VOA标准英语2010-Recent Flight European Cancellations Crea

An aircraft is seen after takeoff at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany when German air traffic control opened the airspace after it was closed for days due to the volcanic¹ ash cloud that came from Iceland, 21 Apr 2010

The closure of airspace over Britain, Northern Europe and Scandinavia is having economic repercussions² around the world.  It has halted the transport of goods, stranded³ hundreds of thousands of passengers and dealt a severe economic blow to the airline industry.

 

Nearly 100,000 flights were canceled or delayed as volcanic ash forced the closure of European airspace.  The International Air Transport Association says the crisis has cost airlines more than $1.7 billion and is devastating⁴ an already beleaguered⁵ industry.

British Airways⁶ Chief Executive Willie Walsh says his company lost between $20 million and $30 million a day.

"My personal belief is that we could have safely continued operation for a period of time," said Walsh.  "I think there were occasions when the decision to close airspace could have been justified⁷."

Walsh says canceling everything was unnecessary and that after the unprecedented⁸ delays and cancelations there will still be complications with air travel.

 
"I think to get back to normal levels of operation, from an industry point of view, I think will take weeks," he noted⁹.

About 20 percent of airline revenues comes from air freight. 

Aramex logistics company managing director Jim Armour¹⁰ says the shutdown cost his company about a quarter of its daily revenue.  The real problem is the uncertainty¹¹ he says.

"If someone said this was going to last for two weeks like a strike, you could make your plans, you could think about what you do with your people.  I think the concern is the unknown really," said Armour.

Armour says the implications are not just economic.

"[There are] terrible impacts.  [For example,] you want to move blood plasma¹² around and you need it badly, you want to move kidneys around… There [are] some disastrous¹³ consequences apart from the economic ones," he explained.

Flower growers in Kenya and Israel have had to destroy tons of roses and other flowers that are too wilted¹⁴ to have any economic value. Fruit and vegetable producers have also lost crops that could not travel to Europe. Jo Tanner, with Britain's Freight Transport association says there are lots of untold¹⁵ costs.

"The impact economically is really difficult to judge at this stage, because we do not know how much has been able to be salvaged¹⁶, how much extra cost there has been in terms of the contingency¹⁷ planning, so moving stuff to particular hubs by air and then picking up the rest of the journey by road, rail or sea," said Tanner.

Airlines are asking European governments for financial and logistical compensation to help alleviate¹⁸ some of their losses.  Many businesses will not have the same option and it may take some time before the full economic impact of the volcanic ash cloud is known.

 

1 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

2 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

8 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 armour   

（=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队

参考例句：

• His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。
• Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。

11 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

12 plasma   

n.血浆，细胞质，乳清

参考例句：

• Keep some blood plasma back for the serious cases.留一些血浆给重病号。
• The plasma is the liquid portion of blood that is free of cells .血浆是血液的液体部分，不包含各种细胞。

13 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

14 wilted   

（使）凋谢，枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The flowers wilted in the hot sun. 花在烈日下枯萎了。
• The romance blossomed for six or seven months, and then wilted. 那罗曼史持续六七个月之后就告吹了。

15 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

16 salvaged   

（从火灾、海难等中）抢救（某物）( salvage的过去式和过去分词 )； 回收利用（某物）

参考例句：

• The investigators studied flight recorders salvaged from the wreckage. 调查者研究了从飞机残骸中找到的黑匣子。
• The team's first task was to decide what equipment could be salvaged. 该队的首要任务是决定可以抢救哪些设备。

17 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

18 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。