新奇事件簿 阳光动力2号创飞行历史

A solar-powered plane has made history by flying from Japan to Hawaii, a journey of almost 6,500 kilometres. The plane is called Solar Impulse¹ 2. Solar panels² that cover the plane convert³ the sun's rays into power. Scientists hope that all airplanes in the future will fly using solar power. Solar Impulse 2 landed in Hawaii after a 118-hour flight across the Pacific Ocean. Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg tweeted about his feelings after arriving in Hawaii. He wrote: "Just landed in Hawaii with Solar Impulse….It's a dream coming true." The flight broke the record for the longest journey made by a solo⁴ pilot in an unfuelled plane. The previous record was 76 hours, set by American pilot Steve Fossett in 2006.

从日本到夏威夷，将近6500公里的飞行，太阳能飞机创历史。这架飞机名叫阳光动力2号。包裹飞机的太阳电池板将太阳射线转化为能量。科学家希望未来所有飞机都能够使用太阳能。阳光动力2号横跨太平洋，经过118小时的飞行后降落夏威夷。瑞士飞行员安德烈·鲍特伯格抵达夏威夷之后在推特上发布了自己的感想。他写到：“就在阳光动力2号降落夏威夷的那一刻，我的梦想实现了。”这架飞机打破了单人驾驶无燃油飞机的最长飞行记录。2006年，美国飞行员史蒂夫·福塞特创下了76小时的记录。

Solar Impulse 2 is attempting to fly around the world using only solar power. It set off from Abu Dhabi in March and stopped in Oman, India, Myanmar and China. Its next stop will be Arizona in the USA. From there it will fly to New York, before heading to Europe and then back to Abu Dhabi. One of the aims of the journey is to raise awareness⁵ about climate change and renewable energy. Solar Impulse 2 co-pilot Bertrand Piccard told the USA Today newspaper that: "The most important thing isn't to make world records. It's to show what we can do with clean technologies." This is important for our planet⁶ because airplanes produce around 12 per cent of the CO2 from all sources of transportation.

阳光动力2号正在尝试着用太阳能环游世界。飞机于三月份在阿布扎比启程，途径阿曼、印度。缅甸以及中国。下一站将会是美国的亚利桑那州。之后飞往纽约，随后前往欧洲，并返回阿布扎比。行程的目的之一是要让人们增加对气候变化以及可再生能源的意识。阳光动力2号副驾驶贝特朗·皮卡尔在接受《今日美国》的采访时说：“最主要的不是要打破记录。我们要展现的是我们可以利用清洁能源来做一些事情。”这对于我们的星球至关重要，在所有交通出行工具中，飞机排放12%的二氧化碳。

1 impulse   

n.（一时的）冲动，冲力，脉冲，神经冲动

参考例句：

• She wrote that letter on impulse.她一时冲动写了这封信。
• I don't know how to resist my impulse.我不知道怎样抑制自己的感情冲动。

2 panels   

镶板( panel的名词复数 )； 面； （门、墙等上面的）嵌板； 控制板

参考例句：

• One of the glass panels in the front door was cracked. 前门的一块方玻璃破裂了。
• Make sure the panels are treated with a wood preservative. 确保镶板用木材防腐剂处理过。

3 convert   

v.（在形式、状态、用途等方面）（使）改变

参考例句：

• I must convert sorrow into strength.我要化悲痛为力量。
• At what rate does the dollar convert into pounds?美元以什么汇率兑换成英镑？

4 solo   

n.独奏，独唱；adj.单独的；adv.单独地；v.放单飞，单独表演

参考例句：

• Tara is currently working on a solo album.塔拉眼下正忙着制作个人专辑。
• There's wonderfully lyrical flute solo in the middle of this symphony.在交响乐中间有一段奇妙的抒情长笛独奏。

5 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

6 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。