2017年考研英语一阅读 Text 1 原文翻译及答案解析

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.

先是提前两小时，现在是提前三小时——这是当局建议人们为赶上国内航班需要提前抵达机场的时间，至少在一些安检队伍日益庞大的美国主要机场是如此。

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.

美国人愿意容忍耗时的安检程序，以换取更高的安全性。埃及航空804号班机坠毁事件——可能由恐怖分子在地中海上空击落——提供了另一个悲剧性提醒，说明了原因。但对航空旅客要求过多，或给予的安全回报过少，会削弱公众对这一过程的支持。这理应如此：浪费的时间拖累了美国人的经济生活和个人生活，更不用说令人恼火。

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.

去年，美国运输安全管理局（TSA）在一次秘密检查中发现，便衣调查人员几乎每次尝试都能将武器——无论是假的还是真的——偷运过机场安检。自那以后加强的安全措施，加上经济改善和低油价导致的航空旅行增加，导致了芝加哥奥黑尔国际机场等主要机场的长时间排队。目前尚不清楚航空安全究竟提高了多少——但排队长龙是显而易见的。

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.

部分问题在于，政府没有预料到航空旅行的急剧增加，因此TSA现在正急着让新的安检员上线。部分问题在于机场能设置的安检通道空间有限。另一个因素可能是，更多人试图过度打包随身行李以避免托运行李费，尽管航空公司强烈否认这一点。

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.

TSA可以采取一项措施，既不需要改造机场，也不需要急于招聘：让更多人注册PreCheck计划。PreCheck本应是旅客和TSA的双赢方案。通过背景调查的旅客有资格使用快速安检通道。这使TSA能够专注于风险较高的旅客，为所有相关方节省时间。TSA希望将2500万人纳入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.

它离这个目标还差得很远，一个主要原因是价格冲击：乘客必须每五年支付85美元来处理他们的背景调查。从一开始，这个价格标签就是PreCheck的致命缺陷。即将到来的改革可能会将价格降至更合理的水平。但国会应考虑直接介入，通过资助PreCheck注册或以其他方式削减成本来实现这一点。

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.

TSA不能继续将资源转移到使用率低的PreCheck通道上，而让大多数出行公众在不必要的队伍中受苦。早就该让这个计划发挥作用了。

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