Question

Searching for airfares often seems like a game that passengers are bound to lose.

Prices change from day to day, even minute to minute. Looking through multiple websites for the best deal can be a big challenge. Even when you do book, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get the best price.

 “You just don’t know when to pull the trigger. It’s not like buying anything else I can think of,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.

Harriet Levy paid $179 for a recent round-trip flight on American Airlines between New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sitting just one row behind her, Shirley Harrison paid $215. A few rows back, Ellis and Dianne Traub paid $317 each. There were at least 12 fares on the flight, ranging from $169 to $360.

There’s no reason for it, Harrison said.

Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours. One Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles jumped from $755 to $1,143 from a Friday to Saturday in late April, then fell to $718 on Sunday.

The flight was one of a dozen the Associated Press (美国联合通讯社)followed over three months for a vacation between July 16 and 22. The number one finding: avoid booking tickets on weekends. It’s the most expensive time to buy.

There’s no way to guarantee the best fare. But before booking, travelers should pay attention to this additional advice:

  ● Book on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when airlines most often offer sales.

  ● Buy in advance, but not too early. The best time is four to six weeks before traveling. In general, prices for any given flight are highest eight to ten weeks and two to three weeks in advance.

  ● Make use of social media. Airlines are giving more benefits like exclusive (独家) sales to travelers who interact (互动) with them on Twitter and Facebook. Those specials are often gone within hours.

  ● The so-called discount airlines – JetBlue, Air-Tran, Southwest and Frontier – adjust their fares less frequently than other airlines, so you can feel more confident that the price will stay the same. But their prices aren’t always the lowest. Researching multiple airlines’ fares is the only way to get a good deal.

1. What can we infer from the first sentence of the text?

A. Passengers are unable to search for airfares.

B. Airlines often play games with passengers.

C. Airfares are set in different situations.

D. It’s difficult for passengers to get the best price.

2.The underlined phrase “pull the trigger” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______.   

A. start searching                                  B. get the highest price   

C. make a purchase                                        D. get on board the plane

3.By using a lot of figures, the author intends to _______.

A. show there is standard price for every single airline

B. discover the rules behind airfares

C. guarantee passengers a low price

D. prove airfares can vary widely

4.Passengers are advised to book flights _______.

A. in the middle of the week

B. on special websites

C. several months before traveling

D. with airlines which are famous for offering discount prices

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.D

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：搜索机票往往看起来像乘客注定会失败的游戏。因为票价在几个小时内就变化了。不过还是有一些办法的，如不在周末买票，买票不要太早或太晚，利用社会媒体以及用票价比较稳定的航线等。

1.推理判断题。文章第一句话的意思是：搜索机票往往看起来像乘客注定会失败的游戏。与D（乘客很难得到最好的飞机票的价格。）。

2.词意猜测题。你不知道什么时候射击。不像买别的我能想到的东西。 start searching开始搜；get the highest price 得到最高价；make a purchase 购买 ；get on board the plane上飞机。带入四个意思可知，只有C更符合语境。

3.细节理解题。根据Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours.可知，作者通过大量的数字想证明机票的价格在几个小时内就变化了。所以选D。

4.细节理解题。根据作者给的一些建议可知，建议星期二、三、四买，是一周的中间。 所以选A项意思符合。旅行前4到6周，排除C；所谓打折的航线通常是价格比较稳定，不一定最低排除D； 没有专门的网站，所以排除B。

考点：日常生活类阅读。