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  3. Engine. As they debated the migrant crisis this summer, often angrily, Europe’s politicians hoped that the winter months wou

Engine. As they debated the migrant crisis this summer, often angrily, Europe’s politicians hoped that the winter months wou

admin2021-12-15  305
问题                                                                  Engine.
    As they debated the migrant crisis this summer, often angrily, Europe’s politicians hoped that the winter months would bring some much-needed respite. In previous years, the number of people venturing across the Mediterranean plummeted along with the temperature. In 2014, the number of migrants arriving by boat fell by a third between September and October as the voyage became more dangerous. This October, the opposite happened. A record 218,953 migrants arrived, a 27% increase on September. Why are more migrants now coming to Europe as the dark, cold days approach, not fewer?
    Last year, most migrants arrived in Europe via a dangerous 300km journey from Libya to Lampedusa, an Italian island in the Mediterranean. But winter weather made the trip more arduous and deadly. January’s migrant arrivals numbered just 10% of those for the previous September. The same pattern is emerging this year. Rougher seas and a shortage of boats saw arrivals in Italy fall by half this October to just 8,500 arrivals. But migrants now overwhelmingly take the eastern Mediterranean route from western Turkey to the Greek islands. The Aegean Sea is choppy and windy in October, but with journeys as short as 10km—the destination is visible through binoculars—fewer migrants are put off by the rough weather. Even as conditions deteriorate, the sea remains navigable on calm autumn days. On the roughest days, some migrants wait for weather to improve. Others are enticed by a discount from smugglers to risk a voyage.
    As winter nears, migrants may be tempted to delay their voyage until the spring. But this year it seems a " now-or-never" attitude has taken hold. Fears abound that Europe will tighten its borders soon, and each week of delay makes the voyage across the Mediterranean more perilous. Moreover, the worsening carnage in Afghanistan has pushed the number of Afghan arrivals in Greece up from 27,500 in September to 64,000 in October. Smugglers are happy to take advantage of despairing migrants. The trafficking business is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars and is becoming ever more sophisticated.
    A slowdown in migrant arrivals would ease the pressure on European officials. The system that processes asylum claims is creaking. Many migrants face a year-long wait to have their applications processed. Demand for shelter is growing faster than it can be provided, even as temperatures fall. A winter lull would allow authorities to re-design its system before spring, when arrivals could bloom again. If arrival numbers don’t fall, overwhelmed countries may seek to enforce order—as Germany and Sweden both signaled this week. News of harsher policies may filter back to those in Afghanistan and Syria, discouraging them from making the trip. Whether they stay or go, a cruel winter beckons.
Why does the winter remission mean a lot to European officials?
选项 A、Because they need some rest after the demanding work.
B、Because they want to tighten the borders of the countries.
C、Because they have to process asylum applications.
D、Because they need to update the obsolete migrant system.
答案D
解析 根据题干中的winter remission和European officials定位至第四段前两句和第五句。细节辨认题。作者在最后一段首句中指出，移民到达人数的减少将会减轻欧洲官员的压力，随后说现行的庇护申请系统已在勉强运转，而该段第五句更具体指出冬季移民潮的间歇可以让当局在春季到来之前重新设计其系统，故答案为D)。
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