美司法部放行美国航空和全美航空合并在即

 　　美司法部放行美国航空和全美航空合并在即

        Now, US Airways¹ and American Airlines are free to merge² after they reached a settlement with the US Justice Department. In August, the government -- the US government, that is -- filed an anti-trust suit against the airlines that said the merger³ would restrict competition and drive up prices for consumers on hundreds of routes, AMR and US Airways.

　　But the two airlines involved were determined⁴ to see this through. Now, an agreement has been reached with conditions. The airlines are required to sell 104 slots at Washington's Reagan Airport, National Airport, as it used to be called to those of us in old money.

　　Those slots will go to low-cost carriers. If they hadn't got rid of the slots at DCA, the airlines would have controlled 69 percent of takeoff and landing slots at this crucial airport. Many of you will be familiar with that left turn as you're about -- or is the right turn? -- or whatever one, as you go out to land and you go over the monuments.

　　Other divestitures required by the US government: 34 slots at New York's LaGuardia, rights and gates at Boston Logan, Chicago's O'Hare, Dallas Love Field, LAX Los Angeles International, and MIA Miami Airport. All of which the two carriers have to either give up slots, gates, or rights.

　　Now, Tom Horton, the president and chief exec of American said in this statement, "This agreement allows us to take the final steps in creating the new American Airlines." And he continued, "There's much more work ahead of us, but we're energized⁵ by the challenge."

1 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

2 merge   

v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体

参考例句：

• I can merge my two small businesses into a large one.我可以将我的两家小商店合并为一家大商行。
• The directors have decided to merge the two small firms together.董事们已决定把这两家小商号归并起来。

3 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句