Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.

　　Why Are Airlines Withholding Seats?

　　Behind the screen indeed

　　[D] An awful plot goes on behind airline and travel booking screens, and much of it is strictly off-limits to consumers. What we do know is that for decades now airlines have become masters of what the industry calls yield management, offering millions of combinations of fares based on advance purchase patterns and other booking trends, so nearly everyone pays a different price based on when they buy. But now that paying extra for your seat selection has become common practice, securing your reservation is just half the battle.

　　[E] Some industry experts have connected the dots. “They’re trying to get people to buy premium seats,” says George Hobica, USATODAY.com’s Fly Guy columnist and the founder of Airfarewatchdog.com. “They want to increase revenue. And we’re getting more complaints about it. ” He notes that it “really annoys” passengers who want to sit together,

　　particularly when traveling with small children.

　　[F] He’s echoed by Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition(联盟):“With yield management, consumers are aware and they know that airlines are constantly changing prices on seats. But if this is true, it is unethical—they’re grossly misleading us. The thing that I find so offensive is conveying to me that I have no options, but if I wait a week or two then I do have options. ”

　　[G ] According to the airlines, the reason for ancillary (附加的)revenue is unbundling (分类计价)ticket prices, so passengers who desire a given service—say checking a bag or ordering a soft drink—pay for it, while those who don’t are spared the cost. But as Mitchell notes, “There’s another twist to this. The airlines are saying fees are for ‘optional services.’ Well, seats aren’t optional!”

　　[H ] Of course, securing a good seat isn’t an issue if you’re in first class or you’re an elite member of a frequent flyer program. But what about the rest of us? As I’ve pointed out repeatedly in recent columns, we’re faced with record-high load factors, the highest for the U.S. airline industry since World War II. But even with the average percentage of occupied seats for domestic flights at 82.7%, it’s still an average—some flights will be fuller but others will not, particularly weeks in advance. Yet searching for seats keeps getting harder and harder.

　　Seats for sale

　　[I ] Hobica cites the major airlines as the prime culprits (起因)，but he also notes even low-cost carriers can make securing seats difficult. On the flip side, he credits JetBlue and Virgin America for providing customers with clear policies. And then there is British Airways, which allows passengers in economy and business classes to

　　select seats only 24 hours in advance. I asked an airline representative if seeing fewer free seats is a trend, and the response was: “That’s going to vary because there are so many variables. ”

　　[J] I decided to check on seat availability at Delta.com. I inquired about economy-class availability for two seats on a busy route—Atlanta to Chicago—and conducted an apples-to-apples search for the same morning departure seven days in advance, and again 14 days in advance. For the flight one week out, a total of only eight seats were available, one preferred and seven standard, but only one set of two seats together. For the flight two weeks out, a total of 29 seats were available, consisting of 20 preferred and only nine standard, and still with only one set together. Remarkable how even twice the booking time still produced so few “free” seats, separately or together, yet there were plenty of seats that could be bought for the right price.

　　[K] I contacted Delta and a spokesman said the price for preferred economy varies “depending on a number of different factors,” so customers need to compare

　　the costs on a flight-by-flight basis. The preferred seats are reserved primarily for Medallion (大勋章)members, and become available without additional charge 24 hours prior to departure. When asked if Delta has received complaints about a dearth of free seats, he stated, “Overall, our seat program has been received very well. ”

　　[L] But my findings dovetailed (吻合)with recent complaints filed with Airfarewatchdog: (1) When (my husband) tried to get a seat assignment on the first flight there was just one “complimentary (免费的)seat” (near the back in the middle) available... the other available seats had to be purchased for $69. On the connecting flight there were no “complimentary seats” at all! Is this legal? He bought and paid for a ticket on these flights and now he is supposed to “buy” a seat! (2) (After) paying for the flight, a message popped up and said that I could only get a seat assignment when I checked in. In order to get a confirmed seat, I had to pay $129 extra! Unless I pay, without a confirmed seat, I am the first one to be bumped from the flight if they are overbooked. How do they get away with this? (3) Does checking in online at the 24-hour mark before the flight give me a number in line or let me select seats then? Or do we all rush the gate with our boarding passes (and no seat assignment) in order to get the seat assignment?

