2021年经济学人 商用飞机之突破音障--尚需时日(2)

Mockups of the cabin look suitably plush.

机舱模型看起来非常奢华。

UBS, a bank, thinks supersonic travel has a future.

瑞士联合银行认为超音速旅行的前景一片大好。

It puts the cumulative¹ size of the market at between $80bn and $280bn by 2040,

它预计，到2040年该市场的累计规模在800亿至2800亿美元之间，

depending on regulatory hurdles² and whether the planes are delivered on time, on budget and operate as promised.

具体仍然取决于监管障碍以及飞机是否按时、按预算交付和按预期运营。

Mr Scholl is eyeing the upper end of that range, a potential market for 1,200 Overture³ 1s at $200m each.

肖尔关注的是这一预测区间的上限，这一潜在的市场能够消费1200架每架费用为2亿美元的“1号序曲”。

Then he hopes to make progressively bigger craft offering lower fares and higher speeds.

之后，他希望慢慢造出更大的飞机，提供更低的价格，和更快的速度。

Spike⁴, another American firm with supersonic ambitions, is developing an 18-seat business jet that doesn’t make a loud boom.

另一家有超音速野心的美国公司Spike正在开发一种18座的低音爆的公务机。

Is this pie in the sky? A distant caveat-strewn commitment is good publicity⁵ for United and for Boom when it seeks more funding.

这会是纸上谈兵吗？对美联航和寻求更多融资的Boom公司来说，一个兑现无期的许诺加上时不时发布警告饶是不错的宣传方式。

It is unlikely that much cash has yet changed hands.

目前还不太可能有大量现金交易。

Overture 1 is not set to enter service until 2029.

“1号序曲”要到2029年才开始投入使用。

Aerion, another firm that hoped to build an 8-10-seat business jet,

另一家Aerion公司希望打造一款8座到10座的公务机，

unexpectedly folded in May despite orders worth more than $11bn and backing from Boeing, America’s giant aeroplane-maker.

尽管获得了超过110亿美元的订单和美国飞机制造巨头波音的支持，但该公司却在5月倒闭了。

National regulations banning supersonic speeds over land rule out trips across North America, home to lots of business travellers and most of the world’s business jets.

美国法规禁止在境内超音速飞行，这就排除了穿越北美航行的可能性，而北美是众多商务旅行者和世界上大多数公务机的所在地。

Morgan Stanley, a bank, reckons that at $120m, double the price of a similar subsonic plane,

摩根士丹利银行认为，1.2亿美元的公务机价格是同类亚音速飞机价格的两倍，

even the ultra-rich wouldn’t pay to cut four hours from a transatlantic trip.

即使是超级富豪也不愿斥巨资只为跨大西洋的行程缩短四个小时。

Tellingly, Boeing itself has no plans to go supersonic.

从波音没有推出超音速飞机计划可见一斑。

Nor has Airbus, its European arch-rival (which was involved in the Concorde project).

它的欧洲头号竞争对手空中客车公司（参与过协和式客机项目）也没有任何动作。

The passenger-jet duopoly reckons that cheaper and cleaner flying is more important than speed.

垄断了喷气式客机的两巨头认为，更便宜、更清洁的飞行比速度更重要。

Breaking the sound barrier is still some way off for the ordinary punter.

对于普通旅行者来说，突破音障尚需时日。

1 cumulative   

adj.累积的，渐增的

参考例句：

• This drug has a cumulative effect.这种药有渐增的效力。
• The benefits from eating fish are cumulative.吃鱼的好处要长期才能显现。

2 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

3 overture   

n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉

参考例句：

• The opera was preceded by a short overture.这部歌剧开始前有一段简短的序曲。
• His overture led to nothing.他的提议没有得到什么结果。

4 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

5 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。