以前客机的发展理念是越大越好，理由是一次运送的乘客越多，摊到每个乘客头上的成本就越低。但是现在人们发现客机的规模有一个上限，超过这个上限在经济上就不划算了。
The era of big passenger jets is over
by Rob Verger
The largest commercial passenger plane in the world, the A380, is a double-decker behemoth（巨无霸） with four engines, a wingspan of 80 meters, and a cabin that can hold more than 500 people.
commercial /kəˈmɜːʃ(ə)l/ adj. 商业的
double-decker /ˌdʌb(ə)lˈdekə(r)/ n. 双层大巴、双层飞机
wingspan /ˈwɪŋspæn/ n. 翼展（指飞机两个机翼的翼尖之间的距离；由wing和span组成）
cabin /ˈkæbɪn/ n. （飞机的）客舱、座舱
"It's a marvel of aviation to see an airplane that large, and that humans can make things that big fly," reflected Richard Anderson, director of the Eagle Flight Research Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.★
marvel /ˈmɑːv(ə)l/ n. 了不起的成就
aviation /ˌeɪviˈeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 航空、航空业
reflect /rɪˈflekt/ v. 沉思、深思
★ 这句话里that large和that big中的that都是“那么”的意思，这两个短语的意思都是“那么大”
The A380 first left the ground in 2005, and on Valentine's Day 2019, Airbus announced it would stop producing the aircraft. The last vessels will be delivered in 2021. The official cause of death is a smaller-than-expected number of orders from Emirates Airlines, which is the largest operator of the craft – although it will still receive 14 new A380s between now and 2021.
Valentine's /ˈvæləntaɪnz/ Day 情人节
Airbus /ˈeəbʌs/ n. 空中客车（欧洲飞机制造商）
announce /əˈnaʊns/ v. 正式宣布
aircraft /ˈeəkrɑːft/ n. 飞行器
vessel /ˈves(ə)l/ n. 大船（这里指飞机）
deliver /dɪˈlɪvə(r)/ v. 交付
official /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ adj. 官方的、正式的
cause /kɔːz/ n. 原因（cause of death就是死因）
operator /ˈɒp(ə)reɪtə(r)/ n. 运营者、经营者
craft /krɑːft/ n. 船、飞行器
By the standards of modern jets, the A380's production lifespan – it first flew commercially in 2007 – is short. The 747, in comparison, first flew in 1969 and Boeing still has orders to fill.
standard /ˈstændəd/ n. 标准
jet /dʒet/ n. 喷气式飞机
production /prəˈdʌkʃ(ə)n/ n. 生产过程、制造过程
lifespan /ˈlaɪfspæn/ n. 寿命、生命期（这里指生产线的寿命；由life和span组成）
commercially /kəˈmɜːʃ(ə)li/ adv. 商业性的（由commercial加后缀-ly变成副词）
comparison /kəmˈpærɪs(ə)n/ n. 比较
Boeing /ˈbəʊɪŋ/ n. 波音公司（美国飞机制造商）
William Crossley, a professor of aeronautics（航空学） and astronautics（航天学） at Purdue University, says ultimately, aircraft makers and airlines are discovering what the "right size" of an airplane should be. He says the top end of the market "is probably the A350-size." An A350 can hold between 325 to 366 seats. Other wide-body, two-engine planes hold a similar amount.
ultimately /ˈʌltɪmətli/ adv. 最终
airline /ˈeəlaɪn/ n. 航空公司
Decades of air travel trends would indicate that cramming more people on an airplane would be more profitable. "If you could put 500 people on the airplane, then the cost per kilometer is low," Crossley says. But if an airline can't fill all those seats, then the plane's size becomes a liability, not an asset.
decade /ˈdekeɪd/ n. 十年
indicate /ˈɪndɪkeɪt/ v. 表明
cram /kræm/ v. 塞、塞进
profitable /ˈprɒfɪtəb(ə)l/ adj. 有利润的、有利可图的（由profit加后缀-able变成形容词）
liability /ˌlaɪəˈbɪləti/ n. 负担、麻烦
asset /ˈæset/ n. 资产、有用之物
It's a point that Anderson makes, too. Consider the flexibility that comes with an airline flying two 787s instead of one A380 on a route, he says. If the airline doesn't sell enough seats, "then you can peel an airplane off," he says. "You can't peel half of a 380 off."
flexibility /ˌfleksəˈbɪləti/ n. 弹性、灵活性
route /ruːt/ n. 线路、路线
peel /piːl/ off 剥离、拿掉
The A380 also has four engines, which is double that on aircraft like the A350 and Boeing 787. And fewer engines comes with its advantages. "All other things being equal, two very large engines will be more fuel efficient than four engines that make the same amount of thrust," Anderson says.
advantage /ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ/ n. 优点、优势
efficient /ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nt/ adj. 高效的
thrust /θrʌst/ n. 推力
Modern jet engines are big enough, and reliable enough, that even if one fails, the plane can make it to an airport on one, making the redundancy of four fuel-thirsty engines unnecessary. Maintenance is simpler, too. "It's quicker to overhaul two engines than it is to overhaul four," says Crossley.
jet engine 喷气式发动机
reliable /rɪˈlaɪəb(ə)l/ adj. 可靠的
make it 做成某事
redundancy /rɪˈdʌnd(ə)nsi/ n. 冗余
maintenance /ˈmeɪnt(ə)nəns/ n. 维修保养
overhaul /ˈəʊvəhɔːl/ v. 检修
（如果您使用的是火狐浏览器，可能会发现某些行的最后一个单词被分成两半了，这是简书系统的Bug，换成Chrome或其他浏览器就能正常显示了。）
网友评论