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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  71
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.
What is the passage mainly about?
选项 A、What route most migrants should take to safely arrive in Europe.
B、When most migrants would like to travel across the Mediterranean.
C、Why more migrants are coming to Europe as winter approaches.
D、How the number of migrants has changed during the latest years.
答案C
解析 由题干及各选项定位至全文。主旨大意题。文章开篇从一些数据和趋势开始分析，指出大量的移民在今年冬季涌向欧洲，而不是像往年那样，随着天气渐冷而人数减少；随后一段详细介绍了难民横渡地中海来到欧洲主要移民国家的既往情况；第三段分析了今年冬天一反常态，移民可能会大量涌向欧洲的原因；最后一段分析冬季移民潮的影响和后果。通观全文，文章主要是分析移民在冬季来到欧洲的原因，故答案为C)。
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