VOA标准英语2014--Malaysia Plane Disappearance is One in Series of Aviation Mysteries

 

Malaysia Plane Disappearance¹ is One in Series of Aviation Mysteries 

WASHINGTON — The Malaysian Airlines flight that disappeared on Saturday with 239 people on board is one in a series of aviation incidents that have puzzled investigators² over the years.

Perhaps one of the best-known disappearances³ involves Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.  In a 1937 attempt to circumnavigate the globe, Earhart lost contact with her ground crew while she was over the Pacific Ocean.  No trace of her plane was ever found.

A more recent crash that has caused lingering concerns is that of TWA Flight 800, which blew up over Long Island, New York, in 1996.  An official investigation⁴ concluded that a short circuit in the fuel tank caused the crash that killed 230 people.  But some investigators said there is evidence that the jet was destroyed by an external explosion.

Questions linger concerning Egypt Air Flight 990 which crashed into the Atlantic in 1999. The plane left New York for Cairo, carrying 217 people. U.S. investigators questioned whether one of the pilots' last words indicated a suicide mission.

 

And a final report on the 2009 crash of an Air France jet indicates there was confusion in the cockpit after ice crystals affected⁵ the plane's sensors⁶ and its autopilot disconnected.  Two hundred and 28 people were killed when the plane went down during a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

1 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

2 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》

3 disappearances   

n.消失( disappearance的名词复数 )；丢失；失踪；失踪案

参考例句：

• Most disappearances are the result of the terrorist activity. 大多数的失踪案都是恐怖分子造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The espionage, the betrayals, the arrests, the tortures, the executions, the disappearances will never cease. 间谍活动、叛党卖国、逮捕拷打、处决灭迹，这种事情永远不会完。 来自英汉文学

4 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。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句