Poor weather. Technical difficulties. These are some of the typical causes of cancelled trains and planes. But sometimes, the excuse can be a lot more trivial.
Just recently, passengers waiting for a train to Peterborough heard the following announcement, “For reasons beyond our control, we regret to inform passengers that the 13:46 Train to Peterborough has been cancelled. The next train will be arriving on Platform in approximately 36 minutes.”
Oh, well, another delayed train, thought most passengers. But a couple of them decided to enquire further. Incredibly, they were informed that the real reason for the non-arrival of the train was that the driver refused to do his job because his seat was wet.
“A wet seat? That’s got to be a joke,” said one passenger angrily. “I wouldn’t normally plain if the train is just a bit delayed, but this was unbelievable, ” he added. “What really made me angry is that this driver refused to get in the train,” said another passenger. “He probably went off for a cup of tea after that!” she added.
A spokesperson for the rail pany apologized for the incident, but said the driver couldn’t sit on the damp seat, and wouldn’t be able to drive the train standing up. The spokesperson went on to explain that the seat had bee wet after water entered through an open window when the train was being cleaned in a “train wash”
In another transport-related incident, a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt made an emergency landing in Canada after the pilot spilled his coffee. Apparently, the spilt liquid caused the plane’s radio to send out “transponder code 7500”, which is used to inform ground control that there’s been a hi-jacking (劫机). After landing in Toronto, the 255 passengers crew members were put up in a hotel for the night, then flown on to Frankfurt the following afternoon. “What a disgusting trip!” said one tired passenger after the painful experience had ended.
So, does your job have the potential to cause such disorder?
【小题1】Why did the driver of the train refused to do his job?A．His seat was damp.B．His pay was lowC．The weather was terribleD．His coffee was spilled【小题2】The underlined word “trivial” in Paragraph 1 means “ ”.A．dampB．unimportantC．emergentD．convincing【小题3】The flight made an emergency landing in Canada because “ ”.A．the plane was hijackedB．the plane engines went wrongC．the pilot ran out of coffeeD．the plane’s radio sent out a wrong signal【小题4】Which of the following is the best title of the passage?A．Wet seat, Canceled Train!B．Spilled Coffee, Emergency Landing!C．Small Incident, Big Disruptions! D．Innocent Driver, Angry Passengers!A
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(答案→)A
解析：恶劣的天气、技术原因，这些是火车车次、飞机航班被取消的经典理由。但有时候，取消车次或航班的理由也未免太牵强了。
【小题1】根据第三段“the real reason for the non-arrival of the train was that the driver refused to do his job because his seat was wet”可知，火车司机罢工的原因是司机座位是湿的。根据第五段“couldn’t sit on the damp seat”可知，damp与wet同义。故选A。
【小题2】根据第一段“Poor weather. Technical difficulties...But sometimes...”和第三段“because his seat was wet”可知，除了天气、技术上的原因，有时候，延误或取消的原因是微不足道的，从第三段的例子也能看出。故选B。
【小题3】根据倒数第二段“the spilt liquid caused the plane’s radio to send out “transponder code 7500”, which is used to inform ground control that there’s been a hi-jacking (劫机)”可知，洒出来的咖啡导致飞机的无线电发出错误的信号。故选D。
【小题4】A、B只是众多例子中的两个，太过片面；D项“司机无辜 乘客发怒”是不正确的总结，火车司机仅仅因为座位是湿的就拒绝开车，是不负责任的行为。故选C。