VOA慢速英语2021 空客交付最后一架A380超大型客机

Airbus delivered its final A380 superjumbo airplane to Dubai's Emirates Airline on Thursday. The plane has been in production for 14 years.

空客公司周四向迪拜的阿联酋航空公司交付了它最后一架A380超大型飞机。这款飞机已经投产14年。

The A380 is the world's largest passenger airplane. It can seat up to 500 people on two levels. It includes things such as bars and showers in first class.

A380是全球最大的客机。它的双层客舱最多可以容纳500人。机上包括酒吧以及头等舱淋浴间等设施。

Production of the plane ended after just 272 were built. The company first had plans to produce 1,000 or more.

该机型在仅仅建造272架之后就停产了。该公司最初计划生产1000架以上。

Airbus is an airplane-making conglomerate¹ made up of separate companies in Britain, France, Germany and Spain. It decided² to stop producing the A380 in 2019, as airlines became more likely to purchase smaller models.

空客公司是一家由英国、法国、德国和西班牙的独立公司组成的飞机制造集团。2019年该公司决定停止生产A380，因为航空公司变得更可能去购买较小的机型。

Emirates Airline is by far Airbus' largest buyer. The airline still believes in the superjumbo jet³'s ability to appeal to passengers. Even though no more A380s will be built, Emirates will keep flying them for years. But many airlines disagree and stopped flying the A380 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

阿联酋航空公司是空客公司迄今为止最大的买家。该航空公司仍然相信超大型飞机能够吸引乘客。即使将不再建造A380，阿联酋仍将继续使用这些飞机执飞多年时间。但是在新冠肺炎大流行期间，许多航空公司并不认同并且停飞了A380客机。

Emirates Airline president Tim Clark disagrees with critics who say the days of large four-engine planes like the A380 are in the past.

批评者表示四引擎大型飞机的时代已经过去，阿联酋航空公司总裁蒂姆·克拉克并不认同。

"I don't share that view at all," Clark recently told reporters. "And I still believe there is a place for the A380." He added that the traveling public "absolutely (loves) that airplane."

克拉克最近对记者表示：“我完全不赞同这种观点。而且我仍然相信A380有用武之地。”他还表示，旅客绝对喜欢该客机。

Talks to build the plane began in 2000. It was meant to be Airbus' 21st-century answer to Boeing's 1960s jumbo jet, the 747. The A380 has quiet Rolls Royce engines placed far out on its long wings. The body of the plane is light and easy to control.

建造这款客机的谈判始于2000年。它原本是新世纪空客公司对波音上世纪60年代的747大型喷气式飞机的回应。A380在它长长的机翼上安装了安静的劳斯莱斯发动机。它的机身轻巧并且易于控制。

The plane was a symbol around the world of European technology. But it was costly⁴ to make and did not become very popular with airlines. The A380 lost the company $522 million in 2018. Airbus decided to halt⁵ production a year later.

这款客机原本是欧洲科技在世界各地的象征。但是它的制造成本很高，并且在航空公司当中不受欢迎。2018年该公司在A380机型上损失了5.22亿美元。一年后空客公司决定停产。

In January, Boeing announced that it would stop producing the 747 in 2022, after more than 51 years. The 747 is credited⁶ for changing the airline industry. But the company has been struggling to recover from production failures of its 737 Max plane, which led to deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.

今年1月，波音公司宣布将在2022年停止生产747这款已经诞生超过51年的机型。747因为改变了航空业而备受赞誉。但是该公司一直在努力从737 Max机型的生产故障中恢复过来，该机型在2018年和2019年导致了致命的坠机事故。

The first delivery⁷ of the A380 came in 2007, more than two years later than expected. When Emirates got its first A380 a year later, the financial crisis⁸ hit. Sales for the biggest planes fell.

首架A380于2007年交付，比预期晚了两年多。当阿联酋航空公司一年后接收该公司的首架A380时，金融危机来袭。这款大型飞机销量下降。

Airlines seemed more interested in mid-size planes for shorter trips. Even on longer trips, airlines seemed to prefer smaller planes that were easier to fill with passengers.

航空公司似乎对短途旅行的中型飞机更感兴趣。即使在长途旅行中，航空公司似乎也更喜欢略小的客机，它更容易满座。

Boeing began selling models of its smaller 787 Dreamliner, which was later followed by the Airbus A350.

波音公司开始销售小号的787梦想客机，空客A350紧随其后。

"There was a slowing down of appetite and enthusiasm⁹. We didn't share that view; we put this great (A380) aircraft to work," Clark said at an airlines meeting.

克拉克在一次航空公司会议上表示：“有人认为（人们对超大型飞机的）兴趣和热情都淡下来了，我们不同意这种观点，我们出了这款出色的A380飞机。”

He added, "We have what I think is one of the most beautiful aircraft ever flown."

他还表示：“我们拥有我个人认为有史以来最漂亮的飞机之一。”

1 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 jet   

n.喷气发动机，喷气式飞机；v.喷出，喷射

参考例句：

• Put a match to the jet to light the gas.将火柴放在煤气喷嘴上点燃煤气。
• I don't see the jet of your plan.我不明白你的计划的要点。

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 halt   

n.停住，停止，暂停；v.(使)停住，(使)停止

参考例句：

• When the children's play got too noisy, their mother called a halt.当孩子们的游戏过于吵闹时，他们的母亲叫他们停下来。
• No one can halt the advance of history.没人能阻挡历史的前进。

6 credited   

v.记入贷方；信用

参考例句：

• Cook is credited with discovering Hawaii. 人们把发现夏威夷的功劳归于库克。
• The cheetah is generally credited as the world's fastest animal. 猎豹被公认是世界上跑得最快的动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 delivery   

n.交付；投递；分娩；解救者；演讲的风格

参考例句：

• The strike caused a great delay in the delivery of the mail.这次罢工严重地延误了邮件的投递。
• He was employed at the local grocery store as a delivery boy.他受雇于当地杂货店当送货员。

8 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

9 enthusiasm   

n.热情，激情；巨大兴趣；热衷的事物

参考例句：

• We set about our task at once with great enthusiasm.我们立刻兴致勃勃地干起来。
• A team which is full of enthusiasm is more likely to win.情绪高涨的球队更可能获胜。