VOA慢速英语2021--乌克兰航空公司女乘务员换新装

Ukraine Airline Updates Work Clothes for Female Flight Attendants

Imagine you are preparing to take a flight. As you step onto the plane, you are greeted by a flight attendant.

Now, describe the clothes of the female flight attendant. You might say she is wearing a skirt, dressy top and dress shoes with heels. That would describe her traditional work clothes, or uniform.

But on one airline, that is changing.

SkyUp Airlines is a privately-owned Ukrainian airline. It recently decided¹ to put an end to heels and form-fitting skirts for their female flight attendants.

Now, the women will wear white Nike sneakers. And their uniform will be a loose-fitting suit -- with an orange jacket, orange pants and a white T-shirt. The suit and T-shirt are both made by Ukrainian clothing companies.

The airline made this change after hearing comments from the flight attendants about their uniform. One of them is Alexandrina Denysenko.

Denysenko says that during a flight she sometimes does not sit down – not even for a minute. After standing² so much and while wearing high heels, her legs and feet hurt. She said to wear comfortable shoes is like a dream come true.

While she says that heels look beautiful, "... feet suffer and swell³ by the end of the flight. And, she told Reuters, "...sneakers are absolutely cool."

The company said they researched the history of cabin crew uniforms. They decided to get rid of what they called "conservative" parts of a flight attendant's look. The airline has turned the traditional and conservative uniform into something modern and sporty.

But the changes are not only about style and comfort. There are safety issues to consider as well.

Denysenko said that in the event of an emergency water landing, the crew would have to evacuate⁴ the plane on inflatable equipment. Heels can damage that equipment. And she adds "... it won't be very comfortable to swim in a skirt."

Some people may not realize something: The job of flight attendant is physically⁵ demanding. The website IllinoisWorkNet.com says that flight attendants must:

stand for very long periods of time;

do the same movements over and over, such as lifting heavy bags into overhead storage;

push a heavy service cart and serve passengers food and drinks sometimes while keeping balance during an unsteady flight;

work in a pressurized area;

breathe recycled air for long periods of time;

and manage a lack of regular sleep.

The head of the SkyUp Airlines marketing⁶ department is Marianna Grygorash. She told Reuters the image of the female flight attendant is very "romanticized." People may think it is an easy job. But in fact, she said, "...their job demands a lot of physical training."

The company also plans to launch a new uniform for male crew. They will wear a light suit and a T-shirt. Their Nike sneakers will be black.

The new uniforms will be officially launched on October 22, 2021.

Words in This Story

skirt – n. a piece of clothing worn by women and girls that hangs from the waist down

sneakers – n. a sports shoe with a rubber sole

comfortable – adj. giving physical ease

swell – v. to enlarge in an abnormal way usually by pressure from within or by growth

style – n. a method, manner, or quality that is felt to be very respectable, fashionable, or proper

evacuate – v. to remove (someone) from a dangerous place

inflatable – adj. possible to fill with air or gas

recycled – adj. to pass again through a series of changes or treatments: such as to process (something, such as liquid body waste, glass, or cans) in order to regain⁷ material for human use

romanticize – v. to think about or describe something as being better or more attractive or interesting than it really is : romanticized – adj.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

4 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

6 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

7 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。