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 procedures in return for increased safety. The crash of Egypt Air 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 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 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 Egypt Air Flight 804 is mentioned to______.

　　[A] stress the urgency to strengthen security worldwide

　　[B] explain American’s tolerance of current security checks

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

　　[D] emphasize the importance of privacy protection

　　【答案】B

　　【解析】答案为B。细节题。根据关键词EgyptAir Flight 804定位到第二段。该关键词所在句为本段第二句，第一句为段落中心句，意为“美国人乐意忍受费时的安全程序作为加强安全的回报”，选项B中security checks是原文security procedures的同义替换，故选项B正确。

　　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 travelers.

　　[D] Frequent unexpected secret checks.

　　【答案】C

　　【解析】答案为C。细节题。根据关键词long waits at major airports定位到第二段。关键词所在句Enhanced security measures, combined with a rise in the airline travel have resulted in long waits at major airports中的have resulted in是题干contributes to 的同义词，根据此句可知，排长队的原因有两个：增强的安全措施和航空旅行的增加，选项C中an increase in the number of travelers（旅客人数的增加）是对航空旅行的增加的同义替换，航空旅行增加意味着旅客人数的增加，故选项C正确。

　　23. The word “expedited”(Line 4, Para. 5) is closest in meaning to ____.

　　[A] quieter

　　[B] faster

　　[C] wider

　　[D] cheaper

　　【答案】B

　　【解析】答案为B。词义题。根据关键词expedited和选项内容定位到第五段。本段是在讲过安检时的PreCheck这一程序，该关键词所在句的后一句提到“这节约了每个人的时间”，显然通过预先安检的乘客进入安检通道的时间减少了，即速度“更快了”，四个选项中选项B符合文意，故正确。

　　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

　　【答案】D

　　【解析】答案为D。细节题。题干问的是“预先安检项目的一个问题是什么”，第六段中出现了PreCheck's fatal flaw，其中flaw是题干中problem的同义替换，故将答案定位至该词组所在句，该句意为“这个价格一直是预先安检的致命缺陷”，所以“预先安检项目的一个问题”是价格问题，故选项D正确。

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

　　[A] Getting Stuck in Security Lines

　　[B] PreCheck – a Belated Solution

　　[C] Less Screening for More Safety

　　[D] Underused PreCheck Lanes

　　【答案】B

　　【解析】答案为B。主旨题。题干问本文最好的题目是哪一个？文章第一段指出乘飞机的现象：随着机场大规模安全航线的增加，乘客提前到达机场的时间变得越来越长。第二段指出美国人乐意忍受费时的安全程序作为加强安全的回报。第三段提出由于加强了安全措施，机场登机的效率变得很低。第四段分析造成第三段的现象的原因：政府没有预料飞机旅行的陡增。第五段给出对策：使更多的人加入到预安检项目。第六段分析具体介绍加入这一项目的流程并指出其缺陷：价格不合理。第七段指出预安检项目实施前景不客观，指出等到这个项目起作用很长时间已经过去了，即具有“来迟的”的特点。纵观全文，文章围绕PreCheck展开，指出了其缺陷，并给与了作者的评价：等到这个项目起作用很长时间已经过去了。纵观四个选项，选项B PreCheck--a Belated Solution（预安检——一个迟来的解决方案）符合文章主旨。

　　Text 2

　　“The ancient Hawaiians were astronomers,” wrote Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last reigning monarch, in 1897. Star watchers were among the most esteemed members of Hawaiian society. Sadly, all is not well with astronomy in Hawaii today. Protests have erupted over construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope(TMT), a giant observatory that promises to revolutionize humanity’s view of the cosmos.

　　At issue is the TMT’s planned location on Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano worshiped by some Hawaiians as the piko , that connects the Hawaiian Islands to the heavens. But Mauna Kea is also home to some of the world’s most powerful telescopes. Rested in the Pacific Ocean, Mauna Kea’s peak rises above the bulk of our planet’s dense atmosphere, where conditions allow telescopes to obtain images of unsurpassed clarity.

