12．The Chinese put up with a lot living in the world's most populous country：standing on over-crowded trains for 40hours； sleeping outside hospitals to secure a doctor's appointment； waiting more than a year to earn a driver's license．
Add getting a U．S．entry visa to the list．Applicants here have waited as long as 60days to secure an appointment at one of five U．S．consular locations（领事馆）in China that process visas．There，they're often greeted by long lines，followed by a face-to-face interview that can end badly in a matter of seconds．
Now there are only about 100 U．S．visa officers in China，facing considerable challenges during the summer when tourists and students travel the most．"It's not easy work，"Charles Bennett，minister-counselor for Consular Affairs at the U．S．Embassy in Beijing，said to his staff．"You're making，in some cases，life-changing decisions many times a day，and that can cause great tiredness．"
To adapt，US consular services expanded their hours，took on about a dozen additional staff and hope to have another 20officers by spring．More facilities are also being expanded．
Despite the shocking numbers，the embassy remains dogged by charges that it rejects applicants unreasonably and that the process is unfairly burdensome．"I'm fed up，"said Wendy Liu，24．The single woman from Beijing said she was recently refused a visa and told to re-apply when her personal life and finances were more stable．"I'll go anywhere but the U．S．now，"she said．"I thought America was supposed to be a country of freedom．"
To visit the US，Chinese nationals must prove that they have enough money and family or business ties that make it likely they'll return to China．The Department of Homeland Security said it did not keep records on how many Chinese overstay their visas．
Student visas can be refused on grounds of national security．Beijing native Tan Ge，25，believes he was not accepted after he stated his interests in infrared（红外线的）technology and nanoelectronics（纳米电子学）on his application．He now studies in Canada after being forced to abandon a full scholarship to Arizona State University．
By its very nature，the on-the-spot process at the U．S．Embassy can feel unbearable to Chinese applicants，who are asked to take their bank statements，property deeds（房产证），marriage licenses and HUKOU，a Chinese household ID．
"It made me feel very uncomfortable，"said Xu Yong，28，a journalist who needed a business visa last month to cover a conference in New York．"They made me feel like someone from a Third World country up to no good．"
After giving his fingerprints，Xu waited to be called for his interview，sitting in an area that was as quiet as a library．Each passing minute seemed to be as long as a century．
After an hour，Xu was called with three other people to a window for their interview．Two were rejected before his turn．Then the American officer，speaking fluent Chinese，reached for Xu's paperwork，asked some simple questions and said，"Congratulations．"
"I was so nervous．The first thing I did when I got out was to call my mom and tell her I passed，"Xu said．"She was the one who warned me it wasn't going to be easy．"
50．We can learn from Paragraph 2 that in ChinaA．
A．you may quickly be rejected for a U．S．visa after a long wait
B．getting a U．S．visa is not as hard as getting a driver's license
C．an applicant has to wait two months to get a visa for the U．S．
D．there are more than five US consular locations stamping visas
51．What makes it tiring work to be a U．S．visa officer？D
A．Overcrowded workplaces．
B．Expanded working hours．
C．Poorly-equipped offices．
D．Over-loaded responsibilities．
52．The underlined word"dogged"in Paragraph 5 means"A"．
A．troubled B．pardoned
C．submitted D．abandoned
53．Beijing native Tan Ge was refused a U．S．visa probably because heB．
A．had no stable income
B．was supposed to be unsafe for the U．S．
C．had too wide interests
D．had got a full scholarship in the U．S．
54．Why does the author give a detailed description of Xu Yong's experience？C
A．To show how lucky Xu is to make it to New York．
B．To reflect the problems in processing a U．S．entry visa．
C．To stress what a hard-won success it is to get a U．S．visa．
D．To persuade readers out of working or studying abroad．
分析 本文主要讲述中国赴美签证的艰辛．过程漫长而艰辛，经常排很长的队，最后很可能失败而归．美国领事馆的工作人员压力也很大，每天要做很多可能改变别人一生的决定，身心疲惫．
解答 50．A 细节理解题．根据第二段最后一句"There，they're often greeted by long lines，followed by a face-to-face interview that can end badly in a matter of seconds．"可知，在中国，申请美国签证，经常排着长队，一个挨一个去面试，几秒内就可能失败而归．故选A．
51．D 推理判断题．根据文中第三段的"It's not easy work，"Charles Bennett，minister-counselor for Consular Affairs at the U．S．Embassy in Beijing，said to his staff．"You're making，in some cases，life-changing decisions many times a day，and that can cause great tiredness．""这不是容易的工作，"Charles Bennett，在北京的美国领事馆事务部长顾问，向他的员工说道"在某些情况下，你每天都在做很多次改变生活的决定，这会引起巨大的疲劳．"可知超负荷的责任让签证官的工作很令人疲劳不堪，故答案选D．
52．A 词义猜测题．根据文章第三段的内容可知签证官的责任重大，工作令人疲劳不堪．根据文章第四段的内容可知：美国领事服务扩大了签证官的工作时间，又雇佣了大约有12名额外的工作人员，并希望再招收另外的20名签证官．再根据该段中"Despite the shocking numbers尽管数字惊人"和"by charges that it rejects applicants unreasonably and that the process is unfairly burdensome"可知大使馆仍然处于麻烦之中，故答案选A．
53．B 推理判断题．根据第七段中的"Student visas can be refused on grounds of national security．Beijing native Tan Ge，25，believes he was not accepted after he stated his interests in infrared（红外线的）technology and nanoelectronics（纳米电子学）on his application．"可知，学生签证可能以国家安全为由拒签．北京人谭格在陈述了自己对红外技术和纳电子学感兴趣后遭到拒签．因此推断他被拒签很可能是因为安全问题．故选B．
54．C 推理判断题．通读最后四段可知，徐勇觉得签证过程令自己很不舒服，非常难堪，等待的每一分钟都令人坐立不安，签证通过以后他赶紧给妈妈打了电话，妈妈提醒过他签证不是一件容易的事情．再结合上文的几个例子可以推断，作者详细描述徐勇的签证经历是为了强调通过美国的签证是多么难．故选C．
点评 本文是一篇政治经济类文章．政治经济类阅读注意：1、要做好这类阅读，平时就要注意了解国内外发生的政治经济大事，掌握一定背景知识； 2、对这类文章的叙述特点及内容安排有一定了解，还要扩展这方面的词汇；3、阅读这类文章，要抓住文章的核心，即文章整体和各段主要在说什么，也要注意段落之间的逻辑关系．
