VOA慢速英语2014 How Can Air Traffic Controllers Lose a Plane? 一架飞机是怎么消失无踪的

 

How Can Air Traffic Controllers Lose a Plane? 一架飞机是怎么消失无踪的

From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.

The search for a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet expanded this week.  The airplane, a Boeing 777, disappeared last Saturday on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.  It was carrying 239 people.  At first, the search was along its expected flight path.  But by week’s end, crews had expanded the search across parts of southern Asia for any evidence of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. 

本周，关于马来西亚航空公司的客机的搜查范围已经扩大，在上周，从吉隆坡飞往北京的航空飞机送波音777莫名消失。这架飞机上有239名乘客。一开始，搜救范围仅仅在这架飞机所经过的航线中。但是一个礼拜过去了，扩大的搜查范围的南亚部分地区并没有发现任何有关马航370的线索。

With satellites and other technology available, how can a plane as large as the “Triple-7” just disappear?  Air safety expert John McGraw says it is easier than you may think.

在拥有卫星技术和其他现代科技的情况下，为什么这么大的波音777飞机会凭空消失呢。有关航空安全方面的专家约翰麦格劳说这可能比我们想象中的要简单得多。

“People are under the impression that every airplane, even when it’s flying across the ocean, is observed on some kind of radar¹ scope², with a human being looking at that scope.  And it's just not the case.  Radars don't reach that far.”

飞机上的乘客们对于飞机、甚至是飞机什么时候飞过海洋都会有一定的印象，这可以通过雷达记录观察到，而人们只要看着它就可以了。但是这并不符合实际情况，因为雷达不能飞到那么远的地方。

But John McGraw says there are also a lot of devices inside the Triple-7 that can help searchers follow its movement. Systems in the aircraft send altitude, weather conditions, position and speed to air traffic controllers.  There are also at least three ways the pilots can communicate with controllers.  Another tool is the flight data recorder or “black box.”  If the plane is downed in the ocean, the black box sends out a signal that can travel up to three kilometers away. 

但是约翰麦格劳说波音777内部依旧有很多的设备可以帮助搜救人员找到它的踪迹。飞机内部可以将海拔高度、天气情况、所在位置及飞行速度发送给空中交通管制员。飞行员至少可以通过三种途径与管制人员取得联系。另外一种工具就是靠飞行记录器“黑匣子”。如果飞机掉进海洋，那么黑匣子就会发出信号，三公里之外都能收到信号。

Many people remember when a French passenger jet disappeared five years ago.  Air France Flight 447 went missing as it flew from Brazil to Paris.  Its wreckage³ was eventually found in the Atlantic Ocean. 

很多人都记得五年前法国客机消失。法国客机447是在从巴西飞往巴黎的路途中消失的。它们的飞机碎片最终在大西洋被找到。

Air safety expert John McGraw remembers the National Transportation Safety Board taking action after the French jet went missing.  He says US officials called for continuous download of an aircraft’s flight data recorder information in case of emergencies.

航空安全专家约翰麦格劳记得国家运输安全委员会在客机一失踪就立刻采取行动搜查。他说，美国官员在当时呼吁应当继续下载飞机飞行过程中的数据记录以防有什么紧急情况。

“In the past they haven’t been able to justify⁴ installing that kind of equipment, because it’s expensive, and because there hadn’t been that many accidents where it would have come into play.  This will certainly provide some additional motivation and there may be calls to do that.”

在过去因为费用太高，他们没有办法证明安装这样的设备是能够发挥作用的，同时也因为在过去并不经常发生事故，安装这样的设备并没有办法起到作用。但这肯定可以提供给我们一些其他的线索，所以很有可能被呼吁应当要安装这样的设备以防万一。

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was last seen on radar above Vietnam and Malaysia.  Air traffic controllers in both countries say they did not receive any message that the plane may have been in trouble.  On Tuesday, Malaysian media reported that the Malaysian military had noted⁵ the aircraft flying toward the country’s west coast.  That is far from where controllers lost contact with the plane.

马来西亚飞机370航线最后一次在雷达上被显示是从越南飞往马来西亚。但是两个国家的航空交通管制员却说他们没有收到任何有关这架飞机飞行遇到困难的信息。在星期二，马来西亚媒体报道称，马来西亚军队宣布飞机飞往越南的西海岸，这与飞机刚失联的位置离得很远。

The next day, China released satellite images showing three large objects floating in waters between Malaysia and Vietnam.  But China later said it could not confirm the objects belonged to the missing aircraft.  

隔天，中国官方发布新闻消息称卫星信息显示有三个疑似飞机残骸漂浮在马来西亚和越南的海域之间。但是随后中国发表声明称，这些不明物体并不属于失联的马航客机。

The Wall Street Journal reported that the plane could have stayed in the air for several hours past the time of its last confirmed location.  The newspaper said later that the plane continued to send information about its engines and performance to satellites for five more hours.  That suggests Flight 370 could have remained in the air or was on the ground somewhere.  Why the signals stopped is unclear.

华尔街日报报道称飞机在过去应当着陆的时间点可能还在空中继续飞行了几个小时。该报纸称在过去的五个小时里，飞机持续不断地向卫星发送有关于设备和性能的消息。这意味着，马航客机370应该停留在空中或者是在陆地上的某个地方着陆。但这些信号为什么会突然消失还不清楚。

This is a developing story. For the latest news on the Malaysian airliner⁶, go to VOANews.com.                                     

 

And that’s In the News from VOA Learning English.  I’m Steve Ember.

1 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

2 scope   

n.（处理、研究事物的）范围，余地，机会

参考例句：

• There is limited scope for creativity in my job.我的工作中发挥创造力的空间有限。
• There is little scope for initiative in this job.这工作几乎没有发挥主动性的余地。

3 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

4 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。