Section B: Information Matching

Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on your Answer Sheet.

[A] During the British winter, the thought of two weeks in a coastal villa with soul-stirring views of the sea and a huge pool to enjoy is enough to offset the labor until the holidays start. For a growing number of people, however, their yearly break is turning into a nightmare as they find that the property they have paid thousands for does not exist and the website through which they booked it has disappeared.

[B] Consumers have been warned to be aware of the potential for deception in this market, which is far from uncommon. In 2017 there were 1,632 cases of reported “villa fraud”, with victims losing an average of £2,052, according to Action Fraud, the national center for reporting such frauds. “Millions of pounds are lost each year by defrauded holidaymakers,” says Sean Tipton of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

[C] The problem has ballooned in the last 10 years, with frauds becoming more and more sophisticated. The fake websites have authentic-sounding names involving a mix of keywords, typically including the place name, “summer”, “villas” or “rentals”. Details of legitimate villas are often stolen from other sites. “When the fraudsters first started it was unsophisticated—the websites looked amateur and there wasn't a lot of effort,” says Tipton. “Now they are clever. They extensively rip off legitimate websites and use a different website name. They'll have pictures of a sales team and it might be a poor actor in New York that is down as their head of sales.”

[D] Fraudsters target popular seaside destinations for British tourists visiting Spain where prices can soar if demand exceeds supply. Prices are kept within reasonable ranges to avoid arousing suspicion. “A villa might cost £5,000 elsewhere and they will offer it at say £3,500. But a bit of a giveaway is that the villa will be cheaper than on other websites and there's unlimited availability,” says Tipton. Fraudsters also invest in pay-per-click advertising to feature at the top of search engines when people type in phrases such as “Spanish seaside villas”.

[E] With such a degree of professionalism, how can consumers find out if the website they're looking to book with is trustworthy? “When people book holiday villas they are doing so through rose-colored glasses,” says Tony Neate, chief executive of Get Safe Online. “They should be Googling the property, and looking on websites like Google Maps and StreetView to see if it's there. Also, speak to the person you're booking the villa with on a landline phone, as fraudsters tend to only use mobiles.”

[F] He also suggests asking someone not going on the holiday to have a look at the website. “They might spot problems you don't spot.” Another potential red flag is being asked to pay by bank transfer. “The problem is that when the money leaves your account it's in theirs straightaway and it's very hard to track it,” says Barclays Bank head of digital safety, Jodie Gilbert. “We generally recommend other forms of payment, like credit card.”

[G] Little seems to be known about these fraudsters. “There is no way to definitely know who they are,” says Neate. “It could be anyone. It could be your next-door neighbor or organized crime in Russia.” Action Fraud says people should ensure the company renting the villa is a member of a recognized trade body such as ABTA.

[H] “By working with industry partners such as ABTA and Get Safe Online, we are able to issue alerts about the latest threats they should be aware of. If you believe you have fallen victim to fraud or cybercrime, please report it to Action Fraud,” it adds. ABTA says it is trying to combat the issue by running public awareness campaigns. “It's a growing problem and people can't stop fraudsters being dishonest,” says Tipton. “They're still going to do it. It's not impossible to stop but as it's internet-based it's harder to pursue.”

[I] Nick Cooper, the founder and co-owner of villa booking company Villa Plus, estimates his company has uncovered more than 200 fake villa websites over the past two years, and doesn't believe enough is being done. “It is hopeless to report fake villa websites to the internet giants who host them,” he says. “I found it impossible to speak to anyone. Also, once one bank account gets reported, they simply use another.”

[J] For now the only way to stop fraudsters appears ultimately to lie in the hands of the consumer. “When people book their holidays they get so emotionally involved, and when they find that villa at a good price with availability in peak season, they are an easy target,” says Cooper. “The public has to learn to be far more aware they are a target for these sort of frauds.” But it's not just the financial cost. “A family will turn up at a villa and find out it doesn't exist or the owner doesn't know who you are,” says Tipton. “The problem then is you have to find accommodation at short notice. It can be incredibly expensive but it's the emotional cost, too.”

[K] Carla O'Shaughnessy from Sydenham was searching last year for a good deal to book a villa in Majorca for a summer break for the family. “I was comparing prices online and found one that came in a bit cheaper than others,” says O'Shaughnessy. She emailed the company via its website, asking how far the villa was from the airport and about local restaurants. “They came back with believable answers; it was all very friendly and professional,” she says. Happy with the responses, O'Shaughnessy paid the full amount of £3,000 via bank transfer into the travel agent's account and then forgot about it until a month before the booking. “I tried logging on to the website and couldn't,” she recalls. “I Googled the agent's name and there were lots of complaints about him being a fraudster. If only I'd Googled before but I never thought of it.” Although she found another villa in time for their holiday, she admits she was much more cautious. “I paid through a secure third-party site and had phone conversations with the agent. But I wasn't able to relax until we turned up and I had the keys.”

