经济学人223:飞向未来 Flight to the future

 　　Modernising creaking air-traffic systems will be a huge task

　　空中交通系统现代化进程任重道远

　　THESE days a $15,000 car comes with GPS satellite navigation fitted as standard. But a $150m airliner¹ still has to be guided through the skies by spoken instructions from a bloke with a radio in a control tower. That is because air-traffic management (ATM) systems are stuck in the 1950s.

　　如今一辆价值15,000美元的车子配备GPS卫星导航系统已经是司空见惯。但是一架1.5亿美元的飞机却仍然要通过接受控制塔的无线电设备的语音指令航行。其原因在于现行的空中交通管理系统（ATM）还停滞在20世纪50年代。

　　Instead of flying straight, planes must zigzag² from one ground beacon³ to the next, and ascend⁴ and descend⁵ in steps, at each stage obtaining permission from the ground. The controllers’ radar⁶ only shows planes’ approximate positions, so they must space them well apart. All this wastes fuel and causes congestion⁷ and delays. The average flight in European airspace is 50km (31 miles) longer than it need be.

　　从一个地面信标到另一个， 飞机必须蜿蜒飞行而不是直线飞行，一会升一会降，而这每一个步骤飞机都需要从地面取得许可。并且，因为雷达只显示飞机的大概位置，所以控制员必须从很远的地方来定位。所有这些都导致了燃油的浪费，还会造成交通拥堵和延误。在欧洲，飞机运行的距离平均都要比实际所需距离长50公里（31英里）。

　　So the world’s aviation authorities are seeking to modernise⁸ the whole system, streamlining the routing of flights and providing much more real-time information to pilots and controllers. This could lead to huge orders for electronics firms, which is why, in his recent jobs speech, President Barack Obama called for $1 billion of extra cash to speed up America’s ATM-modernisation project, NextGen.

　　因此，全世界的航空当局正致力于革新整个航空系统，使航行路线更为顺畅，提供飞行员和管制员更加及时的信息。电子工业也会紧跟着收到巨额订单，这就是为什么奥巴马总统在最近的就业报告中提出要用额外的10亿美元来加速发展美国的航空交通管理系统现代化项目 － 下一代（NexGen)。

　　A study by consultants⁹ from McKinsey of Europe’s equivalent project, SESAR, finds that its costs should be dwarfed¹⁰ by the fuel savings¹¹ and the economic boost from squeezing more flights into Europe’s busy skies. America stands to make similar gains. It is in everyone’s interest to invest in modernisation, but the airlines are wary¹²: several times in recent history they have bought expensive kit¹³ only to find they cannot use it because controllers have failed to upgrade their equipment to match.

　　麦肯锡公司的咨询顾问通过研究欧洲相类似的一个项目（SESAR）发现系统现代化以后节省的燃油费用，以及更多航班加入带来的经济效益要远远超过项目的投入。这项发现也适用于美国。投资现代化总是回报颇丰，但是航空业却并非如此：在近代历史上，人们好几次购买了非常昂贵的设配，却发现这些设配根本没用，因为控制设配没有升级，所以不能与之配套。

　　These sorts of ambitious projects to introduce new technology, with countless¹⁴ participants, are prone¹⁵ to cock-ups. Those involved in ATM modernisation want to avoid what happened when mobile-phone standards were set, with different countries ending up with incompatible¹⁶ systems. To guard against that risk, the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation¹⁷ (ICAO) has just held a summit in Montreal, at which it divided the long list of ATM modernisation projects into manageable chunks¹⁸, on which the world’s aviation authorities will try to agree standards, one at a time. The process has started well, though developing countries are said to worry about rich countries imposing¹⁹ costly²⁰ programmes on them.

　　这些雄心勃勃的项目引进新的技术，还有不计其数的参与者，却常常一团糟。先前在设置手机标准的时候，每个国家最后都设立了自己的系统标准，和其他国家的系统都互不兼容，参与空中交通管理系统（ATM)现代化的人希望不会重蹈覆辙。为了避免此类风险，联合国的国际民用航空组织（ICAO）刚刚在蒙特利尔举行峰会， 在这次峰会上，ICAO把ATM现代化项目分成一个个更易于管理操作的阶段目标，而在这些阶段目标上，全世界的航空当局将会达成世界共同的标准。目前这一计划已经开始起步，与此同时，发展中国家很担心发达国家会将昂贵的项目强加给他们。

　　Agreeing on technical standards will be difficult enough. Harder still, says Nancy Graham, an ICAO official, will be paying for it all. Officials in Brussels talk of providing

1 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

2 zigzag   

n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行

参考例句：

• The lightning made a zigzag in the sky.闪电在天空划出一道Z字形。
• The path runs zigzag up the hill.小径向山顶蜿蜒盘旋。

3 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

4 ascend   

vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上

参考例句：

• We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。
• We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。

5 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

6 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

7 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

8 modernise   

vt.使现代化

参考例句：

• If it works,it would help to modernise the entire economy.这项（改革）一旦实施起效，将有助于整体经济的现代化进程。
• They attempted in vain to modernise these antiquated industries.他们企图使这些陈旧的工业现代化，结果劳而无功。

9 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

10 dwarfed   

vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The old houses were dwarfed by the huge new tower blocks. 这些旧房子在新建的高楼大厦的映衬下显得十分矮小。
• The elephant dwarfed the tortoise. 那只乌龟跟那头象相比就显得很小。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

12 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

13 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

14 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

15 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

16 incompatible   

adj.不相容的，不协调的，不相配的

参考例句：

• His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。
• Speed and safety are not necessarily incompatible.速度和安全未必不相容。

17 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

18 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

19 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

20 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。