Cyber attacks seem to be getting more sophisticated by the hour. A few weeks ago mal-ware known as Zero Day was found to have ex

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问题     Cyber attacks seem to be getting more sophisticated by the hour. A few weeks ago mal-ware known as Zero Day was found to have exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft’s Windows operating system that could allow online criminals to take control of a computer from anywhere in the world without being detected. The operation involved what is known as "drive by" attacks, in which visitors to legitimate Web sites are redirected to a page that secretly downloads the malicious(harmful)software.
    Serious threats like Zero Day make software makers tremble not just because they’re difficult to fix but because the firms fear that legal action and tough government regulation on security issues could be right around the corner. Many in the computer-security industry believe companies will face increasing scrutiny in the years to come, forcing them to take legal responsibility for flaws in their programs that let hackers in. Microsoft would take most of the heat simply because its software is everywhere: Windows runs on nearly 95 percent of the world’s computers, which is why it bears the brunt of online assaults. "Microsoft fears a class-action lawsuit based on the fact that they make and distribute products that are not absolutely perfect," says Eric Domage, a software-security analyst at the market intelligence firm IDC.
    Software firms haven’t had to sweat security problems very much because licensing agreements protect them from liability when systems are hacked, information is stolen, and customers suffer financial losses using their products. They argue that the performance of software is dependent on too many variables—the computer it runs on, other programs that are installed on the computer, and how vigilant the end-user is about keeping security updates current. "Software makers traditionally assert that software is not a ’ product’ and not subject to product-liability laws," says Dana Taschner, a lawyer who handled a suit against Microsoft over security problems in 2003(both parties dropped the case). European Union commissioners have now proposed extending consumer-protection laws to include software, which would mark a radical shift in how software is developed and sold in Europe. Taschner expects to see more significant litigation against software makers very soon: "A day of reckoning is coming on software security. "
    Recent antitrust rulings against Microsoft in the European Union over its bundling of Windows with Internet Explorer may make it easier for plaintiffs(a person who brings suit in a court)in the future to argue that they had little choice but to use Microsoft’s products, legal experts say. In order to fend off the legislators and trial lawyers, Microsoft has been going to great lengths to show that it’s serious about security. A case in point is the release in June of Microsoft Security Essentials, a free download that offers a more robust protection against malicious attacks than Microsoft’s regular free security updates. It replaces the company’s much-ridiculed OneCare subscription service, which cost $50 and never attracted many takers. The company is also scrambling to develop an update that guards against Zero Day, even though it was alerted to the vulnerability sometime in 2008, according to a Microsoft spokesperson.
The words "a class-action lawsuit"(Line 7, Para.2)most probably means

选项 A、an individual sue.
B、a classified sue.
C、a specific sue depends on the quality of products.
D、a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court.

答案D

解析 语义理解题。由题干提示定位至第二段相关细节。本题主要考查对class的理解。由原文可知,微软的软件非常普及,这也意味着其有可能受到更多的网络攻击,从而可能面临更多的诉讼,由此推知class含有“团体的”含义,[D]与之相符,故为正确答案。[A]与之相反,故排除;[B]原文没有涉及,故排除;原文并未涉及诉讼的依据,只是在表达诉讼的规模,故排除[C]。
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