超萌运输机 酷似大白鲸全球仅5架

 　　If you ever find yourself in the French city of Toulouse, you might just see one of the oddest-looking aircraft in the world.

　　如果你去过法国图卢兹，那你可能有缘一睹世界上长得最怪异的飞机之一。

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　　Popularly known as the "Beluga," because of its strong resemblance to the white Arctic whale, the Airbus A300-600ST (ST stands for Super Transporter) is unique not only in appearance, but also for the essential role it performs in European aviation.

　　空客A300-600ST（ST为超级运输机的缩写）因为形似大白鲸而得了“大白鲸”的绰号，但它的独特之处不仅体现在外表上，它在欧洲航空业中也有着重要地位。

　　Airbus' production centers are scattered¹ all over the continent, a legacy² of its origins as a pan-European consortium.

　　空客作为欧洲航空公司的联合企业，生产中心分布在欧洲大陆各处。

　　Each factory specializes in the completion of a specific section of an aircraft.

　　每家工厂都有自己负责生产的特定飞机部件。

　　The five Belugas, all operated by Airbus, link these plants and take the different aircraft sections to the final assembly line, either in Toulouse or Hamburg.

　　五架“大白鲸”全部由空客公司运营。“大白鲸”在工厂之间穿梭，将飞机的各个部件运送到位于图卢兹或汉堡的总装厂。

　　Belugas have occasionally been chartered to fly satellites, helicopters and even works of art.

　　有时“大白鲸”也会被租用出去，用于运输火箭、直升机甚至是艺术品。

　　Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" flew from Paris to Tokyo on a Beluga -- the canvas wouldn't fit into any other plane.

　　德拉克罗瓦的名画《自由引导人民》就是用“大白鲸”从巴黎运抵东京的。其他任何飞机都没法装下这幅巨大的油画。

　　With the Beluga nearing two decades of indefatigable³ service, it's starting to show its age and limitations.

　　“大白鲸”服役已近20年时间，渐渐出现老化的情况并显现出一些局限性。

　　Though no decisions have been made, Airbus is looking at potential replacement⁴ solutions.

　　虽然还没有决定，但空客正在寻找潜在的替代方案。

　　Tentatively called Beluga XL, the Beluga's replacement is likely to be based on the A330 airframe.

　　“大白鲸”的继任机型暂且命名为“大白鲸XL”，很可能是基于A330机身结构改造而成。

1 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

2 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

3 indefatigable   

adj.不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的

参考例句：

• His indefatigable spirit helped him to cope with his illness.他不屈不挠的精神帮助他对抗病魔。
• He was indefatigable in his lectures on the aesthetics of love.在讲授关于爱情的美学时，他是不知疲倦的。

4 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。