VOA常速英语2014--NASA Scientists Testing New Aircraft Designs NASA的科学家测试新飞机的设计

NASA Scientists Testing New Aircraft Designs NASA的科学家测试新飞机的设计

The U.S Aeronautics¹ and Space Administration, NASA, is commonly associated with space exploration, but aeronautics is still a big part of the agency’s research. Engineers at its Aeronautics Research Center, in Hampton, Virginia, are testing new ideas that someday may produce lighter², quieter and less polluting aircraft.

人们通常把美国航空航天局和空间探索联系在一起，其实航空学仍然是航空航天局的一个重要研究领域。航空学研究中心位于维吉尼亚州汉普顿，那里的工程师们正在试验新的构想，希望有朝一日能够制造出更轻、更快、污染更少的飞机。

By 2030, NASA would like to see planes that burn 60 to 70 percent less fuel, pollute less and are quieter than 2005 models.

到2030年，美国航天航空局希望飞机能够比2005年的机型少消耗百分之60到70的燃料，污染更少，更安静。

Scientists say achieving those goals calls for lightweight materials, better aerodynamics, new kinds of fuels and alternative aircraft configurations⁴.

科学家说，要达到这些目标，需要更轻的材料、更好的空气动力学、新型燃料和新型飞机配置。

In NASA's huge Transonic Dynamics³ Wind Tunnel, engineers are testing a new design of airplane wing made of a composite material that is considerably⁵ lighter than the industry standard, aluminum⁶ alloy⁷.

在航天航空总局巨大的超声速动力学风洞中，工程师正在试验一种用合成材料制造的新型机翼，这种材料比行业标准的铝合金材料要轻得多。

Senior aerospace⁸ engineer Robert C. Scott says in the future, wings will likely be made out of materials like this.

高级航天工程师斯科特说，未来的机翼很可能由类似的材料制造。

“With advances in material, advances in design and analysis capability⁹ and the need for higher efficiency, you’re driving yourself toward very lightweight designs," said Scott.

“随着材料的进步、设计与分析能力的进步以及对更高效率的要求，你会努力设计非常轻型的机翼。”

One of those designs is the long, truss-supported wing, says project scientist Richard Wahls.

项目科学家威尔士说，这些设计之一是长型、有桁架支撑的机翼。

“That allows you to stiffen¹⁰ the wing, keep the wing thin, grow the span to reduce drag," said Wahls.

“这让你能够硬化机翼，让机翼很薄，增加跨度以减少阻力。”

If someone decides to build one of these advanced configurations, they will be able to use the results of tests done by NASA.

如果有人决定用这些先进的配置建造一架飞机，他们就可以使用航天航空局试验的结果。

In another part of the center, researchers are testing a new way of manufacturing composite materials.

在中心的另外一个地方，研究员们正在试验制造合成材料的新方法。

Instead of aligning¹¹ the fibers¹² in straight, parallel lines, these fibers are molded around the points of heavy load, explains materials research engineer Karen Taminger.

材料研究工程师塔明格说，这些纤维围绕负重点排列，而不是直线、平行排列。

“That allows the fibers to continue to carry the load all the way around the corners instead of being interrupted if we cut that out from a straight aligned¹³ composite," said Taminger.

“这样一来纤维承载重量的能力就可以顺着弯曲点一直延续下去，而不像直线排列那样因为到顶端被切断而受到影响。”

Taminger says new structural¹⁴ designs will allow manufacturers to reduce the weight of airplanes and make them more energy efficient.

塔明格说，新的结构设计让建造者得以减轻飞机的重量，让飞机更加有效利用能源。

NASA researchers also want to reduce the pollution that comes out of airplane engines, says Fay Collier, who manages the Environmentally Responsible Aviation project.

环境责任航空项目的主管科利尔说，航天航空局研究员们还希望减少飞机引擎带来的污染。

“We want to take advantage of alternative fuels and the emergence¹⁵ of alternative fuels, and we want to design advanced combustors to minimize the output," said Collier.

“我们想利用已有的替代能源和新出现的替代能源，我们想设计出先进的燃烧器降低排放。”

To learn what's in the exhaust of an airplane burning a mixture of petroleum¹⁶ and alternative-based fuel, NASA scientists fly a second plane right behind the first one. On-board sensors¹⁷ measure the percentage of pollutants¹⁸ contained in different fuel mixtures.

为了探究使用汽油和替代能源混合燃料的飞机不同的排放情况，航空航天局的科学家们让一架飞机跟在前面飞机的后面。后面飞机上的感应器测量不同燃料中污染物的百分比。

Project scientist Richard Wahls says NASA is constantly looking for ways to revolutionize aviation.

项目科学家威尔士说，航空航天局一直在寻找改革航空飞行的办法。

“We hope to find technologies that we can accelerate forward through the research, but other technologies - they may not be possible for 20 or 30 years," he said.

“我们希望通过研究找到可以加速发展的技术，但是研发其他技术可能需要20或者30年的时间。”

In the meantime, he says, there are incremental¹⁹ improvements moving the aviation industry towards better, safer and more efficient aircraft.

 

与此同时，他说，航空业正在逐步改善，发展更好、更安全和更有效率的飞机。

1 aeronautics   

n.航空术，航空学

参考例句：

• National Aeronautics and Space undertakings have made great progress.国家的航空航天事业有了很大的发展。
• He devoted every spare moment to aeronautics.他把他所有多余的时间用在航空学上。

2 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

3 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

4 configurations   

n.[化学]结构( configuration的名词复数 )；构造；（计算机的）配置；构形（原子在分子中的相对空间位置）

参考例句：

• Such configurations, obtained theoretically by calculation, are called models of a star. 通过理论计算得到的恒星结构称为恒星模型。 来自辞典例句
• The other two configurations have overriding advantages for special applications. 其它两种接法对特殊应用具有突出的优点。 来自辞典例句

5 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

6 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

7 alloy   

n.合金，(金属的)成色

参考例句：

• The company produces titanium alloy.该公司生产钛合金。
• Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.青铜是铜和锡的合金。

8 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

9 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

10 stiffen   

v.(使)硬，(使)变挺，(使)变僵硬

参考例句：

• The blood supply to the skin is reduced when muscles stiffen.当肌肉变得僵硬时，皮肤的供血量就减少了。
• I was breathing hard,and my legs were beginning to stiffen.这时我却气吁喘喘地开始感到脚有点僵硬。

11 aligning   

n. (直线)对准 动词align的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals. 有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。
• ToolTips provide textual hints that assist in drawing lines and aligning objects. 工具提示提供了协助画线和对象对齐的文本提示。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

12 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

13 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

14 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

15 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

16 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

17 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

18 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

19 incremental   

adj.增加的

参考例句：

• For logic devices, the incremental current gain is very important. 对于逻辑器件来说，提高电流增益是非常重要的。 来自辞典例句
• By using an incremental approach, the problems involving material or geometric nonlinearity have been solved. 借应用一种增量方法，已经解决了包括材料的或几何的非线性问题。 来自辞典例句