Step by Step2000 第三册 Unit 11 Transportation (I)

Unit 11 Transportation (I)
Part I Warming up
A
1. This news item is about Boeing's 18 billion new orders this year for its new 777 jetliner.
2. This news item is about possible mergers between airlines.
A2 Tapescript:
1. Boeing, the world's leading commercial airplane maker, announced it has 18 billion dollars in new orders this year for its new 777 jetliner. This figure puts demand for the Boeing aircraft ahead of comparable models produced by rival Airbus of Europe.
2. British Airways and Dutch carrier KLM confirm they are in act of merger talks. Swiss Air won approval for taking majority control of Belgium's Sabena Airlines and there was another flurry of take-over discussions among some major American carriers. They come on the heels of number one United Airlines' offer to buy number six U. S. Airways two weeks ago. The nation's number two, American Airlines, and the country's third largest, Delta, have been having what are described as preliminary discussions about a possible combination. American had reportedly been talking with Northwest about a hook up as well. The top three U.S. airlines, United, American and Delta currently control 56 percent of U.S. air traffic. If the mergers go through, they'd control 85 percent.
Monorail
1. Monorail systems rely on a very simple technology: rubber-tired cars riding on a narrow concrete guide-way.
2. Monorail systems are capable of speeds of 65 miles per hour and offer ride quality comparable to conventional rail transit technologies.
3. Monorail systems are safe and more environmentally sensitive than any other elevated transit technology.
4. And noise and neighborhood disruption caused by monorail construction are dramatically lower than other forms of mass transit.
Maglev
1. One of the most exiting recent innovations in railroad technology is magnetic levitation, or Maglev, which relies on the principle of magnetism -- attraction and repulsion.
2. This new technology will result in trains that are faster, smoother, more efficient, more comfortable, and more environmentally sound.
Light Rail
1. Light rail transit is an electric railway system characterized by its ability to operate single cars or multi-car trains along shared or exclusive rights-of-way at ground level, on aerial structures, in subways, or occasionally in streets.
2. It is able to board and discharge passengers at station platforms or at street, track, or car-floor level, and is normally powered by overhead electrical wires.
3. The maximum speed of light rail trains is normally 60 miles per hour (100 km per hour).
4. Passenger capacity of each car in a multiple car consist can be up to as many as 250 passengers (standees included).
Tapescript:
1. Monorail
Monorail systems rely on a very simple technology: rubber-tired cars riding on a narrow concrete guide-way. The cars are self propelled by electric motors with power pickup via distribution bars mounted on the side of the guide-way. Monorail systems are capable of speeds of 65 miles per hour and offer ride quality comparable to conventional rail transit technologies.
Monorail systems are safe because the design and nature of monorail systems make it very difficult for trespassers to access the guide-way and power rails.
Monorail systems are more environmentally sensitive than any other elevated transit technology due to the monorail's narrow guide-way structure and quiet rubber tires. Also, since many of the pylon and rail components can be prefabricated elsewhere and then assembled along the routes, the noise and disruption of construction will be kept to a minimum. Thus, noise and neighborhood disruption caused by monorail construction are dramatically lower than other forms of mass transit.
2. Maglev
One of the most exiting recent innovations in railroad technology is magnetic levitation, or Maglev, which relies on the principle of magnetism- attraction and repulsion. This new technology, still under development, will result in trains that are faster, smoother, more efficient, more comfortable, and more environmentally sound. No longer will trains rumble heavily along steel rails; rather, they will float along a magnetic cushion without any direct contact with the ground.
3. Light Rail
Light rail transit is an electric railway system, constructed in the 1970s or later, characterized by its ability to operate single cars or multi-car trains along shared or exclusive rights-of-way at ground level, on aerial structures, in subways, or occasionally in streets. It is able to board and discharge passengers at station platforms or at street, track, or car-floor level, and is normally powered by overhead electrical wires.
In most current settings, light rail is anything but "light" and is built to exacting standards. The maximum speed of light rail trains is normally 60 miles per hour (100 km per hour), while heavy rail trains normally operate at higher speeds. Depending upon the specific system, the distance between light rail stations is shorter than within heavy rail systems, which lends some major advantages to urban settings.
Light rail trains operate as either single or multiple car consists. Passenger capacity of each car in a multiple car consist can be up to as many as 250 passengers (standees included).
