Question

Have you ever had travel problems because your airplane was late? It is a common problem and it is getting worse. Airport delays make people angry and cost the country billions in lost work time.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the government agency that oversees air travel. They studied the problem of airline delays.

They found eleven major problems and suggested eleven ways to fix them. Some of the problems are caused because different regions of the country do things differently. The regions don't talk to each other enough. Some of them need new computers.

Also, more planes are flying. A strong economy has more people using airplanes to get around. Airplanes are a form of mass transportation now, like trains and buses were in the past. More planes in the airport cause delays.

The airport in San Francisco is a good example. It is growing fast. Many people go through San Francisco to get to other places around the world. Ron Wilson of the San Francisco International Airport says, “If you've got 18 flights that all want to take off at 8：00 am and you're on the 18^th plane in line, you're going to be 40 minutes late.”

Weather is another main reason for delays. Weather causes about 70% of delays. Fog or freezing rain can cause delays.

The first thing the FAA wants to do is take control away from the regions during heavy traffic times and bad weather. A national center would make decisions on things that affect the whole country. The FAA also wants to put more distance between planes in the sky when the weather is bad. This rule could cause even more delays.

The FAA knows that their solutions will not solve the problems with airport delays. But, they hope to make things better. There are just too many planes, too few traffic controllers, and not enough new technology.

1.FAA found that some of the delay problems are caused by ________ between two regions.

A．different languages

B．technical misunderstanding

C．misunderstanding of the rules

D．lack of communication

2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a reason for airline delays?

A．A growing number of flights.

B．Bad weather.

C．A growing population.

D．Lack of new technology

3.From the passage we can infer that ________.

A．FAA is a national center which controls all the flight matters

B．FAA has taken control to solve airport delays

C．in San Francisco, each plane will delay about 40 minutes

D．safety rules during bad weather may cause more delays

4.Which of the statements best gives the idea of the passage?

A．FAA should make decisions to stop airport delays.

B．Airport delays are on the rise.

C．Travel problems cost billions in lost work time.

D．FAA has taken control of air traffic nationwide.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.D

4.B

【解析】

1.答案：D 细节理解题。由第三段倒数第二句“The regions don't talk to each other enough.”可知，两个地区由于缺乏沟通也是造成飞机延误的一个原因。

2.2】答案：C 细节理解题。第三段最后一句提及“缺乏新技术”是飞机延误的一个原因；第四段提及“飞机航班的增加”也是延误的一个原因，第六段提及天气也是飞机延误的一个重要原因，四个选项中C项没有提到。

3.3】答案：D 推理判断题。由倒数第二段最后两句可知，FAA制定安全规定之后，在不好的天气会造成更多的飞机延误。

4.4】答案：B 主旨大意题。文章罗列了飞机延误的几个原因，故由此可知飞机延误的情况在增加。