VOA慢速英语2019 美国农村地区无人机目击事件引发揣测

People claim they have seen large groups of drones flying through the night sky across rural areas of the United States. Their mysterious appearance has raised questions and launched an investigation¹.

美国各个农村地区的人们都声称他们看到大量无人机在夜空飞过。它们的神秘出现引发了质疑和调查。

Officials in the western state of Colorado say they have found nothing unusual or criminal about the drones. They were mostly operated for personal enjoyment², commercial purposes, or weather-related events.

西部科罗拉多州的官员表示，他们没有发现无人机的任何异常或犯罪行为。这些无人机的操作主要是出于个人娱乐、商业目的或是天气相关活动。

But the investigation that followed the drones in Colorado with sightings into Wyoming and Nebraska will not ease the minds of many people. Theories about drones said to be as big as cars, flying in organized groups at night continue to spread.

但是在科罗拉多州发现无人机之后，怀俄明州和内布拉斯加州也有目击，该调查无法减轻很多人的想法。关于这些跟汽车一样大的无人机在夜间有组织飞行的揣测仍在传播。

Dan Carlson claims to have seen the drones four times after dark near his farm outside Sidney, Nebraska. He says the military or defense³ companies may be involved.

丹·卡尔森声称天黑之后在他位于内布拉斯加州西德尼郊外的农场附近见过4次无人机。他说，美国军方或是国防公司可能卷入其中。

The drones flew in groups of two on two nights, he said. Their speed, the distance they traveled, and the nearby missile sites makes him suspect the U.S. Air Force knows of the flights.

他说这些无人机在两个晚上分两批飞行。它们的飞行速度和距离，以及附近有导弹基地使他怀疑美国空军知道这些飞行。

Carlson believes the drones may be involved in some kind of military search-and-recovery practice. He suggests they are seeking out items hidden around the countryside during the daytime for training exercises at night.

卡尔森认为，这些无人机可能是在进行某种军事搜救训练。他暗示它们夜间的训练是在搜寻白天隐藏在郊外的物品。

"I do not buy into the conspiracy⁴ theories. I am not living in fear of an alien invasion," he told the Associated Press.

他对美联社表示：“我不接受阴谋论。我没有过着担心外星人入侵的生活。”

F.E. Warren Air Force base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, oversees⁵ 150 nuclear missile sites in the three neighboring states of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. The missiles need regular checking, maintenance and protection against threats. But Air Force officials say they have not seen the drones and they have nothing to do with them.

位于怀俄明州夏安的沃伦空军基地负责监视科罗拉多州、怀俄明州和内布拉斯加州这3个相邻州的150个核导弹基地。这些导弹需要定期检查、维护和防御威胁。但是空军官员表示，他们没有看到无人机，这些无人机也跟他们无关。

An Air Force spokesman said, "Our base is kind of a drone no-fly zone. So we do have ... training that goes on ... But any drones spotted⁶ outside ... are not part of our fleet."

一位空军发言人表示：“我们的基地是无人机禁飞区。所以确实正在进行训练，但是外面发现的任何无人机都不属于我们机队。”

Colorado state officials reported that the state has over 24,000 registered drones. And there were over 2,200 drone sightings in Colorado in 2018.

科罗拉多州关于报告称，该州拥有超过2.4万架注册无人机。2018年科罗拉多州有超过2200次无人机目击事件。

In early January, Colorado officials used a heat-detecting plane working with investigators⁷ on the ground to follow reports of drone sightings. Of 23 drone reports, they found 13 small drones were flown for personal enjoyment, six were commercial aircraft, and four were unidentified.

今年1月初，科罗拉多州官员使用一架热成像飞机与地面调查人员一起追踪调查了这些无人机目击报告。在其中23起无人机目击报告中，他们发现有13次是供个人娱乐的小型无人机，6次是商用飞机，还有4次身份不明。

Carlson said the drones he saw came within 2 to 3 kilometers of his house, flying about 250 meters high. One sped away when he drove after it.

卡尔森表示，他看到的无人机距离他家有两三公里，飞行高度大约250米，当他开车追赶时，一架无人机加速逃离。

On cold winter nights, Carlson said he can usually hear the sound of an airplane clearly. "It was the kind of night that if an airplane flies over at 30,000 feet, you hear it. No sound with these," he said.

卡尔森表示，在寒冷的冬夜，他通常可以清晰地听见飞机的声音。他说：“在那种夜晚，如果飞机以3万英尺的高度飞过，你会听到声音。但是这些无人机悄无声息。”

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

5 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

6 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

7 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》