CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras were basically developed as a means of security for banks. In Britain they first appeared in 1953 and by the 1960s, there were already a few cameras in major streets in London. Today, there are more than four million CCTV cameras across the country. The cameras are there to film dangerous or illegal behaviour. With new software, they can automatically recognize the faces of known criminals. These cameras don’t just watch criminals; they watch all of us, almost all of the time. Every time we go into a shop, use a cash machine, or travel on public transport, a camera records our actions.
The amount of these cameras in towns and cities across Britain is increasing because it is thought to deter crime. Some items in shops now have an electronic device attached to them. When you pick up one of these, it sends a radio message to a CCTV camera and the camera starts filming you. Shops say that this technology helps to catch shoplifters- but only by treating everybody as a potential criminal.
Cameras are not the only ways of monitoring our actions. Every time you make or receive a call on your mobile phone, the phone company knows the number of the phone you are calling and how long the call lasts. It is even possible to work out your exact location. The police often use this information when they‟re investigating serious crimes Even when you are at home, you are not necessarily safe from being watched. When you use your high-speed internet connections to visit websites, you are probably sending and receiving„cookies‟ without realizing it. Cookies transfer information from your computer to the website and, in theory, could record which websites you visit. Modern technology is making it easier and easier to stay in contact, but it is also making it nearly impossible for us to hide.
1. We can infer from the passage that phone companies can help policemen and detectives to …………. .
a) set criminals free                              b) record which websites policemen visit
c) send radio messages to criminals  d) solve murder and theft cases
2. People in favour of CCTV cameras think that you have nothing to fear from being watched by a camera as long as ………….. .  
a) you don‟t do anything wrong        b) your behavior is illegal
c) go into a shop to steal items          d) have a high-speed internet connections
3. Today there are CCTV cameras which can …………. .
a) know when a crime will take place  b) identify people committing crimes before
c) cause dangerous or illegal behavior  d) can speak to people if they get angry
4. When you use a mobile phone, the phone company can work out ………….. .
a) if your phone has a lot of apps   b) the crimes of the person you are calling
c) where you are     d) how long you have had the phone
5. A lot of people oppose having cameras in public places as these cameras ……. .
a) film dangerous or illegal behaviour   b) deter people from committing crime
c) protect shops and banks from theft  d) interfere with their privacy
6. We can infer from the passage that a shoplifter is a kind of ………… .
a) thieves          b) CCTV cameras        c) shop assistants d) managers  
7. The underlined word "deter" can be replaced by …………… .
a) encourage   b) support                  c) prevent                d) increase
8. The underlined pronoun “these” refers to ………….. .
a) items              b) shops                  c) cameras             d) electronic devices