①It’s easy to dismiss as absurd the federal government’s ideas for plugging the chronic funding gap of our national parks. Can anyone really think it’s a good idea to allow Amazon deliveries to your tent in Yosemite or food trucks to line up under the redwood trees at Sequoia National Park?

②But the government is right about one thing: U.S. national parks are in crisis. Collectively, they have a maintenance backlog of more than $ 12 billion. Roads, trails, restrooms, visitor centers and other infrastructure are crumbling.

③But privatizing and commercializing the campgrounds would not be a cure-all. Campgrounds are a tiny portion of the overall infrastructure backlog, and businesses in the parks hand over, on average, only about 5% of their revenues to the National Park Service.

④Moreover, increased privatization would certainly undercut one of the major reasons why 300 million visitors come to the parks each year: to enjoy nature and get a break from the commercial drumbeat that overwhelms daily life.

⑤The real problem is that the parks have been chronically starved of funding. An economic survey of 700 U.S. taxpayers found that people would be willing to pay a significant amount of money to make sure the parks and their programs are kept intact. Some 81% of respondents said they would be willing to pay additional taxes for the next 10 years to avoid any cuts to the national parks.

⑥The national parks provide great value to U.S. residents both as places to escape and as symbols of nature. On top of this, they produce value from their extensive educational programs, their positive impact on the climate through carbon sequestration, their contribution to our cultural and artistic life, and of course through tourism. The parks also help keep America’s past alive, working with thousands of local jurisdictions around the country to protect historical sites and to bring the stories of these places to life.

⑦The parks do all this on a shoestring. Congress allocates only $ 3 billion a year to the national park system—an amount that has been flat since 2001 (in inflation-adjusted dollars) with the exception of a onetime boost in 2009. Meanwhile, the number of annual visitors has increased by more than 50% since 1980, and now stands at 330 million visitors per year.

1.1. What problem are U.S. national parks faced with?

A Decline of business profits.

B Inadequate commercialization.

C Lack of transportation services.

D Poorly maintained infrastructure.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。[精准定位]第一段指出联邦政府设法填补美国国家公园的长期资金缺口,第二段②③句详细介绍国家公园现状“其积压的维护费用超过 120 亿美元,车行道、步行道、卫生间、游客中心等基础设施都在日渐破败”综合可知,第二段首句中国家公园面临的危机指“因资金短缺导致基础设施维护不善”,D项正确。[命题解密]D项正确概括第二段中国家公园因缺乏维修资金而产生的问题Roads，trails,restrooms, visitor centers and other infrastructure are crumbling.A项将第一段①句中的 funding gap“资金供应无法满足需求”曲解为“利润亏损”。B项可关联至第一段②句中 Amazon deliveries、food trucks to line up所体现的“商业化”,但这是联邦政府为解决国家公园长期资金缺口所提出的建议,并非题干所问的问题;此外,选项暗含的“需大力推进商业化”与该句反司句式所体现的作者的质疑立场相悖。C项中transportation services若指向第一段②句中的“亚马逊货物运输服务”,则排除策略同B项:若指向第二段③句中“园内配套交通服务”,则将文意“配套交通服务亟待维护”扭曲为“缺乏配套交通服务”。

2.2. Increased privatization of the campgrounds may ________.

A spoil visitor experience

B help preserve nature

C bring operational pressure

D boost visits to parks

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。[精准定位]第三段指出私有化露营地的作用有限:首先,露营地维护只占全部基建维护工作的一小部分;其次,露营地商家只上缴极其有限的收入。第四段则指出私有化露营地的后果不良:必定会削弱每年3亿游客游园享受自然、逃避喧器的目的。A项契合文意。[命题解密]A项是对第四段所述私有化露营地不良后果 undercut...visitors...enjoy nature and get a break from the commercial drumbeat that overwhelms daily life 的高度概括。B项“有助于保护大自然”与第四段“削弱人们为享受自然而游园的动机”的消极情感色彩以及言外之意“破坏大自然原生态”相悖。C项与第三段②句的含义“私有化露营地只能在一定程度上缓解公园维护、运营的压力”相悖。D项与第四段所述的私有化露营地的弊端“削弱游客游园的动机(即降低游园人数)”相悖。

3.3. According to Paragraph 5, most respondents in the survey would ________.

A go to the national parks on a regular basis

B advocate a bigger budget for the national parks

C agree to pay extra for the national parks

D support the national parks’ recent reforms

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。[精准定位]第五段末句指出,大约有 81%的受访者表示愿意在未来 10年内支付额外的税费,以避免对国家公园的任何削减。C项正确。[命题解密]C项是对第五段末句 be willing to pay additional taxes 的同义改写。A 项 go to the national parks on a regular basis 虽然可对应第四段的 visitors come to the parks each year,但该段主要介绍“进一步私有化露营地的不良后果”,与题干所问经济调查的客观发现无关。B项将第五段末句中增加国家公园资金的方法由“纳税人额外付税”偷换为“政府增加预算”。D项与第四段“进一步私有化露营地必定会阻碍游客享受自然、逃避商业喧嚣”所暗示的信息“游客会反对而非支持国家公园的近期改革”相悖。

4.4. The national parks are valuable in that they ________.

A lead the way in tourism

B have historical significance

C sponsor research on climate

D provide an income for the locals

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。[精准定位]第六段重点分析了国家公园在休闲游憩、教育、生态、文艺、旅游以及历史方面的价值,B项概括了国家公园的历史价值“通过保护历史遗迹、传承历史故事以维系美国历史的'活力’”，B项正确。[命题解密]B项是对③句中国家公园的历史功能 keep America's past alive、protect historical sites、bring the stories of these places to life的高度概括。A项将第六段②句句意“国家公园通过发展旅游业创造价值”扭曲为“国家公园引领旅游业的发展”C项将第六段②句句意“国家公园因其自身具有的碳封存功能而对气候带来积极影响”扭曲为“国家公园为气候研究提供资金”。D项将第六段③句句意“国家公园与地方辖区合作以保护历史遗迹”扭曲为“国家公园为地方辖区居民提供工作/收人”。

5.5. It can be concluded from the text that the national park system ________.

A is able to cope with staff shortages

B is able to meet visitors’ demands

C is in need of a new pricing policy

D is in need of a funding increase

解析：选D。D 主旨大意题。[精准定位]第一、二、五、七段借 the chronic funding gap of our national parks、they have a maintenance backlog of more than $ 12 billion, The real problem is that the parks have been chronically starved of funding、The parks do all this on a shoestring的同义复现,强调国家公园系统资金严重短缺言外之意即“需要对其增加资金拨付”,D项正确。[命题解密]D项是对上述多个同义表述的合理归纳与推断。A 项错将末段①句 on a shoestring 理解为 staff shortages“人员短缺”,而它实际指“资金短缺”,且文中并未指出国家公园能够解决短缺问题。B项对末段末句信息“国家公园客流量的逐年递增”主观臆断,且由第二段末句“车行道、步行道、卫生间,游客中心和其他基础设施都在日渐破败”可推知,国家公园系统在满足游客需求方面还有所欠缺。C项将末段②句“长年持平、需要增长”的描述对象“国会向国家公园系统的拨款”曲解为“国家公园的门票价格”,错误得出“应制定新的定价政策”。