III．Listening In
Task 1: the smaller the airport, the bigger the checkup
Paul：The airport security checks sometimes seem very strange to me．
Sylvia：What do you mean?
Paul：I just completed an international flight．And with all the threats to security of travel today I expected to have my luggage searched．
Sylvia：that’s understandable．I mean, with all the fear that’s out there about terrorism, of course they’re going to check your baggage—especially your carry—ons．
Paul：I don’t mind them checking my baggage．In fact，I expect it．But there seems to be an inverse ratio at work．
Sylvia：What on earth do you mean? They check everyone’s baggage，don’t they?
Paul：Yes，but here’s what’s funny：The smaller the airport，the greater the security．The less likely a plane is to be hijacked，the more precautions they take．
Sylvia：Are you serious? Why should a small airport be more aware of security than a large one?
Paul：Here’s what I’ve experienced：Once at a small airport，they seized a roll of adhesive tape and argued that it could be used in hijacking．Then they asked me to remove my digital camera from its case and demonstrate that it could take pictures．
Sylvia：And is this different from a large airport?
Paul：According to my experience，it is．When I flew from Vancouver to Paris，they simply ran my bags through the scanner, and 1 was on my way
Sylvia：If that’s the case，the baggage checking system is really strange．
Paul finds the airport security checks sometimes very strange．In an international flight he did expect to have his luggage searched．Sylvia agrees, knowing that with a11the fear that’s out there about terrorism，they will check passengers’ baggage—especially their carry-ons．In fact, Paul does not mind them checking his baggage but there seems to be an inverse ratio—at work：The smaller the airport, the greater the security. The less likely a plane is to be hijacked, the more precautions they take．Paul further says that once at a small airport, they seized a roll of adhesive tape to prevent hijacking．They also asked him to remove his digital camera from its case and demonstrate that it could take pictures．On the other hand，a large airport is different．When Paul—flew from Vancouver to Paris，they simply ran his bags through the scanner, and he was on his way. Finally, Sylvia admits that the baggage checking system is strange |