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 (美國聯合通訊社)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 (獨家) sales to travelers who interact (互動) 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

【答案】

 

1.D

2.C

3.D

4.A

【解析】

試題分析：搜索機票往往看起來像乘客注定會失敗的游戲。因為票價在幾個小時內就變化了。不過還是有一些辦法的，如不在周末買票，買票不要太早或太晚，利用社會媒體以及用票價比較穩定的航線等。

1.推理判斷題。文章第一句話的意思是：搜索機票往往看起來像乘客注定會失敗的游戲。與D（乘客很難得到最好的飛機票的價格。）。

2.詞意猜測題。你不知道什么時候射擊。不像買別的我能想到的東西。 start searching開始搜；get the highest price 得到最高價；make a purchase 購買 ；get on board the plane上飛機。帶入四個意思可知，只有C更符合語境。

3.細節理解題。根據Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours.可知，作者通過大量的數字想證明機票的價格在幾個小時內就變化了。所以選D。

4.細節理解題。根據作者給的一些建議可知，建議星期二、三、四買，是一周的中間。 所以選A項意思符合。旅行前4到6周，排除C；所謂打折的航線通常是價格比較穩定，不一定最低排除D； 沒有專門的網站，所以排除B。

考點：日常生活類閱讀。