An Expensive Church Visit
昂贵的教堂旅行
MONTREAL (Reuters) – Crossing the US-Canada border(边界)to go to church on a Sunday cost a US citizen $10,000 for breaking Washington’s strict new security(安全)rules.
蒙特利尔(路透社) - 周日跨越美加边界去教堂会话费一位美国公民10000美元,因为这违反美国严格的新的安全法。
The expensive trip to church was a surprise for Richard Albert, who lives right on the Canadian border. Like the other half-dozen people of Township 15, crossing the border is a daily occurrence for Albert. The nearby Quebec village of St. Pamphile is where they shop, eat and go to church.
对理查德•艾伯特来说,昂贵教堂旅行是一个意外,他正好住在加拿大边境。和其他六个乡镇15人一样,越过边境是艾伯特的家常便饭。附近圣帕菲尔的魁北克村是他们购物,聚餐,做礼拜的地方。
There are many such situations in these areas along the largely unguarded 5,530-mile border between Canada and the US-which in some cases actually runs down the middle of streets or through buildings.
在加拿大和美国边境5530公里中的这些地域有很多类似这样的情况—有时候在某些情况下跨越边境只是穿过中间的街道或通过建筑。
As a result, Albert says he did not expect any problems three weeks ago when he returned home to the US after attending church in Canada, as usual. The US customs(海关)station in this area is closed on Sundays, so be just drove around the locked gate, as he had done every weekend since the gate appeared last May, following a tightening of border security. Two days later. Albert was told to go to the customs office, where an officer told him be had been caught on carnera crossing the border illegally(非法).
因此,艾伯特说,他没预料到会发生那样的事情,三个星期前,当他像往常一样,参加完加拿大教堂礼拜后回到美国。美国海关在这个区域星期天是封闭的,所以只是把门锁着,如同他每周做的事一样,而去年五月开始出现这个门,加强边关安全。两天后。艾伯特被告知去海关,军官告诉他已经被相机逮住,因为非法边境。
Ottawa has given out special passes to some 300 US citizens in that area so they can enter the country when Canadian customs stations are closed, but the US stopped a similar program last May. That forces the people to a 200-mile detour along hilly roads to get home through another border checkpoint.
渥太华为这个区域大约300位美国公民颁发了特别通行证,这样他们就可以在加拿大海关关闭时许可入境,但去年五月美国停止这一项目。迫使人们沿着丘陵道路绕道200英里通过另一个边境检查站回家。
Albert has requested that the customs office change their decisions on the fine, but he has not attended a Sunday church since. “I feel like I’m living in a prison,” he said.
艾伯特已经要求海关改变他们的处罚决定,但从此他没有参加周日教堂礼拜。“我觉得我住在监狱里,”他说。
1.We learn from the text that Richard Albert is .
A.an American living in Township 15
B.a Canadian living in a Quebec village
C.a Canadian working in a customs station
D.an American working in a Canadian church
2.Albert was fined because he .
A.failed to obey traffic rules
B.broke the American security rules
C.worked in St. Pamphile without a pass
D.damaged the gate of the customs office
3.The underlined word “detour” in paragraph 5 means .
A.a drive through the town
B.a race across the fields
C.a roundabout way of travelling
D.a journey in the mountain area
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.A Cross-country Trip
B.A Special Border Pass
C.An Unguarded Border
D.An Expensive Church Visit
【答案】
1. A 这是一道细节题。第二段“Like the other halfdozen people of Township 15,crossing the border is a daily occurrence for Albert.”告诉我们Richard Albert是一位住在Township 15的美国人。
2. B 这是一道细节题。根据第四段“Two days later,Albert was told to go to the customs office,where an officer told him he had been caught on camera crossing the border illegally.”可判断出Albert受罚的原因是他违反了美国安全条例。
3. C 这是一道猜测词义题。根据这段的内容可判断出由于美国停止了Ottawa使用的方法,使得人们不得不迂回200英里通过山回家。
4. D 这是一道主旨题。这篇短文讲述了一位美国人为了去教堂而违反了美国安全法,而被罚款$10 000美元。所以An Expensive Church Visit是最佳题目。