Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)
Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1．For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D．For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.
The Darkest Side of ID Theft
March 9, 2003—Malcolm Byrd was home on a Saturday night when a knock came．Three Rock Country, Wis., sheriff's officers were there with a warrant for Byrd's arrest．Cocaine possession, with intent to distribute, it said．Byrd tried to tell them that they had the wrong man, that it was a case of mistaken identity．But they wouldn't listen．Instead they put him in handcuffs (手铐) and drove him away.
It was nothing new for Byrd, who has spent much of the past five years trying—unsuccessfully—to talk skeptical police officers out of arresting him．But this time, it was worse．Two days later, he was still in jail.
This is the worst thing for identity theft victims．Losing your clean credit history is one thing; losing you is another．And victims of America's fastest-growing crime are discovering they often have much more to worry about than the hundreds of hours of paperwork to clean up the financial mess associated with ID theft．Sometimes, they have to worry about being pushed in jail—again and again.
Alias(化名) Becomes a Disease
There's nothing new about criminals using aliases to evade the law．Criminals often try to give their friend's name, address, and date of birth to cheat police．But the explosion of identity theft, and the ready availability of stolen digital files on innoeent victims, makes it just as easy for a criminal to give a stranger's personal data during an arrest．Once police book a suspect under a fake name, that mistake can plague a victim for life．The Alias becomes a disease to the true owner of that character.
Getting names off those lists can be a big task．The problem is complicated by the increasing sophistication of law enforcement officials．'Officials of criminal records are—for good reason —reluctant to remove information once it's been placed in the database,' said Beth Givens, executive director of the Identity Theft Clearing House.
His Word Against a Database
In Byrd's case, his word has never been enough．The situation has left the Janesville, Wis．, man thinking about name changing．With his impostor (冒名顶替者) still committing crimes and still using his name, Byrd fears another arrest．'I don't feel safe now．When we drive I feel uncomfortable,' Byrd said．'It's affected our lives enormously.'
Tom Schroeder, a famous lawyer, confirmed many of the detail of Byrd's repeated run-ins with the law．'Mr．Byrd is worried that if he is in Milwaukee County and gets stopped for some reason and the officer puts it into a computer, he may still come up,' Schroeder said．'And I don't blame him.'
Efforts to eliminate Byrd's criminal record at the state and federal level haven't succeeded, Schroeder said．'I left a voice mail on Mr．Byrd's phone indicating we'd be happy to help him change his name and his Social Security number.'
How It Began
Byrd's nightmare began in 1998, he said．A man arrested on drug charges that year identified himself to locai officials as Malcolm Byrd.
Thanks to an article in the local Janesville Gazette, the real Malcolm Byrd found out about the identity theft, and headed to the police to correct the error．The paper ran a correction, too．But that was hardly the end of the nightmare.
Four months later, when he was stopped for speeding, Byrd found himself face down on the pavement, handcuffed．Police records still showed that he was wanted for drug dealing.
The matter was cl