B. Tapescript:
1. EuroRoute is a scheme that operates at much lower running costs than each coast.., er... ten kilometers out from the coast and connect up with a twenty-kilometer submerged concrete tube tunnel made on two man-made islands in the English Channel. Er... the.., roadways spiral gently down to the level of the tunnel, It's the same principle as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in the U. S. A., and it ... it's well-researched technology. Thinking ahead to the twenty-first century, er ... I believe that people will prefer, will want to drive across, not queue up waiting for trains.
And finally, there are also two separate supplementary rail-only tunnels, and they can take up to 30 high-speed passenger and freight trains in each direction per hour.
2. The Channel Expressway is a scheme consisting of two tunnels which carry both road and train traffic. The rails are laid flush with the road surface like tram tracks in the fast lane which is closed to traffic once every half hour for the trains to pass through. Er... really, both the passenger trains and the freight trains are able to use the tunnel, but the freight trains will mostly run during the night when there's less road traffic. There will be special pumps at regular intervals along the tunnel to clean the air and remove the exhaust fumes from it.
3. Flexilink is the cheapest and most reliable scheme of them all, really. Ferries, especially the new giant super-ferries are more economical, safer and a lot more flexible than building a tunnel. And they're also friendlier to the environment. For the motorist and the lorry driver, the pleasurable experience of strolling on the deck with time to enjoy a meal and take a relaxing break during the journey is much more pleasant than the claustrophobic sensation of being underground for an hour -- and the idea of, you know, being trapped. Time saved for cars and road freight by building the Channel Tunnel is less than an hour: insignificant saving on journeys of twelve hours or more. There's no doubt that ferries will continue operating in competition with the tunnel, both on the short Channel crossing and on the longer crossings from southern England to France and England to Holland, Belgium, Germany and Scandinavia.
Part III Concorde: past and future
A2
Tapescript.
P -- Pilot I -- Interviewer
W ? Woman M -- Man G -- Guide
Part 1
P. Distance to Cairo is, er, 2,500 statute miles and we've got a flight time of 2 hours and 59 minutes. We're powered by four Rolls Royce Olympus engines, which have, er, reheat, or afterburners, and, on the take-off today they should be providing us with a total of 152,000 pounds of thrust and that's equivalent to 70,000 shaft horsepower and the maximum speed the aircraft's permitted to fly at is mach 2.04; just over twice the speed of sound. Today, we'll be cruising at mach 2, precisely.
I. L95 is one heck of a lot to pay for one day out. Who on earth can afford a trip like this? Well, clearly quite a lot of people can. With 100 on today's flight, Concorde is full. What's their first impression of flying on Concorde?
W1 Absolutely overwhelming. You can't make any comparison with an ordinary aircraft and the Concorde. Never want to fly again ordinary after this, at all.
I. Is the flight on Concorde the main reason you're here, or is.. ?
W1. Yes it is. Yes, definitely. It's an ambition and an indulgence. I've always wanted to do it and now, I've done it and it's absolutely great.
I. Do you have friends at home who think you're barmy just to spend all this money for a day, when, for the same money, you could go to Florida for three weeks?
W1. Of course there are, but they don't have any erm, they don't have any idea. If they had this experience they'd know it was worth it. You know you're on Concorde. It lifts you high. It's everything it should be.
M1. Today was a normal take-off. I didn't notice we were taking off at all. Usually your ears start to pop, er, you have a tremendous impression of noise, but this was very quiet. My friends at home have no idea of how much money I'm spending just for one day.
I.. Do you think it's worth it?
M1 Oh, of course it is. Last week my wife went to Harrods and she spent about ?,000 in all the departments in Harrods. And, this week, I'm doing the same sort of thing by going out for the day on Concorde.
Part 2
I. Three hours after taking off, we're on the ground in Egypt. We straggle past the armed soldiers who guard Cairo Airport and climb into three coaches. Cairo is warmer than London, but not too hot at this time of year. The guide points out the sights. The 12th century Citadel, The River Nile and, eventually, the most famous tourist sight in the world.
G. The Pyramid of Cheops was considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and it was built by 100,000 men. Now, as we got very close to the Pyramid you have an included camel, or horse, or carriage ride. The ride will take you up to the second pyramid of, er, Khafre.
W2: Oh, I think it's great. I think it's absolutely fantastic.
I: Just to think -- a few hours ago we were in England.
