Anti-corruption （腐败）activists say billions of dollars earned from criminal acts are passing through the London property market. They also say a lot of the money for housing and other real estate（房地产）is coming from Russia.

    The British government is now promising to fight the money-laundering （洗钱）activities. But one investment advisor said the government has known about the problem for years.

    Over the past five years, major properties in London have risen in value by 42 percent. Activists say one reason for the increase is the rise in the use of what they call "dirty money" to buy homes and buildings.

    Recently, a British television program reported on an investigation into the use of stolen money to buy property. The program was called "From Russia With Cash." In the show, anti-corruption activist Roman Borisovich was seen speaking with several real estate agents in central London. Mr. Borisovich told them he was a Russian government minister who wanted to buy property with stolen money. The activist later said on Skype that the agents did not care where the money came from.

    Mr. Borisovich says the real estate agents all suggested he buy the properties through overseas companies to hide the identity of the buyer. He says one agent suggested he use the relaxed tax laws of Cyprus and the British dependency of Jersey to create a trust. The agent said this legal agreement then could be used to set up what investigators call a "shell company."

    The British government says foreign companies own $191 billion worth of property in Britain. Prime Minister David Cameron has said that most are legal businesses. But he admitted some are not.

    British law says real estate agents must tell officials if they believe the money being used to buy property comes from criminal activities. But many agents say they should not be expected to know the source of money, especially when buyers are using complex methods to hide fraud (欺骗).

本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！

1.From the passage we know that money-laundering is__________.

A a way to earn money

B a way of investment

C a criminal act

D passing money through the London property market

解析：选C。C。细节理解题。由第一，二段可知，洗钱活动是一种犯罪行为。

2.According to the activists, what caused the major properties to rise in value in London?

A The British government.

B The use of ‘stolen money’.

C The money from Russia.

D London property market.

解析：选B。B。推理判断题。由第三段可知，英国伦敦房地产最近升值了42%，而这主要利用了境外洗钱的投资，即腐败分子使用非法所得（stolen money)所带来的结果。

3.Roman Borisovich is really a(n) __________.

A Russian government minister

B investigator in major properties

C real estate agent

D anti-corruption activist

解析：选D。D。细节理解题。Roman Borisovich是一个反腐败的积极分子，他假装成俄罗斯的官员去了解那些非法所得是怎么通过伦敦房地产市场进入英国的。

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A The real estate agents don’t like to obey the British law.

B The real estate agents don’t like to know the source of money.

C The real estate agents don’t like to cooperate with the government.

D The real estate agents don’t like to use the complex methods to cheat.

解析：选C。C。推理判断题。英国法律要求房地产商报告所怀疑的非法钱款，但他们却说政府不应指望他们去了解钱的来源。从此可看出，他们是不大愿意与政府合作的（他们只管赚钱）。

5.Why did the real estate agent suggest setting up a ‘shell company’ ?

A To hide the identity.

B To use the legal agreement.

C To use the relaxed tax law.

D To buy homes and buildings.

解析：选A。A。细节理解题。由第五段可知，房地产代理商建议那些腐败分子设立一个‘空壳’公司，其目的是隐瞒其身份及钱的来源。