2019年经济学人 埃航失事:波音信誉遭到危机(2)

 

This week’s crash foreshadows the end of that golden age. Another MAX 8 crashed in October in Indonesia in similar circumstances. Although investigators¹ have yet to determine the cause of the Ethiopian Airlines accident, regulators suspect that the max 8 has a design flaw.

本周的坠机事件预示着黄金时代的终结。2018年10月，MAX 8在印度尼西亚也发生了类似事故。尽管调查人员尚未确定埃塞俄比亚航空公司事故的原因，但监管机构怀疑MAX 8存在设计缺陷。

This plays into the worry that a new technological² phase is under way. Aircraft are becoming autonomous³, as computers take charge. This promises safer, more efficient flying, but the interaction between human pilots and machines is still unpredictable and experimental. In the Indonesian crash the pilots fought a losing battle against anti-stalling software that forced the plane’s nose down at least 20 times.

这加剧了人们对新技术阶段本来就有的担忧。随着计算机的应用，飞机变得越来越智能。这意味着飞行将更安全、更高效，但人类飞行员与机器之间的互动仍是不可预测的，而且还处于实验阶段。在印尼坠机事件中，防失速系统迫使飞机机头向下至少20次，飞行员最终没能战胜防失速系统。

The industry’s technical complexity⁴ is amplified⁵ by its organisational complexity. In the 1990s a few Western airlines dominated and a handful of regulators had global clout⁶. Now there are hundreds of airlines and 290,000 pilots worldwide. In 2018, for the first time, less than half of the global fleet was based in the West. Maintaining common standards on training and procedures is harder. China and other countries want a bigger say. The credibility of American regulators has slipped because they have let domestic competition decline. This suggests they are cosy⁷ with industry.

飞机业的组织复杂性增强了技术复杂性。上世纪90年代，少数西方航空公司占据主导地位，少数监管机构拥有全球影响力。现在全球有数百家航空公司和29万名飞行员。2018年，全球航空队伍首次只有不到半数驻扎在西方。维持培训和程序方面的共同标准更加困难。中国和其他国家想要更多发言权。美国监管机构的信誉已经下滑，因为他们放任国内竞争下降。这表明他们对飞机业很放松。

1 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》

2 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

3 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

4 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

5 amplified   

放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• He amplified on his remarks with drawings and figures. 他用图表详细地解释了他的话。
• He amplified the whole course of the incident. 他详述了事件的全过程。

6 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

7 cosy   

adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的

参考例句：

• We spent a cosy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
• It was so warm and cosy in bed that Simon didn't want to get out.床上温暖而又舒适，西蒙简直不想下床了。