2-12 永别了，协和式飞机

Farewell, Concorde¹

 

The Concorde bowed out² with a spectacular triple landing finale³, closing an era of supersonic passenger travel and leaving the skies to the slower, cheaper jets that proved to be the future of air travel.

　　

Three supersonic planes glided¹ into Heathrow Airport within minutes of one another, a majestic² send-off ⁴ for an aircraft that was a technological³ marvel⁴ but an expensive commercial dud⁵.

　　

“Concorde was born from dreams, built with vision, and operated with pride,” said Capt. Michael Bannister, who was British Airways⁵' chief Concorde pilot and flew the last trans Atlantic trip. But not everyone loved the slim, elegant jet.

　　

Over the years, many criticized its enormous roar, heavy fuel use and the pollutants⁶ it emitted⁷. In New York, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner hosted a champagne⁷ toast to celebrate Concorde's demise⁸⁸.

　　

But tens of thousands of fans lined the road outside Heathrow to get a final look at the plane that epitomized⁹ jet-set¹⁰ glamour⁹. Julia Zuk, 50, who lives near Heathrow, said she enjoyed her daily glimpses of the elegant jet and didn't mind the noise. “It's like wearing stilettos¹¹,” she said. “They hurt your feet, but you know they look a lot sexier than ordinary shoes.”

　　

The three jets landed at Heathrow to cheers and applause. The travelers who disembarked¹² onto a red carpet took pictures of the plane and each other. “It was very moving, very sad in a way,” one passenger said. It was a bittersweet end to nearly 28 years of commercial supersonic travel.

　　

The Concorde, conceived and built by the British and French governments, began commercial service in January 1976. It was hailed as a technological marvel but its economics were shaky and it never made back the billions of tax dollars invested in it.

　　

Airlines had little interest in such expensive, fuel-guzzling¹³ jets. The Concorde's limited range, and rules that forbade it from setting off sonic booms¹⁴ over land meant it mostly stuck to its trans Atlantic back and forth¹⁰.

　　

For years it was the favorite form of Europe-to-America travel for celebrities¹¹ and high-powered executives. Cruising speeds of 1,350 mph meant westbound travelers got to New York more than an hour and a half before they left Europe.

　　

The beginning of the end came when an Air France Concorde crashed after takeoff from Paris on July 25, 2000, killing¹² 113 people and forcing both airlines to ground their supersonic jets for over a year. Overhauled¹³ Concordes returned to service two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, in the middle of one of aviation's¹⁵ worst slumps¹⁶ and a miserable¹⁵ global economy.

 

British Airways plans to announce where its fleet of seven Concordes will be kept. It has said most will likely go to museums, but it is looking into the possibility of keeping one in flying shape for occasional special events.

 

注释：

1.Concorde [kCn5kC:d] n. 协和式飞机（英法合造的超音速客机，时速可达2160公里以上）

2.bow out 退出；作最后一次露面

3.finale [fi5nB:li] n.〈意〉（常为高潮性的）结尾

4.send-off [send5C:f] n.〈口〉送别（会）；送行

5.dud [dQd]〈俚〉n.失败

6.pollutant⁶ [pE5lu:tEnt] n. 污染性物质，有害物质

7.emit [i5mit] vt. 发出，散发

8.demise [di5maiz] n. 终止；职位（或地位）的丧失

9.epitomize [i5pitEmaiz] vt. 代表，象征；体现

10.jet-set [dVet5set] adj. （供）喷气式飞机旅游界的，（适合于）阔老们的

11.stilettos [sti5letEus] n. =stilettoheel 细高跟女皮鞋

12.disembark [5disim5bB:k] vi. 下飞机

13.fuel-guzzling [fjuEl5^QzliN] adj. 高耗能的

14.sonic boom [空]（超音速飞行器的）轰声，声震

15.aviation [7eivi5eiFEn] n. 航空，飞行

16.slump¹⁴ [slQmp] n. 衰落；跌落

 

