美国有线新闻 CNN 多国停飞波音737 Max 只有美国加拿大还在飞

 

A growing number of countries around the world are grounding a popular type of passenger plane and that's the first story we're explaining. On Sunday, an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after takeoff in the capital of Ethiopia. All 157 people aboard were killed. It happened less than six months after an incident on October 29th, when a Lion air flight crashed shortly after take off in the capital of Indonesia. All 189 people aboard that flight were killed.

The one thing these two flights have in common is that they were aboard new models of the same airplane, a Boeing 737 Max 8. It was introduced two years ago. It's a very technologically¹ advanced jet. And it might be that technology that's causing its problems.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boeing bills its 737 Max as the fastest selling airplane in the company's history. A high tech, single-aisle jet, there are more than 5,000 on order for 100 airlines world wide. Many of them are in China and India. The 737 has a long history. Since the first twin jet Baby Boeing was introduced in 1967, it's grown into the best selling line of commercial jets in history. The Max 8 variant², launched in 2017, seats up to 200 passengers. It was designed to offer airlines greater range, better fuel efficiency than the models that came before. Like any new series, Boeing introduced brand-new technology and features into the 737 series, including the automatic safety system.

DAVID SOUCIE: This particular aircraft has a new, something new, as far as how the autopilot responds when the angle of attack. When the aircraft nose goes up too high, it pushes that nose down, even when the autopilot's off. And a lot of pilots aren't used to that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the case of Lion Air, Indonesia investigators³ say pilots repeatedly fought to override⁴ that system before the fatal crash of the plane back in October. The preliminary crash report said faulty sensors⁵ led the automated⁶ system to push the nose of the plane down again and again. It's not clear why the pilots did not follow the recognized procedure and turn the system off. Now, this crash, the second in a brand-new model plane shortly after takeoff. It's provoking more questions about the plane’s design and what Boeing has told the airlines.

CARL AZUZ: The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines says the pilot had flight control problems shortly before the plane crashed. But both accidents involving this Boeing model are under investigation⁷. And there's no evidence at this point that the same problem caused them. Still, countries from Australia to China to the European Union and India have grounded the 737 Max 8 airplanes, making it illegal for them to fly in or over these nations. According to the Reuters News organization, Boeing says it's been developing a software update for the plane that's quote "designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer."

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also said earlier this week that the aircraft is safe, though it has ordered Boeing to make some design changes to it. Some U.S. Senators are now saying the FAA should temporarily ground it until its proven air worthy⁸. The U.S. and Canada are the only two countries where substantial numbers of these planes are still flying.

1 technologically   

ad.技术上地

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a technologically advanced city. 上海是中国的一个技术先进的城市。
• Many senior managers are technologically illiterate. 许多高级经理都对技术知之甚少。

2 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

3 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》

4 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

5 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

6 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

7 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。

8 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。