VOA常速英语2014--Maryland Company Sends Locator to Plane Search 马里兰商号用探测器进行平面搜索

 

Maryland Company Sends Locator to Plane Search 马里兰商号用探测器进行平面搜索

LARGO¹, MARYLAND — Experts say no one will really know what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 until the black box - the flight recorder - is retrieved².  Time is running out because that flight recorder only emits an audible signal - a ping - for 30 days.  The U.S. Navy has deployed³ one of its “pinger locators” to the Indian Ocean search area. 

宽广的马里兰州——专家说没人能真正了解马航370航班出了什么事。直到黑匣子-飞行记录器-恢复运转，因为飞行记录器只是发出了有声信号-砰地一声持续了30天所以时间都耗完了。美国海军运用声波发射器于印度洋领域进行探测。

The sound is what it's all about.  The sound coming from the black boxes - the flight data recorders that hold the key to what happened aboard Malaysia flight 370.

The locator will be towed more than 6,000 meters behind the Australian navy ship “Seahorse Standard.”  It will be submerged two-thirds of the way to the bottom of the ocean. The locator sends sounds to an acoustic⁴ listening device and laptop aboard the ship.

这声音究竟是怎么回事，来自黑匣子的声音-飞行数据记录器关键性地掌握了马航370航班上所发生的事情。探测器基于澳洲海军船的海平面拉长6000多米。通向海底三分之二的水域，在船上的声听装置与笔记本电脑靠探测器传播声音。

“You might hear that tiny little chirp⁵ and say, ‘Did you hear something?’ And then we will listen more intently and try to fine-tune it,” said Paul Nelson, who is with Phoenix⁶ International, the company that manufacturers the pinger locators.

”你可能会听到微小的喳喳声，会问到，'你听到什么了吗？’然后，我们会更专心地听并尝试微调探测器，保罗.尼尔森说。他是与凤凰国际一起的声波发射器制造商。

Fine-tuning it, means turning the boat around and repositioning the locator to pass over the area again.  That maneuver⁷ takes eight hours.  And time is ticking.  The black box’s batteries can last longer than the reported 30 days, but the sound will eventually fade.

微调探测器是指改变船只，同时重新配置探测器使其迈过此区。此策略花了八小时，时间就这样滴滴答答走了。黑匣子的电池能比所报道的30天更长些，但声音最终会消逝。

“The advertised shelf life for the pinger when it’s in the water is 30 days," said Jim Gibson, general manager at Phoenix Internatiomal. "We have individuals that have been on operations that have heard the pinger well beyond 45 days.”

“声波发生器所公布在水里的保质期限为30天，”吉姆.吉普森说，“我们有人听到声波发射器良性运转超过了45天。”

The search is now centered several thousand kilometers southwest of Perth, Australia.

如今，以澳洲城市佩斯西南部几千米处为中心进行搜索。

Following the locator, another Phoenix device could splash into the ocean. Once debris⁸ is identified on the ocean floor, a tool with a strong manipulator arm retrieves⁹ items and puts them into a box which is then hauled to the surface.

跟随探测器，凤凰国际装置纷纷潜入海底。一旦认出海底中的残骸就可以用强力的操作手臂的工具检索物品，把它们放进盒子里，然后拖到水面。

“It operates similar to what a helicopter would do," Paul Nelson said.  "It hovers¹⁰ around the bottom and moves around place to place with a video camera.”

“探测器运行相似于直升机运行，"保罗.尼克森说。探测器与一台摄像机环绕底部的上空盘旋，从一地到另一地。

The machine, called Remora, assisted in the recovery of Air France Flight 447 - the aircraft was lost for five days but the black box was not found until two years later.  Remora brought up the engines, computers, black boxes and more.

这种机器称为障碍物，有助于法航447航班恢复常态。飞机失联5天了，但等到两年后才找到了黑匣子。障碍物将机车、电脑。黑匣子与其他东西吊上来了。

But it all takes time, in difficult conditions, including the effect of pressure at extreme ocean depths.

但是在危况中需要花些时间，包括承受海底深处压力。

And, Remora is tiny in compared to the size of a typical debris field.

而且，与典型的碎片区相比，障碍是微不足道的。

"If you don’t do it in time and in the right time, you miss items," Nelson said. "So it’s very slow and meticulous¹¹.  Patience is required in this type of operation.”

“如果你没在对的时间及时完成，”尼尔森说，“那么他会很慢很细，在这种活动是需要耐心的。”

As the search approaches three weeks, patience is not  in abundance.

虽进行了三周的搜索，但耐心不足。

1 largo   

n.广板乐章；adj.缓慢的，宽广的；adv.缓慢地，宽广地

参考例句：

• The tempo marking in most cases is andante,adagio,or largo.大多数第一乐章的速度标记是行板、柔板或广板。
• The second movement is a largo.第二乐章是广板乐章。

2 retrieved   

v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）

参考例句：

• Yesterday I retrieved the bag I left in the train. 昨天我取回了遗留在火车上的包。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He reached over and retrieved his jacket from the back seat. 他伸手从后座上取回了自己的夹克。 来自辞典例句

3 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

4 acoustic   

adj.听觉的，声音的；(乐器)原声的

参考例句：

• The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
• Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。

5 chirp   

v.(尤指鸟)唧唧喳喳的叫

参考例句：

• The birds chirp merrily at the top of tree.鸟儿在枝头欢快地啾啾鸣唱。
• The sparrows chirp outside the window every morning.麻雀每天清晨在窗外嘁嘁喳喳地叫。

6 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

7 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

8 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

9 retrieves   

v.取回( retrieve的第三人称单数 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）

参考例句：

• The mole comes in later, retrieves the item and packs it back in his gear. 鼹鼠随后到达，找回东西然后用他的传送装置返回。 来自电影对白
• Retrieves the pitch of the current image, in bytes. 得到代表目前图像斜度的字节数。 来自互联网

10 hovers   

鸟( hover的第三人称单数 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovers in the sky. 一只老鹰在天空盘旋。
• A hen hovers her chicks. 一只母鸡在孵小鸡。

11 meticulous   

adj.极其仔细的，一丝不苟的

参考例句：

• We'll have to handle the matter with meticulous care.这事一点不能含糊。
• She is meticulous in her presentation of facts.她介绍事实十分详细。