 

 

永别了，协和式飞机

 

　　伴随着一次壮观的三机着陆，协和式飞机退出了航空舞台，一个超音速客运时代从此宣告结束。现在，天空中只剩下速度较慢、价格较低的喷气式飞机，它们已经证明将主宰航空旅行的未来。

　　3架超音速飞机在相隔几分钟之内先后滑入伦敦希思罗机场。这是为既是技术奇迹同时又是代价高昂的商业败笔的一款飞机举行的庄严的送别仪式。

　　英国航空公司首席协和飞行员、执行这次最后跨洋飞行的迈克尔·班尼斯特机长这样说道：“协和在梦想中诞生，靠想像力建成，并带着自豪感营运。” 但是，并非人人都喜爱这种外观修长典雅的喷气式飞机。

　　自协和诞生以来，很多人对它巨大的噪音、高油耗及其排放有害废气进行了批评。在纽约，美国众议员安东尼·韦纳就举行了一个香槟酒会庆祝协和时代的结束。

　　但是，仍有成千上万的协和迷聚集在希思罗机场外的道路两旁，以求最后一睹作为“喷气族”象征的这款机型的风采。一位住在希思罗机场附近、名叫朱莉娅·朱克的50岁妇女表示，她很乐于每天见到这种外观优雅的飞机，并不在乎它的噪音。“这就像穿高跟鞋，”她说道。“它们会弄疼你的脚，但看起来要比普通的鞋漂亮得多。”

　　3架飞机在人们的欢呼声和掌声中降落在希思罗机场。乘客们走下飞机，在红地毯上为飞机，也为自己相互拍照。一位乘客说道：“这场面十分感人，也可以说非常伤感。”对于营运了将近28年的超音速商业航行来讲，这是一个苦乐参半的结局。

　　协和式飞机由英国和法国政府共同构想与建造，于1976年1月开始商业服务。协和式飞机的出色技术令人叹服，但其不稳定的经济效益却始终无法回收其来自税收的数十亿美元的投资。

　　各国航空公司对这种昂贵的、高能耗的喷气式飞机并没有表现出什么兴趣。协和式飞机航程有限，而且对其经由陆地上空发出轰鸣声有严格的禁令，因此它只能主要往返于大西洋两岸。

　　这些年来，它一直是名人和高层经理人所喜爱的往返欧美的旅行方式。1350英里的时速意味着如果向西飞行，他们抵达纽约的时间比他们在欧洲登机的时间要早一个半小时多！

　　预示最后结果的先兆是在2000年7月25日，法航一架协和式飞机从巴黎起飞后坠毁，造成了113人死亡，并迫使两航空公司将协和式飞机停飞了一年多的时间。“9·11”恐怖袭击两个月后，通过检查的协和式飞机恢复了航行，然而此时正值航空业的一次最大萧条期以及全球经济不景气。

　　英国航空公司计划宣布其公司所属的7架协和式飞机的保存地点。据说大多数可能被陈列在博物馆中，但是公司也在探讨是否可以将一架保持可飞状态，以备不时之需。

1 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
• They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

3 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

4 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

5 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。

6 pollutant   

n.污染物质，散布污染物质者

参考例句：

• Coal itself is a heavy pollutant.煤本身就是一种严重的污染物。
• Carbon dioxide may not be a typical air pollutant.二氧化碳可能不是一种典型的污染物。

7 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

8 demise   

n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让

参考例句：

• He praised the union's aims but predicted its early demise.他赞扬协会的目标，但预期这一协会很快会消亡。
• The war brought about the industry's sudden demise.战争道致这个行业就这么突然垮了。

9 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

10 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

11 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 overhauled   

v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• Within a year the party had drastically overhauled its structure. 一年内这个政党已大刀阔斧地整顿了结构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A mechanic overhauled the car's motor with some new parts. 一个修理工对那辆汽车的发动机进行了彻底的检修，换了一些新部件。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

15 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。