　　How to respond?

　　[M] So what can you do? It’s a tough proposition. Usually I would offer strategies for countering such airline initiatives, but in this case the options are limited. That’s why some believe the U.S. Department of Transportation should investigate these practices. As Mitchell says, “The airlines are holding all the cards with this one. There is a sore need for transparency on this. When people are confused, they make bad decisions. ”

　　[N] That said, consider the following: (1) When budgeting your airfares, make sure you consider not just baggage fees but the added cost of seat selection—for all travelers and in both directions. (2) If possible, book early, when there should be more seats available, and check in early too. Why the qualifier “should”? Because if availability is artificially manipulated, it’s hard to be certain. (3) Book airlines that offer more transparent seat- selection policies. Of course, this is not an issue with Southwest and other carriers that offer “open seating” policies. (4) Finally, the last resort is what Hobica calls “horse trading”: negotiating seat swaps with other passengers. But this has become a risky and undesirable option with flights so full, overhead bins (行李仓)so crammed and fellow passengers who may have paid for premium seats in advance.

　　46. Behind the airline and travel booking screens, a terrible plot is being carried out, much of which is rigorously kept confidential from passengers.

　　47. The airlines’ excuse for additional fees is unbundling ticket prices, so those who want the given service like baggage check and soft drink ordering will have to

　　pay.

　　48. Whether some carriers withhold seats on purpose for earning consumers，premium is a question deserving to be cleared up.

　　49. Mitchell holds that there is an urgent need for transparency on carriers# seat assignments.

　　50. While Hobica ascribes the main responsibilities to the major airlines, he also mentions that the low-cost carriers are making securing seats difficult.

　　51. Some believe that, in order to solve the problem of airlines，withholding seats, some actions should be taken by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

　　52. When people budget their airfares, they should consider both the baggage fees and the added cost of seat selection.

　　53. Kevin Mitchell considers the so-called yield management of the industry unethical and misleading.

　　54. What the spokesman of Delta says suggests that the preferred economy-class tickets are available 24 hours in advance of the plane’s departure.

　　55. The last strategy to counter the airline’s initiatives is to exchange seats with other passengers by negotiating with them.

　　46. [D]。题干意为，在航空公司和旅行社的订票系统中，一项可怕的阴谋正在实施，而其中的隐情则严格对 乘客保密。注意抓住题干中的关键词 airline and travel booking screens, a terrible plot, rigorously和confidential。 文章段落中，论及航空公司和旅行社订票阴谋的内容在[D]段出现，该段第一句就提到订票系统幕后的情 况很可怕，消费者大多毫不知情。由此可见，题干对原文做了同义改写，故答案为[D]。题干中的aterribleplot和 is rigorously kept confidential for分别与原文中的an awful plot和is strictly off-limits to相对应。 

　　47. [G]。题干意为，航空公司把实行机票分类计价作为额外收费的借口，所以那些想要诸如检查行

　　李或点软 饮料等特定服务的乘客就必须承担相应费用。注意抓住题干中的关键词unbundling ticket prices和the given service。原文段落中，论及机票分类计价和要求特定服务的内容在[G]段出现，该段第一句就提到航空公 司称，之所以收取附加费是实行机票分类计价的缘故，这样一来，如果乘客想要某种特定的服务——比 如，托运包裹或者点一杯软饮料——就要为此付费，而那些不需要此类服务的乘客则无需付费。由此可 见，题干是对原文的同义改写，故答案为[G]。

　　48. [C]。题干意为，部分运营商是否故意保留座位以赚取消费者附加费这个问题值得弄清楚。注意抓住题干 中的关键词carriers, premium和question。原文段落中，论及运营商们是否故意收取附加费的问题在[C]段出 现，该段中作者提到，这是一个值得研究的问题，而且其情况到底如何也很引人关注，实际上就是在说这 个问题值得弄清楚。由此可见，题干是对原文的同义改写，故答案为[C]。题干中的withhold和on purpose分 别对应原文中的 holding back和intentionally。