W2. Yeah. I really believe I'm here now. Yeah, I've seen a Pyramid and I've seen a camel and I'm riding on it.
I.. What was the main reason for coming on this trip?
W2. The first reason was because I wanted to fly in Concorde and the other reason was that I wanted to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Some people thought I was crazy, but a lot of people are very envious. They would like to have come as well.
I. Well, now. How was the ride?
M2: Very rough, indeed.
I: And bumpy?
M2: Yes. Not quite supersonic, though.
I: It's fantastic. We've flown on Concorde and you've ridden on a camel all in the same day.
M2: From one extreme to the other.
I: What's the most important part of today for you? Was it the flight on Concorde? Is that really what makes it worth while?
M2: Yes. That's what I came for really.
I. Are there friends who say you're barmy, spending all this money just for one day out?
M2: No, they're all envious, and I think it's been worth every penny up to now.
I. In all, we had about 7 hours in Egypt. We had a buffet lunch by the swimming pool at the Pyramid Holiday Inn. As the light began to fade we stopped briefly at President Sadat's tomb and then we were back, once more on Concorde for another supersonic journey, more champagne, another meal and then, at 10:30 in the evening, just over 11 hours since we'd left England, we landed at Heathrow.
P: Taxiing in now to the gate. We should be there in just 2 or 3 minutes' time. For those of you who collect the statistics, we were airborne for 3 hours and I think that makes it one of the quickest, if not the quickest flight back from Cairo. Maximum height was 56,000 feet. Maximum speed was 1,360 miles per hour. Thank you very, very much for traveling with us on our Concorde. And, er, all the crew have asked me to say a special "Good night" to you all. Thank you. Good night.
B.
The crash of the Concorde:
n Flight number: Air France Flight 4590
n Time of crash: soon after takeoff
n Location of crash: Gonesse
n Casualty: 114 people died
Some features of the Concorde:
n The Concorde, with its supersonic abilities and sleek design, has always been a celebrity of the skies.
n The Concorde, and supersonic travel for the masses, have always been built on hopes and dreams.
n It is a remarkable achievement to build a commercial jet that can slice through the air at 1,350 miles an hour at an altitude of 11 miles.
n French Transport Minister's view on supersonic technology: "Supersonic technology is still the technology of the future."
Tapescript:
Flight 4590 crashed soon after takeoff. Among the unanswered questions: what lies ahead for the Concorde?
In more than a quarter century of flying, the Concorde never lost a fight with speed. So as Air France Flight 4590 rocketed down the runway in Paris, accelerating to 200 mph in just 24 seconds, its full load of passengers could rest confidently. But as the plane lifted off, something was terribly wrong. Flames were shooting from the rear of the plane, the trajectory was low and the usual roar on takeoff was replaced by a sound many witnesses described as "dull" and "hollow." The pilots, alerted by the control tower about the plume of fire they were trailing, frantically tried to get the crippled aircraft to nearby Le Bourget Airport. But the jet couldn't muster the speed, and smashed into a small hotel in Gonesse, taking with it the lives of 114 people.
In recent years, other planes have Crashed with numbing regularity. But this one captured the attention of the world for a simple reason: the Concorde, with its supersonic abilities and sleek design, has always been a celebrity of the skies.
Even before the tragedy, Air France and British Airways said the Concorde would likely reach the end of its useful life in a decade or so. And there's no supersonic successor waiting in the wings. The leading edge in commercial aviation these days is bigger, not faster, aircraft. Airbus recently said it would invest roughly $12 billion to develop a double-decker super-jumbo called the A3XX that will make the Boeing 747 look like its kid brother.
The Concorde, and supersonic travel for the masses, have always been built on hopes and dreams. It is, after all, a remarkable achievement to build a commercial jet that can slice through the air at 1,350 miles an hour at an altitude of 11 miles- high enough to offer a glimpse of the earth's curvature. But the crash of 4590 may hasten the close of a chapter in aviation history that once seemed so promising. Nevertheless, Jean-Claude Gayssot, the French transport minister, insisted that "supersonic technology is still the technology of the future."
Part IV Southwest
Column A
1. The stockholders are mostly interested in the bottom line.
2. The successful strategy paid off.
3. They have a very distinctive corporate culture.
4. You know the saying, "Pride goeth before a fall.'
5. Southwest pays dividends by sticking to one strategy.
Column B
a. Being too proud and sure of yourself can lead to disaster
b. Produced good results
c. Making money; being profitable
d. Continue to hold to one plan of action
e. Style of working
1-- c 2-- b 3-- e 4-- a 5-- d
B.
