A4，231页，经济学人杂志2017年考研英语100篇精选阅读文章.pdfVIP

1 Travel Vis as : Sticker Shock 原文 I Vis as a re necess a ry evi ls . they offer governments a way to control thei r borders, whether to regulate the flow of i mmigra nts or to pick out threats to s ecurity. But the pa perwork a nd fees they enta i l a lso deter legiti mate tourists a nd bus i ness travel lers . Res ea rchers at the Cato Institute, a li berta ria n thi nkta nk, reckon that eli mi nati ng a l l travel vis as to the United States would add between $90 bi l lion a nd $123 bi l lion i n a nnua l tourist s pendi ng. By one esti mate, i ntroduci ng vis a restrictions ca n lower trade a nd foreign di rect i nvestment between a pa i r of countries by as much as 25%. II The j ob of policyma kers is to stri ke the right ba la nce between s uch costs a nd benefits . On s hort- term bus i ness a nd tourist vis as, they have fa i led.Ta ke s ecurity. Vis as, proponents s ay, keep countries s afer by control li ng who is a ble to enter. That is true, but they a re not very efficient. Terrorists ca n be home- grown as wel l as foreign, qua lify for vis as (as the 9/ 11 attackers did) or s li p across borders i l lega l ly. Impos i ng restrictions on the bas is of nationa lity is the bl untest of i nstruments, scoopi ngup legions of ordi na ry tourists a nd travel lers as wel l as the occas iona l s us pect. 1 III Governments ca n ta ke three steps to eas e the burden of vis as without s i mply throwi ng borders open to a l l-comers . The fi rst is to s las h the length of thei r forms . Brita i n, a grave offender when it comes to high fees a nd pi les of pa perwork, requi res vis a a pplica nts to