36. Fraudsters often steal villa-booking information from authentic holiday websites.

37. Fraudsters keep changing their bank accounts to avoid being tracked.

38. It is suggested that people not going on the holiday might help detect website frauds.

39. More and more British holidaymakers find the seaside villas they booked online actually nonexistent.

40. By checking an agent's name online before booking a villa, holidaymakers can avoid falling into traps.

41. Fraudsters are difficult to identify, according to an online safety expert.

42. Holidaymakers have been alerted to the frequent occurrence of online villa-booking frauds.

43. It is holidaymakers that can protect themselves from falling victim to frauds.

44. Holidaymakers are advised not to make payments by bank transfer.

45. Fraudsters advertise their villas at reasonable prices so as not to be suspected.

Answers & Explanations

36. C。解析：题干中的 steal... information from authentic holiday websites 对应 [C] 段的 Details of legitimate villas are often stolen from other sites（正规别墅的细节经常从其他网站被盗用）以及 rip off legitimate websites（剽窃正规网站）。

37. I。解析：题干中的 changing their bank accounts 对应 [I] 段末句的 once one bank account gets reported, they simply use another（一旦一个银行账户被举报，他们就直接换用另一个）。

38. F。解析：题干中的 people not going on the holiday might help detect 对应 [F] 段首句的 asking someone not going on the holiday to have a look at the website. "They might spot problems you don't spot"（让不去度假的人帮忙看网站...他们可能会发现你没发现的问题）。

39. A。解析：题干中的 More and more 和 nonexistent 对应 [A] 段末句的 For a growing number of people... they find that the property... does not exist（对于越来越多的人来说...他们发现（所订的）房产根本不存在）。

40. K。解析：题干中的 checking an agent's name online 对应 [K] 段中受害者 O'Shaughnessy 的感叹：I Googled the agent's name and there were lots of complaints... If only I'd Googled before（我用谷歌搜索了中介的名字，发现有很多投诉...要是我早点搜就好了）。

41. G。解析：题干中的 difficult to identify 对应 [G] 段首句的 Little seems to be known about these fraudsters. "There is no way to definitely know who they are"（关于这些骗子我们知之甚少。“根本无法确切知道他们是谁”）。

42. B。解析：题干中的 have been alerted 和 frequent occurrence 对应 [B] 段首句的 Consumers have been warned... which is far from uncommon（消费者已被警告...这种现象绝非罕见）。

43. J。解析：题干中的 holidaymakers that can protect themselves 对应 [J] 段首句的 the only way to stop fraudsters appears ultimately to lie in the hands of the consumer（阻止骗子的唯一方法似乎最终掌握在消费者自己手中）。

44. F。解析：题干中的 advised not to make payments by bank transfer 对应 [F] 段的 Another potential red flag is being asked to pay by bank transfer... We generally recommend other forms of payment（另一个潜在的危险信号是被要求通过银行转账付款...我们通常建议使用其他付款方式）。

45. D。解析：题干中的 at reasonable prices so as not to be suspected 对应 [D] 段的 Prices are kept within reasonable ranges to avoid arousing suspicion（价格保持在合理范围内，以避免引起怀疑）。

核心搭配与高分句型

【核心搭配与高频短语】

• far from uncommon：绝非罕见，很普遍（which is far from uncommon）
• rip off：剽窃，抄袭，敲竹杠（extensively rip off legitimate websites）
• arouse suspicion：引起怀疑（avoid arousing suspicion）
• through rose-colored glasses：戴着玫瑰色眼镜看 / 过于乐观（doing so through rose-colored glasses）
• red flag：危险信号，警告标志（Another potential red flag is...）
• straightaway：立刻，马上（it's in theirs straightaway）
• fall victim to：成为...的受害者（fallen victim to fraud）
• lie in the hands of：掌握在...手中（lie in the hands of the consumer）
• turn up：出现，到达（turn up at a villa）
• at short notice：在短时间内，临时通知（find accommodation at short notice）

【亮点句型解析】

• If only 引导的虚拟语气：
  "If only I'd Googled before but I never thought of it."
  （要是我之前用谷歌搜一下就好了，但我根本没想过。）`If only + 过去完成时` 表示对过去未发生的事情的强烈愿望和后悔，是四级听力和阅读中极具感情色彩的句型。
• As 引导的伴随状语从句：
  "For a growing number of people, however, their yearly break is turning into a nightmare as they find that the property... does not exist."
  （然而，对越来越多的人来说，他们的年度假期正变成一场噩梦，因为/随着他们发现所订的房产根本不存在。）`as` 在这里表示“随着...发生”或“因为...发生”，能够平滑地连接两个动作的因果与时间关联。