1. What is Kelleher's style?
2. How has Kelleher's style influenced Southwest's image?
3. What is the main reason for Southwest's success?
4. How docs Southwest operate as an airline?
5. What are Southwest's concerns about growth?
6. How does Kelleher plan to keep the company successful?.
C.
1, What is Kelleher's business style?
Personal / informal / crazy
2. In addition to style, what do Southwest stockholders care about?
Substance / the company makes profit
3. What is the soul of Southwest's existence?
Low cost
4. What increase in dividends did Southwest stock pay in 1993? Increased 7%
5. What has Southwest been compared to?
Bus company / cheap and frequent
6. What are the composition and purpose of the "culture committee?''
60 people / preserve special spirit of Southwest Airlines
7. What is Kelleher trying to prevent happening to Southwest?
Excessive pride
Tapescript:
Another North American business hard hit in the late eighties and the early nineties is the airline industry. Major carriers have gone into bankruptcy or they've been bought up, while others have cut back operations and lost money. Only one airline reported big earnings in the early nineties: Dallas-based Southwest Airlines. Under the leadership of its charismatic chairman and CEO Herb Kelleher, and his low-cost, low-debt philosophy, Southwest has beaten the odds in the cutthroat game above the clouds.
Southwest's image reflects Kelleher's style: personal, informal, and a little crazy. He once arm-wrestled the president of an airline manufacturing firm for the right to use an advertising slogan. Employees are free to dress as they like, even wearing shorts around the company headquarters. Flight attendants were once famous for wearing "hot pants." Southwest's ad Campaigns are clever and brash, and not afraid to make fun of competitors. But stockholders care about substance as well as style. And Southwest pays dividends by sticking to one strategy: "Southwest Airlines has been so enormously successful because its low costs enable it to charge low fares."
"Low cost is the soul of our existence, and we know it. We spend as much time arguing whether we should spend $25 versus $7 for something as we do whether it should be 25 million versus 23 million.., you know.., for an aircraft."
It paid off. For example, at the '93 annual meeting, Southwest declared a stock split and a 7 percent increase in dividends. But that philosophy, says Dallas stockbroker and business analyst David Johnson, grows out of Southwest's unusual place in the transportation business. It's an airline which competes against the car.
"There's an argument that Southwest Airlines isn't an airline, and it's not in the convention of ... you know ... American, Delta, United... that sort of thing. It's really more like a bus company ... bus company ... in that it's frequent ... it's cheap. The competition is either a couch or ... you know ... ah... a good sturdy Buick. So just from the get-go, it's a quick, efficient airline. But again, it's not a conventional airline."
And if Southwest's business is unorthodox, its notion of corporate culture is just as novel. Colleen Barret says employees believe in an identifiable Southwest spirit, which Barret's sixtyperson culture committee seeks to preserve.
"Now the bigger that we grow, and the more spread out that our system becomes ... and thus the further away from Dallas that our employees are based... I grew increasingly concerned that they wouldn't have a real sense of history. In the beginning, we just hired very spirited people who were warriors, and who banded together. We now make a very concerted effort to hire a very definite-profiled type person, and we probably spend more time on hiring than we do any other single thing at Southwest."
"How much of that is an outgrowth of Herb Kelleher's personality?"
"I think that the personality, the spirit, the culture certainly emanates from Herb, but if Herb were gone tomorrow, I don't think it would stop. And I'm quite comfortable that our employees would.., just.., almost.., up-rise if there were any drastic or dramatic changes. I don't think they'd tolerate it."
Herb Kelleher says Southwest is trying to refute almost the entire history of humankind by not letting success lead to the kind of pride which "goeth before a fall" in revenues. And, more often than not, they're doing it with a laugh and one eye on the bottom line.
"I think that the personality, the spirit, the culture certainly emanates from Herb, but if Herb were gone tomorrow, I don't think it would stop. And I'm quite comfortable that our employees would.., just.., almost.., up-rise if there were any drastic or dramatic changes. I don't think they'd tolerate it."
Herb Kelleher says Southwest is trying to refute almost the entire history of humankind by not letting success lead to the kind of pride which "goeth before a fall" in revenues. And, more often than not, they're doing it with a laugh and one eye on the bottom line.