Searching for airfares often seems like a game that passengers are bound to (一定,注定) 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.
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.
● 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.
23. 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.
24. The underlined phrase “pull the trigger” in Paragraph 3 probably means________.
A. start searchingB. get the best price
C. book a ticketD. get on board the plane
25. By using a lot of figures, the author intends to ________.
A. show there is standard price for every single airline
B. prove airfares can vary widely
C. guarantee passengers a low price
D. show the secrets behind airfares
26. 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
【答案】23. D 24. C 25. B 26. A
【解析】【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章围绕机票价格展开,详细说明了机票价格变化频繁、波动大且乘客难以获取最优价格的情况,同时给出了预订机票的实用建议,旨在向读者介绍机票价格的特点及预订窍门,具有说明、解释的功能。
23题详解】推理判断题。根据文章第一段“Searching for airfares often seems like a game that passengers are bound to (一定,注定) lose.(搜索机票价格常常似乎像是一场乘客注定会输的游戏。)”以及第二段“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.(价格每天都在变化,甚至每分钟都在变。浏览多个网站以找到最划算的价格可能是一个巨大的挑战。即使你确实预订了,也不能保证你会得到最优惠的价格。)”可知,寻找机票价格对于乘客来说是件难事,很难得到最优惠的价格。故选D项。
【24题详解】词句猜测题。根据第二段“Even when you do book, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get the best price.(即使你确实预订了,也不能保证你会得到最优惠的价格。)”以及“You just don’t know when to pull the trigger. It’s not like buying anything else I can think of(你只是不知道什么时候该 “”。这不像我能想到的其他任何购物行为。)”结合语境,这里说的是不知道什么时候该预订机票,所以pull the trigger意思是“预订机票”。故选C项。
【25题详解】推理判断题。根据第四段“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.(哈丽雅特·利维最近乘坐美国航空公司从纽约飞往佛罗里达州劳德代尔堡的往返航班支付了179美元。坐在她后面一排的雪莉·哈里森支付了215美元。再往后几排,埃利斯和黛安·特劳布每人支付了317美元。这次航班上至少有12种票价,从169美元到360美元不等。)”以及第五段“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.(4 月下旬,达美航空从纽约飞往洛杉矶的一个航班,从周五到周六票价从 755 美元涨到 1143 美元,然后在周日又降至 718 美元。)”可知,作者通过列举不同乘客在同一航班上支付不同价格以及同一航班不同时间价格大幅波动的例子,用大量数据表明机票价格可能会有很大的差异。故选B项。
【26题详解】细节理解题。根据倒数第三段“Book on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when airlines most often offer sales.(在周二、周三和周四预订。那是航空公司最常提供促销活动的时候。)”可知,周二、周三和周四处于一周的中间时段,所以建议乘客在一周中间时段预订航班。故选A项。
