One of the busiest travel weeks of the year has been damaged by weather and the spread of COVID-19, leaving thousands of travelers prevented from departing following the Christmas holiday. Flight Aware, a website that tracks airline cancellations and delays worldwide, reports that a total of 1,500 flights were canceled in the U.S. on Sunday. On Monday, as of 8:30 a.m. , nearly 800 cancellations had already been reported.

According to Flight Aware, United and Alaska Airlines reported the most cancellations and delays on Monday morning. Alaska Airlines alone canceled 93 flights, representing 13% of all its air traffic for Monday. The cancellations continue a trend that began last week when several airlines confirmed staffing shortages caused by COVID-19 outbreaks.

A news reporter obtained an internal memo from United last Thursday that noted that the rise of the more contagious Omicron(奥密克戎) variant had a “direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation.” In a statement, Delta Airlines said that Omicron staffing shortages also factored into its decision to cancel 344 flights on Christmas Day. NBC News reports that JetBlue and Alaska Airlines have also cited staffing shortages and COVID-19 outbreaks as reasons for canceling flights.

In addition, a large part of the western U.S. is also dealing with a winter storm, further complicating travel plans. A Christmas snowstorm swept across northern California up to Washington, further causing delays for airlines with western hubs(枢纽), like Alaska Airlines. But the snow isn’t just impacting air travel. According to The Associated Press, the storm was to blame for a 20-car pileup(连环相撞) on a highway near Reno, Nevada.

本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，未经书面授权，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！（作者投稿及时文阅读定制请联系微信：18980471698）

1.What happened to the travelers in the airport during the Christmas holiday?

A They had to wait there.

B They needed to pay more.

C They enjoyed mild weather.

D They counted the airlines.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据文章第一段第一句的“leaving thousands of travelers prevented from departing following the Christmas holiday”可以得知，航班取消使得让很多人滞留在机场。故选A。

2.What does the underlined part “a trend” refer to?

A Airline cancellations.

B A lack of staff.

C COVID-19 outbreaks.

D The terrible weather.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据文章第二段第二句“The cancellations continue a trend that began last week when several airlines confirmed staffing shortages caused by COVID-19 outbreaks.”可以得知，好几个航空公司证实说由于疫情的爆发，造成了航空公司人手短缺，而这周的航班取消也延续了这个趋势，即“人手短缺”。故选B。

3.What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A The impact of Omicron.

B The way to cure Omicron.

C The decision to take.

D The number of flights.

解析：选A。A 段落大意题。根据文章第三段第一句的“noted that the rise of the more contagious omicron variant had a ‘direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation’”可以得知该段主要讲述新的病毒奥密克戎的影响。故选A。

4.Which airline canceled its flights due to terrible weather?

A United Airlines.

B Flight Aware.

C Delta Airlines.

D Alaska Airlines.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据文章最后一段第二句“A Christmas snowstorm swept across northern California up to Washington, further causing delays for airlines with western hubs(枢纽), like Alaska Airlines.”可以得知Alaska Airlines取消航班是因为受到了暴风雪的影响。故选D。