Section Ⅱ Reading Comprehension

　　Part A

　　Directions:

　　Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)

　　Text 1

　　First two hours, now three hours — this is how far in advance authorities are recommending people show up to catch a domestic flight, at least at some major U.S. airports with increasingly massive security lines.

　　Americans are willing to tolerate time-consuming security protocols in return for increased safety. The crash of EgyptAir Flight 804, which terrorists may have downed over the Mediterranean Sea, provides another tragic reminder of why. But demanding too much of air travelers or providing too little security in return undermines public support for the process. And it should: Wasted time is a drag on Americans' economic and private lives, not to mention infuriating.

　　Last year, the Transportation Security Administration(TSA) found in a secret check that undercover investigators were able to sneak weapons — both fake and real — past airport security nearly every time they tried. Enhanced security measures since then, combined with a rise in airline travel due to the improving economy and low oil prices, have resulted in long waits at major airports such as Chicago's O'Hare International. It is not yet clear how much more effective airline security has become — but the lines are obvious.

　　Part of the issue is that the government did not anticipate the steep increase in airline travel, so the TSA is now rushing to get new screeners on the line. Part of the issue is that airports have only so much room for screening lanes. Another factor may be that more people are trying to overpack their carry-on bags to avoid checked-baggage fees, though the airlines strongly dispute this.

　　There is one step the TSA could take that would not require remodeling airports or rushing to hire: Enroll more people in the PreCheck program. PreCheck is supposed to be a win-win for travelers and the TSA. Passengers who pass a background check are eligible to use expedited screening lanes. This allows the TSA to focus on travelers who are higher risk, saving time for everyone involved. TSA wants to enroll 25 million people in PreCheck.

　　It has not gotten anywhere close to that, and one big reason is sticker shock: Passengers must pay $85 every five years to process their background checks. Since the beginning, this price tag has been PreCheck's fatal flaw. Upcoming reforms might bring the price to a more reasonable level. But Congress should look into doing so directly, by helping to finance PreCheck enrollment or to cut costs in other ways.

　　The TSA cannot continue diverting resources into underused PreCheck lanes while most of the traveling public suffers in unnecessary lines. It is long past time to make the program work.

　　21. The crash of EgyptAir Flight 804 is mentioned to

　　[A] explain American’s tolerance of current security checks.

　　[B] stress the urgency to strengthen security worldwide.

　　[C] highlight the necessity of upgrading major U.S. airports.

　　[D] emphasize the importance of privacy protection.

　　22. Which of the following contributes to long waits at major airports?

　　[A] New restrictions on carry-on bags.

　　[B] The declining efficiency of the TSA.

　　[C] An increase in the number of travellers.

　　[D] Frequent unexpected secret checks.

　　23. The word “expedited” (Liner 4, Para. 5) is closet in meaning to

　　[A] quieter.

　　[B] cheaper.

　　[C] wider.

　　[D] faster.

　　24. One problem with the PreCheck program is

　　[A] a dramatic reduction of its scale.

　　[B] its wrongly-directed implementation.

　　[C] the government’s reluctance to back it.

　　[D] an unreasonable price for enrollment.

　　25. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

　　[A] Less Screening for More Safety

　　[B] PreCheck – a Belated Solution

　　[C] Getting Stuck in Security Lines

　　[D] Underused PreCheck Lanes

　　答案：21-25 ACDDC

　　21. 答案【A】explain American’s tolerance of current security checks.

　　解析：本题目为例证题，考察论点与论据。根据题干关键词the crash of Egypt Air Flight 804定位到第二段第二句。例证题中的例子为论据，所要找的答案为论点，而论点在论据之前，因此该题目的答案是第二段的第一句话。二段首句说的是美国人愿意忍受长时间的安全检查。正确答案A的American’s tolerance是原文Americans are willing to tolerate的原词复现，current security checks是原文的time-consuming security 的同义转化。干扰项B的urgency to strengthen security worldwide，原文未提及worldwide，属于扩大范围;选项C的major U.S. major airports属于具体信息的干扰;选项D的privacy 隐私并未提及，是常识性干扰。

　　22. 答案【C】An increase in the number of travelers.

　　解析：本题目为原因细节题。根据题干中的long waits at major airports定位到原文第三段的第二句，原文的resulted in 与题干中的contributed to是同义转化，所以定位内容就是提升的安全措施以及航空旅游的增加。正确答案C的an increase in the number of travelers 是原文a rise in airline travel的同义替换。干扰项A的carry-on bags是在第四段的最后一句出现的，非定位句内容;选项B的TSA efficiency也出现在第四段;选项D的unexpected secret checks未提及。

　　23. 答案【D】faster.

　　解析：本题目为词义句意题，考察上下文逻辑关系。根据题干，定位到第5段第3句，“Passengers who pass a background check are eligible to use expedited screening lanes”，结合下一句中的这样会saving time for everyone involved，即可以节省时间的安检，与选项对应就是答案D faster更快。干扰项A更安静，选项B更便宜，选项C更广泛，都无关，属于常识性干扰。

　　24. 答案【D】an unreasonable price for enrollment.

　　解析：本题目为具体细节题。根据题干关键词problem with the PreCheck program定位到倒数第二段的第二句话 this price tag has been the PreCheck’s fatal flaw.本句中的代词this代词指代本段第一句话，说的是Passengers必须每五年pay 85美元来做background checks。正确答案D中的unreasonable price 是原文的85美元，enrollment就是原文的process background checks。干扰项A其规模的极具下滑未提及，选项C其错误的执行属于过度推理，选项C政府不愿意支持是对原文的曲解。

　　25. 答案【C】Getting Stuck in Security Lines

　　解析：本题目为全文主旨题。全文的中心主题出现在第一段和二段首句的范围。第一段介绍事实背景，第二段首句提及了美国人对于安全检查方面的状况，并在下文提及了所出现的问题。正确答案C安检流程线陷入困境是对原文的总结概括。干扰项A的Screening 是原文的具体细节，选项B和选项D的PreCheck是原文最后三段的内容。