Although the top men in smuggling business must work together, most of a syndicate’s small fry, especially the mules, know only their immediate contacts. If caught there is little they can give away. A mule probably will not even know the name of the person who gives him his instructions, nor how to get in touch with him. Usually he even does not know the person to whom he has to make delivery. He will be told just to sit tight in a certain hotel or bar until someone contacts him. In this way if he is blown, coming through airport customs he cannot unwittingly lead agents to the next link in the chain. All the persons at the receiving end do is to hang around the airport among the waiting crowd, and see that the mule comes through safely. If he does not, he is dimply written off as a loss. To make identification of mules easier, several syndicates have devised their own “club ties” so that a mule wearing one can immediately be picked out.

　　 Mules often receive careful training before embarking on their first journey. One Beirut organization, for example, uses a room with three airline seats in it. There the trainee mules sit for hours on end wearing weighted smuggling vests beneath their clothes, so that they become accustomed to standing up after a long flight in a natural way, and without revealing what they are carrying. An outfit in Brussels maintained a comfortable apartment where the mules could relax and get a firm grip on themselves on the night before their first journey; they were helped to dress before setting out for the airport in the morning. More often than not a courier will not know precisely where he is going or what flight number is until he is actually handed his tickets at the airport. This prevents the careless boast in some bar or to a girl friend the night before.

　　 Mules occasionally run off with the goods to keep the profit themselves. As insurance against this, a syndicate often sends a high-up on the same plane to keep a wary eye on couriers, particularly new ones. Even then things can go badly wrong. One international currency smuggler who was having trouble getting money out of Britain was offered help by a group of men who said they were in a position to “fix thing” – for a fee of course. Foolishly, the smuggler agreed to accept their help. When he got to London’s Heathrow Airport, he handed over to one of the men a black suitcase containing nearly $90,000 in cash, destined for Frankfurt. Just to keep an eye on things, the smuggler went along on the same plane. When they landed at Frankfurt he was handed back his suitcase. He beat a straight path to the men’s toilet, opened the case, and found only old clothes. The courier had switched suitcase en route, but the smuggler could hardly run to the police and complain that “the man who was smuggling money out of England for me has stolen it.”

　　 1. What is a “mule”?
　　 [A] A person who sends smuggling goods for a syndicate is called mule.
　　 [B] A person in charge of smuggling goods is called mule.
　　 [C] A person who makes delivery for a syndicate is called mule.
　　 [D] A person who receives instructions from a smuggler is called mule.
　　 2. The sentence “if he is blown” in line (6) is closest in meaning to
　　 [A] if he is arrested.
　　 [B] if he is recognized, but not necessarily arrested.
　　 [C] if he is recognized and arrested.
　　 [D] if he runs away.
　　 3. Why does the author give an example in the last paragraph?
　　 [A] To show how a smuggler is caught.
　　 [B] To show a smuggler is afraid of the police.
　　 [C] To show to keep a wary eye on couriers is useless.
　　 [D] To show mules may keep the profit for themselves.
　　 4.how does a mule work?
　　 [A] Jointly.
　　 [B] Independently.
　　 [C] consciously.
　　 [D] Separately.

　　答案詳解
　　1. C mule，騾子是為走私集團交貨人的稱呼，綽號。
　　A.  是為走私集團具體運送走私貨物的人。只運送，不交貨不能成為騾子。B.負責(zé)走私貨物的人。也不對，負責(zé)者不一定運送和交貨。D.從走私者那里接受指示的人。更不對。
　　2. B 
　　blown原義為：欠賬了的，被炸毀的，壞了等。這里指：走私分子在過海關(guān)，機場檢查處出事，不一定被逮捕。
　　A.逮捕。C.認出，逮捕。D.逃跑。都不符合blown原義。
　　3. D 
　　說明走私分子會把利益歸己。最后一段句“有時，走私分子帶著貨物逃跑，把利益歸己”。走私集團為防范此事，常常派遣人物監(jiān)視走私人，特別是新走私者，也于事無補。這段的具體例子：“走私者和委托人同機飛行，到法蘭克福機場，9萬美金也是不翼而飛，走私者已經(jīng)撈到手。”就是說明走私者可以為自己留下財路。
　　A.走私者被捕之事，例子中沒有提及。B.走私者不去警察局報案，并不易定是害怕警察局，而是報不了。C.監(jiān)督毫無用處。是副線。
　　4. D單個干。這在段一開始就點明：“走私商的上層人物（頭面人物）必須一起工作，而大多數(shù)辛迪加的小組織，特別是走私分子，他們只知道他們的直接聯(lián)系人。一旦他們被逮捕，就沒有什么可以出賣的。一個騾子甚至連給他指示的人的姓名都不知道，也不知道如何和此人聯(lián)系”。
　　A.共同干。B.獨立干，走私分子不是獨立，大多數(shù)是在監(jiān)督之下。C.有意識地干，上下都是有意識地干。