CNN美国有线新闻 空中女王”波音747正式退役

And up next, we will salute¹ the queen of the skies, the Boeing 747.

接下来，我们将向“空中女王”波音747致敬。

This spacious² and sleek³ aircraft that was once touted⁴ as the future of airplane travel when it took off in 1969 is now a plane of the past, as airlines are opting⁵ for more fuel-efficient alternatives.

这架宽敞开阔且线条流畅的飞机在1969年起飞时曾被标榜为飞机旅行的未来，现在这架飞机已经成为过去，因为航空公司正在选择更省油的替代飞机。

This week, Boeing completed and delivered the last 747 to ever be built.

本周，波音公司完成了对最后一架波音747飞机的交付。

And on Wednesday, the plane flew a path spelling out 747 on the flight tracker to commemorate⁶ the moment.

周三，为了纪念这一时刻，这架飞机沿着飞行跟踪器飞出了一条“747”轨迹。

Let's learn more about the history of this jumbo jet and what's in store for the airlines of the future.

让我们了解更多关于这架大型喷气式飞机的历史，以及未来航空公司将会面临什么。

When it was revealed in 1969, it broke the mold and defined jumbo.

当波音747在1969年问世时，这款飞机打破陈规，定义了巨型喷气式飞机的模样。

It brought jet travel to the people, carried world leaders, cultural icons⁷, and even spacecraft.

这款飞机为人们带来了喷气式飞机旅行，运载过世界领导人、文化偶像，甚至宇宙飞船。

For half a century, it was the queen of the skies.

半个世纪以来，它一直是空中女王。

But now, the last model has been delivered, Boeing 747 is beginning to approach its final touchdown.

如今，最后一个飞机型号已经交付，波音747将开始它的最后一次着陆。

Built to meet the boom in demand for air travel in the 1960s, the 747 was a giant that needed the world's largest factory to match its jumbo proportions,

为满足20世纪60年代航空旅行的激增需求，波音747应运而生，它是一个庞然大物，需要世界上最大的工厂来匹配它的巨大机型，

225 feet from nose to tail, it had a wing surface bigger than a basketball court,

从机头到机尾有225英尺长(约合342米)，它的机翼面比一个篮球场还大，

and its innovative⁸ wide body double aisle⁹ and double deck design would allow it to carry up to 500 passengers, while ensuring it would also be a freight hauling behemoth with looks like no other.

波音747具有创新性的宽体双通道以及双层甲板设计，这使其能够搭载500名乘客，同时又确保其成为世界上独一无二的巨型货运飞机。

Taking to the skies for its first commercial flight in 1970, the 747 cut airfares in half and opened up a world of affordable¹⁰ air travel.

1970年，波音747首次开始商用飞行，将机票价格降低了一半，开启了一个廉价航空旅行的世界。

Airlines across the globe clamored to have a jumbo jet in their fleet, and airports and their equipment had to be modified to accommodate its enormous size and passenger capacity.

全球各地的航空公司都争先恐后地要求在机队中配备一架大型喷气式飞机，机场和相应设备都必须进行改装，以容纳其庞大体积和高载客量。

But spacious interiors, a trademark¹¹ spiral staircase and superior service also had the world's rich and famous flocking.

宽敞的内部空间、标志性的螺旋楼梯与优质的服务也吸引了世界上的众多富人与名人。

Glamorous¹² silver screen appearances cemented its lavish¹³ reputation, and it became the go-to transport for many of the world's elite¹⁴, a trend set to continue with the presidentially modified Air Force One.

魅力四射的银幕形象巩固了波音747的奢华声誉，这款飞机成为了世界上许多精英的首选交通工具，这一趋势在改装的“空军一号”总统专机上继续延续下去。

The 747 was so capable, it was even used to transport NASA's space shuttles and it continues to be used to launch satellites with Virgin¹⁵ Orbit.

波音747能力超凡，它甚至曾被用来运输美国宇航局的航天飞机，会继续被用来发射维珍轨道卫星。

But the queen of the sky's days of carrying passengers are entering their final chapter.

但“空中女王”的载客之旅即将进入最后阶段。

1 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

2 spacious   

adj.广阔的，宽敞的

参考例句：

• Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
• The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。

3 sleek   

adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢

参考例句：

• Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
• The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

4 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

5 opting   

v.选择，挑选( opt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• What courses are most students opting for? 多数学生选什么课程？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Wells doesn't rule out opting out and then re-signing with Houston. 威尔斯没有排除跳出合同再与火箭重签的可能。 来自互联网

6 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

7 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

9 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

10 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

11 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

12 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

13 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

14 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

15 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。