阅读理解 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 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. 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.

单选题 The crash of EgyptAir Flight 804 is mentioned to______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】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”，第二句举EgyptAir Flight 804坠毁的例子是为了证明段落中心句，且第二句主干The crash of EgyptAir Flight 804 provides another tragic reminder of why意为“EgyptAir Flight 804的坠毁悲惨地提醒了我们美国人这么做的原因”，所以EgyptAir Flight 804的例子旨在例证为什么“美国人乐意忍受费时的安全程序”，B项是这句话的同义替换，其中security checks是原文security procedures的同义替换，故本题选B。

单选题 Which of the following contributes to long waits at major airports?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】细节题。根据关键词long waits at major airports定位到第三段。关键词所在句为“Enhanced security measures，combined with a rise in the airline travel…have resulted in long waits at major airports.”即安全措施的加强和航空旅行的增加导致了主要飞机场的长队现象，此句中的have resulted in是题干中的contributes to的同义词，根据此句可知，排长队的原因有两个，安全措施的加强和航空旅行的增加。C项“旅客人数的增加”是“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，故本题选C。

单选题 The word "expedited" (Para. 5) is closest in meaning to______.

单选题 One problem with the PreCheck program is______.

单选题 Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】主旨题。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早。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，即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。第六段具体介绍加入这一项目的流程并指出其缺陷，即价格不合理。第七段指出预安检项目实施前景并不乐观，等到这个项目起作用，很长一段时间已经过去了，即具有“迟来的”的特点。文章围绕PreCheck展开，指出了其缺陷，并给出了作者的评价：等到这个项目起作用，很长时间已经过去了。纵观四个选项，B项“预安检——一个迟来的解决方案”符合文章主旨。故本题选B。