-by. In fact, they are stealing your corporate secrets. Drive-by hacking is the trendy term given to the practice of breaking into wireless computer networks from outside the buildings that house them. A recent study in the UK, sponsored by RSA Data Security, found that two-thirds of organizations with wireless networks were risking their data in this way. Security experts patrolled several streets in the City of London seeking evidence of wireless networks in operation. Of 124 that they identified, 83 were sending data without encrypting them. Such data could readily be picked up by a passer-by armed only with a portable computer, a wireless modem and a few pieces of software that can be freely downloaded from the Internet. The data could include sensitive company documents containing valuable information. Or they could be e-mail identities and passwords that could be used by hackers to log into corporate networks as if they were legal users. Most companies using wireless networking technology do not take even the simplest of measures to protect their data. Nearly all wireless network technology comes with some basic security features that need only to be activated in order to give a minimum level of security, for example, by encrypting the data being passed over the network. Raymon Kruck, business development manager at Check Point Software, a security technology specialist, believes this could be partly a psychological problem. People see the solid walls of their building as safeguards and forget that wireless networks can extend up to 200 meters beyond physical walls. Companies without any security at all on their wireless networks make it ridiculously easy for hackers to break in. Switching on the security that comes with the network technology should be automatic. Then there are other basic steps a company can... According to the study sponsored by RSA Data Security, two thirds of the subjects _ . A) had most of their company data stolen B) depended on wireless computer networks C) were exposed to drive-by hacking D) were unaware of the risk of wireless hacking
C
Andy loved the first grade. He loved his teacher,Mrs.Parks. He loved playing games on the playground. He loved learning about dinosaurs and the solar system . Every morning Andy's mother dropped him off in front of his school on South Street. One foggy morning,the traffic was so bad on South Street that she decided to drop him off behind the school. Andy walked for about ten minutes and got to the gate. He held the icy handle,but it didn't move!Using both hands,he tried his hardest and finally the gate opened. After Andy closed the gate behind him,he looked in the direction of the teaching building. But all he could see was fog. He got to the spot where the slide had always been,but it was not there."The slide is gone!" he cried. He walked a little more to look for the swings,but they were not where they had always been."The swings are gone!" he cried again. Andy kept walking. He was so anxious to see the school that he fell and landed on the ground. He still couldn't see the school. A terrible thought appeared in his head."The school is gone!" he cried sadly. No more games with Jennie,Angel and Dillon,he thought. No more reading about dinosaurs. No more watching videos on the solar system... Suddenly the boy saw something up ahead."It's Jennie!"he shouted. Then he saw the outline of a school building. His school was still there!He was full of excitement! "Hi,Jennie!" he stood up and caught up with the girl."I couldn't see the school. I thought it was gone." Jennie just laughed."You're so silly." "What happened to the slide and the swings?" Andy asked. "We will have new playground equipment today," Jennie answered."The old equipment was taken away last night. Don't you remember Mrs. Parks telling us about it yesterday?" "I guess I forgot," Andy said,smiling."Anyway,I'm glad the school is here." Why didn't Andy see the school building before he met Jennie? A) Because his eyesight was not very good. B) Because he went in the wrong direction. C) Because there was heavy fog that morning. D) Because he was not concentrated then.
C