2022年06月四级第2套长篇阅读匹配原文翻译及答案

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.

在英国冬季，想到能在海滨别墅度过两周，欣赏令人心旷神怡的海景并享受大型泳池，足以抵消假期前的辛劳。然而，对于越来越多的人来说，他们的年度休假正变成一场噩梦，因为他们发现自己支付数千英镑预订的房产并不存在，而通过其预订的网站也已消失。

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).

消费者已被警告注意该市场中的欺骗潜力，这绝非罕见。根据全国此类欺诈报告中心“行动欺诈”的数据，2017年报告了1,632起“别墅欺诈”案件，受害者平均损失2,052英镑。英国旅行代理商协会（ABTA）的肖恩·蒂普顿表示：“每年受骗的度假者损失数百万英镑。”

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."

过去10年里，这个问题急剧恶化，欺诈行为变得越来越复杂。虚假网站有听起来真实的名称，混合了关键词，通常包括地名、“夏天”、“别墅”或“租赁”。合法别墅的详细信息常从其他网站盗用。蒂普顿说：“欺诈者最初起步时手法简单——网站看起来业余，没有太多投入。现在他们很聪明。他们广泛抄袭合法网站并使用不同的网站名称。他们会展示销售团队的照片，可能是一个在纽约的糟糕演员被列为他们的销售主管。”

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".

欺诈者瞄准英国游客访问西班牙的热门海滨目的地，那里的价格会因供不应求而飙升。价格保持在合理范围内以避免引起怀疑。蒂普顿说：“一个别墅在其他地方可能要价5,000英镑，他们则提供比如3,500英镑的价格。但一个迹象是，别墅比其他网站更便宜，而且供应无限。欺诈者还投资按点击付费广告，当人们输入如“西班牙海滨别墅”等短语时，他们的网站能出现在搜索引擎顶部。”

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." 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."

面对如此专业程度，消费者如何发现他们打算预订的网站是否可信？“Get Safe Online”首席执行官托尼·尼特说：“当人们预订度假别墅时，他们往往透过玫瑰色眼镜看事情。他们应该谷歌搜索该房产，并在Google Maps和StreetView等网站上查看是否真实存在。此外，用固定电话与预订别墅的人交谈，因为欺诈者往往只使用手机。”他还建议让不参加度假的人看看网站。“他们可能会发现你没发现的问题。”另一个潜在的危险信号是被要求通过银行转账支付。巴克莱银行数字安全主管乔迪·吉尔伯特说：“问题是，钱一离开你的账户就直接进入他们的账户，很难追踪。我们通常推荐其他支付方式，如信用卡。”

F) 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.

关于这些欺诈者知之甚少，尼特说：“没有办法明确知道他们是谁。可能是任何人。可能是你的邻居，也可能是俄罗斯的有组织犯罪。”行动欺诈中心表示，人们应确保租赁别墅的公司是公认行业组织的成员，如ABTA。

G) "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 cyber-crime, 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."

它补充说：“通过与ABTA和Get Safe Online等行业合作伙伴合作，我们能够发布关于最新威胁的警报，提醒他们注意。如果你认为自己已成为欺诈或网络犯罪的受害者，请向行动欺诈中心报告。”ABTA表示正在通过开展公众意识活动来对抗这一问题。蒂普顿说：“这是一个日益严重的问题，人们无法阻止欺诈者不诚实。他们仍会这样做。停止并非不可能，但因为基于互联网，追查更困难。”

H) 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."

别墅预订公司Villa Plus的创始人兼共同所有者尼克·库珀估计，他的公司在过去两年中发现了200多个虚假别墅网站，并认为目前做得不够。他说：“向托管虚假别墅网站的互联网巨头报告是徒劳的。我发现无法与任何人交谈。此外，一旦一个银行账户被举报，他们就简单地使用另一个。”

I) 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."

目前，阻止欺诈者的唯一途径似乎最终掌握在消费者手中。库珀说：“当人们预订假期时，他们情感投入很深，当他们找到价格合适且在旺季有空房的别墅时，他们很容易成为目标。公众必须更加意识到自己是此类欺诈的目标。”但不仅仅是经济损失。蒂普顿说：“一个家庭会到达别墅，发现它不存在或业主不认识你。问题是你必须在短时间内找到住宿。这可能非常昂贵，但也是情感上的损失。”

J) 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.

来自锡德纳姆的卡拉·奥肖内西去年正在为家人寻找预订马略卡岛别墅的好机会，以度过暑假。奥肖内西说：“我在网上比较价格，发现一个比其他的便宜一点。”她通过网站给公司发邮件，询问别墅离机场有多远以及当地餐厅的情况。她说：“他们回复了可信的答案；一切都非常友好和专业。”对回复感到满意后，奥肖内西通过银行转账向旅行社账户支付了全额3,000英镑，然后直到预订前一个月才想起这件事。

K) "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."

她回忆说：“我试图登录网站但无法进入。我谷歌了代理的名字，发现有很多关于他是欺诈者的投诉。要是我早点谷歌就好了，但我从未想到。”尽管她及时找到了另一个别墅用于假期，但她承认自己更加谨慎了。“我通过安全的第三方网站支付，并与代理进行了电话交谈。但直到我们到达并拿到钥匙，我才放松下来。