　　49. [M]。题干意为，米切尔认为运营商们在分配座位这一问题上亟须公开、透明。注意抓住题干中的关键词 Mitchell, need和transparency。原文段落中，提到Mitchell且论及分配座位透明度的内容在[M]段出现，该段 第五句引用Mitchell的原话，指出这一问题亟待公开、透明。由此可见，题干是对原文的同义改写，故答案 为[M]。题干中的urgent need对应原文中的sore need，carriers! seat assignment代指原文中的this。

　　50. [I]。题干意为，尽管霍比卡把主要责任归咎于各大航空公司，他也提到，低成本的运营商们同样使得座位 的获得变得困难。注意抓住题干中的关键词Hobica, the main responsibilities，the major airlines和the low-cost carriers。原文段落中，提及Hobica和低成本的运营商使获得座位变得

　　困难的内容在[I]段出现，该段第一句 话提到，霍比卡认为各大航空公司是造成这种状况的罪魁祸首，低成本的运营商也起到了推波助澜的作 用。由此可见，题干是对原文的同义改写，故答案为[I]。题干中的ascribes...to...和main responsibilities分别 对应原文中的cites…as…和prime culprits。

　　51. [M]题干意为，一些人认为，为了解决航空公司保留座位的问题，美国交通运输部应该采取一些措施。注 意抓住题干中的关键词the U.S. Department of Transportation。文章段落中，论及美国交通运输部的内容在 [M]段出现，该段第三、四句话提到，通常作者会就如何应对航空公司的这类政策给出一些策略，但是在 这种情况下，可选择的策略非常有限。这就是为什么一些人认为美国交通运输部应该对此类做法进行调查 的原因。由此可见，人们认为交通运输部应该有所行动，故答案为[M]。

　　52. [N]。题干意为，人们在为买机票制定预算的时候，应该把行李的费用和附加的选择座位的费用都考虑在 内。注意抓住题干中的关键词budget, airfares, baggage fees和the added cost of seat selection。文章段落中，论 及制定机票预算的内容在[N]段出现，该段第(1)点提到，预算票价的时候，确保自己不仅将行李费用考 虑在内，还要考虑为选择座位而支付的额外费用。由此可见，题干对原文进行了同义改写，故答案为[N]。

　　53. [F]。题干意为，凯文•米切尔认为所谓的收益管理是不道德且具有误导性的。注意抓住题干中的关键词 Kevin Mitchell, yield management, unethical和misleading。文章段落中，提到Kevin Mitchell和航空业收益管 理的内容在[F]段出现，该段引用米切尔的原话中提到，对于收益管理，消费者心里有数，他们知道航空公司经常改变座位的价格。但是如果情况果真如此的话，航空公司的做法确实是不道德的 他们在严重地误导人们。由此可见，题干是对原文的同义转述，故答案为[F]。

　　54. [K]。题干意为，达美航空公司发言人的话表明，经济舱优等座在飞机起飞前24小时内可获得。注意题干中 的关键词 the spokesman of Delta, the preferred economy-class tickets, available

　　和the plane’s departure。文章段 落中，论及达美航空公司发言人的内容在[K]段出现，该段第二句提到，优等座主要是为奖章成员预留的， 在飞机起飞前24小时内无需支付额外费用就可获得。由此可见，题干是对原文的同义转述，故答案为[K]。

　　55. [N]题干意为，应对航空公司这类行为的最后策略是和其他乘客商量调换座位。注意题干中的关键词the last strategy, exchange seats和negotiating。文章段落中，论及与其他乘客商量调换座位的内容在[N]段出现， 该段第(4)点提到，最后一个应对策略，即霍比卡所说的“讨价还价”，是和其他乘客商量一下调换座位。由此可见，题干是对原文的同义改写，故答案为[N]。题干中的the last strategy和exchange seats with other passengers by negotiating with them 分另']对应原文中的 the last resort 和 negotiating seat swaps with other passengers。