　　Opposition to telescopes on Mauna Kea is nothing new. A small but vocal group of Hawaiians and environments have long viewed their presence as disrespect for sacred land and a painful reminder of the occupation of what was once a sovereign nation.

　　Some blame for the current controversy belongs to astronomers. In their eagerness to build bigger telescopes, they forgot that science is the only way of understanding the world. They did not always prioritize the protection of Mauna Kea’s fragile ecosystems or its holiness to the island’s inhabitants. Hawaiian culture is not a relic of the past; it is a living culture undergoing a renaissance today.

　　Yet science has a cultural history, too, with roots going back to the dawn of civilization. The same curiosity to find what lies beyond the horizon that first brought early Polynesians to Hawaii’s shores inspires astronomers today to explore the heavens. Calls to disassemble all telescopes on Mauna Kea or to ban future development there ignore the reality that astronomy and Hawaiian culture both seek to answer big questions about who we are, where we come from and where we are going. Perhaps that is why we explore the starry skies, as if answering a primal calling to know ourselves and our true ancestral homes.

　　The astronomy community is making compromises to change its use of Mauna Kea. The TMT site was chosen to minimize the telescope’s visibility around the island and to avoid archaeological and environmental impact. To limit the number of telescopes on Mauna Kea, old ones will be removed at the end of their lifetimes and their sites returned to a natural state. There is no reason why everyone cannot be welcomed on Mauna Kea to embrace their cultural heritage and to study the stars.

　　26. Queen Liliuokalani’s remark in Paragraph 1 indicates ______.

　　[A] its conservative view on the historical role of astronomy.

　　[B] the importance of astronomy in ancient Hawaiian society.

　　[C] the regrettable decline of astronomy in ancient times.

　　[D] her appreciation of star watchers’ feats in her time.

　　【答案】B

　　【解析】答案为B。细节题。根据题干关键词Queen Liliuokalani定位在第一段第一句话“The ancient Hawaiians were astronomers”，意为“古老的夏威夷人都是天文学家”。这句话暗示的内容就是选项B：天文学在古老的夏威夷社会的重要性。

　　27. Mauna Kea is deemed as an ideal astronomical site due to ______.

　　[A] its geographical features

　　[B] its protective surroundings.

　　[C] its religious implications.

　　[D] its existing infrastructure.

　　【答案】A

　　【解析】答案为A。细节题。根据关键词Mauna Kea定位到第二段。该段指出Mauna Kea是连接夏威夷岛和天堂的地方，是世界上最强大的望远镜所在地，其峰顶条件允许望远镜获得非凡的清晰度。所以答案是选项A：它的地理特征。

　　28. The construction of the TMT is opposed by some locals partly because ______.

　　[A] it may risk ruining their intellectual life.

　　[B] it reminds them of a humiliating history.

　　[C] their culture will lose a chance of revival.

　　[D] they fear losing control of Mauna Kea.

　　【答案】B

　　【解析】答案为B。细节题。根据题干关键词opposed定位到第三段。选项B中的reminds them of与原文a reminder of是同义词，选项B中的humiliating与原文painful是同义词，选项B中的history是对原文the occupation of what was once a sovereign nation的高度概括与总结。

　　29. It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that progress in today’s astronomy ______.

　　[A] is fulfilling the dreams of ancient Hawaiians.

　　[B] helps spread Hawaiian culture across the world.

　　[C] may uncover the origin of Hawaiian culture.

　　[D] will eventually soften Hawaiians’ hostility.

　　【答案】C

　　【解析】答案为C。细节推断题。根据题干关键词astronomy可以定位到第五段的第三句话。第三句话指出“天文学和夏威夷文化都设法回答关于我们是谁，我们来自哪里以及我们将去何方这样的大问题”。所以答案是选项C：可能揭示夏威夷文化的起源。

　　30. The author’s attitude toward choosing Mauna Kea as the TMT site is one of ______.

　　[A] severe criticism.

　　[B] passive acceptance.

　　[C] slight hesitancy.

　　[D] full approval.

　　【答案】D

　　【解析】答案为D。态度题。通读全文可以得知作者的态度是支持的。