VOA慢速英语2015 美卫星检测:俄飞机失事时出现强热闪光

（单词翻译）

AS IT IS 2015-11-04 US: Heat Flash Detected at Time of Russian Plane Crash 美卫星检测:俄飞机失事时出现强热闪光

United States officials said Tuesday a U.S. military satellite detected a heat flash before a Russian airplane crashed over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

周二美国官方人员称，这架俄罗斯飞机失事时，美国卫星在埃及西奈半岛上空检测到强热闪光。

The Metrojet A-321 crash happened on October 31, killing¹ 224 people on board. That included 17 children. Investigators³ have not announced the cause of the crash.

这架科加雷姆航空公司所属的A321客机失事时间是在10月31日，飞机上的224名人员全部遇难。遇难的人员中还包括17名儿童。调查人员还没有宣布失事的原因。

Experts told U.S. reporters that the heat flash could point to a catastrophic event on the airplane, such as a bomb, a fire, or an engine explosion. They also said the heat flash could have been from aircraft parts hitting the ground.

专家在接受美国记者采访时表示，检测到的强热闪光可能是造成此次灾难性事件的原因。可能是炸弹爆炸，火灾或者是引擎爆炸。他们还称，强热闪光也有可能是部分机体撞击地面而产生的。

Officials said they do not believe a missile hit the aircraft.

官方人员表示，此次飞机失事并非是炸弹击落导致。

Investigators in Egypt have started their examination of the flight recorders recovered from the crash site.

埃及的调查人员已经开始检查从事故现场发现的黑匣子。

Russian officials say the cockpit voice and flight data recorders received only “minor” damage. One investigator² said early inspection⁴ showed the plane was not struck from the outside.

俄罗斯的官方人员表示驾驶舱的话音记录与飞行数据只受到“轻微”损害。一名调查人员称，初期的检测结果显示飞机并非受外力袭击导致坠落。

The investigator also said the pilot did not make a distress⁵ call before the plane disappeared from flight controllers’ radar⁶.

调查人员还发现，飞机从雷达上消失之前驾驶员也没有发出求救信号。

Russia has sent about 100 experts to help Egyptian officials search for the remains⁷ of victims and the aircraft debris⁸.

俄罗斯已派遣100名专家前往埃及协助调查并搜寻遇难者遗体和飞机残骸。

On Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi dismissed claims by the Islamic State that it brought down the airplane. He called the claims “propaganda” meant to “damage the stability and security of Egypt.”

周二，埃及总统阿卜杜勒·法塔赫·塞西对“伊斯兰国家”自称击落该架飞机的可能性予以否认。塞西表示此次主动“认领”只不过是想引起恐慌，破坏埃及社会的稳定。

The Metrojet crash happened about 20 minutes after the plane took off from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport. The plane was traveling to St. Petersburg, Russia.

该架飞机从埃及沙姆沙伊赫机场起飞20多分钟后发生坠毁，该飞机的目的地是俄罗斯圣彼得堡。

Several airlines have said they will stop flying over the Sinai peninsula for safety reasons.  

其他的航空公司也表示，出于安全考虑将避开事发空域西奈半岛的航线，选择其他航线飞行。

Words in This Story:

detect - v. to discover or notice the presence of (something that is hidden or hard to see, hear, taste, etc.)

catastrophic - adj. terrible; disastrous⁹

cockpit - n. the area in a boat, airplane, etc., where the pilot or driver sits

debris - n. the pieces that are left after something has been destroyed