VOA慢速英语2020--美国公司试飞超音速飞机

An American startup company recently gave reporters a chance to see its first demonstrator aircraft, which is set to begin flight testing next year.

The tests will be an important milestone¹ for the company. It has plans to develop a passenger airplane that can travel faster than the speed of sound.

The Colorado company, Boom Supersonic, showed off its XB-1 aircraft for the very first time last week. The model is designed for testing purposes only, not to carry passengers.

Boom plans to begin test flights of the XB-1 next year. The company said the plane is the first supersonic jet to be independently developed.

A handful of U.S. companies are exploring ways to restart supersonic passenger travel for the first time since 2003, when the Concorde stopped flying. The Concorde was a supersonic passenger jet operated jointly² by Britain and France.

The supersonic planes being developed today make less noise and are more fuel efficient than the Concorde. But manufacturers are under pressure from environmental groups and airports to meet the same noise and carbon emission³ limits as traditional planes.

The main body of the XB-1 is 21 meters long. The jet is powered by three J85-15 engines made by General Electric Company.

Boom said in a press release that its ground tests of the XB-1 will be carried out in the coming months in Colorado. The aircraft will then be moved to California, sometime in 2021, to begin flight tests.

The company said the XB-1 will undergo a carbon-neutral flight test program during those tests.

Boom plans to use the XB-1 demonstrator to test the plane's equipment and engineering design. If the flight tests are successful, the company plans to continue development of its planned aircraft model, called Overture⁴. The XB-1 is a version of the Overture, but about one-third of its size.

In the coming year, Boom plans to continue working on Overture's propulsion system and carry out wind tunnel experiments.

"When XB-1 breaks the sound barrier in flight, Boom will be finalizing⁵ the design of Overture," the company said in a statement. It added that Overture should be ready for testing by 2025 and it plans to enter the plane into service by 2030.

The company wants to cut the flying time across the Atlantic Ocean to about three-and-a-half hours. That would be half the time now required.

The aircraft will have 65 to 88 seats, with prices expected to be like current business class rates. Boom says it has already received preorders for planes from Japan Airlines and Virgin⁶ Group.

Boom Chief Executive Blake Scholl said he expects the travel market to recover over time from weakness caused by the coronavirus health crisis. He added that offering much faster flights could be a solution for people afraid of being infected on planes.

"The nice thing about supersonic jets is if you're concerned about time on airplanes, less time is better," Scholl said.

Words in This Story

milestone – n. an event that reaches never before seen levels

supersonic - adj. faster than the speed of sound

efficient – n. working well and not wasting time or energy

emission – n. the act of sending gas, heat or light out into the air

carbon-neutral– adj. not producing carbon emissions⁷

propulsion – n. the force produced by a system for moving, or propelling, a vehicle or other object

wind tunnel – n. a closed passage of room through which currents of air are forced in order to study the effects of moving air on aircraft and other vehicles

1 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

2 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

3 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

4 overture   

n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉

参考例句：

• The opera was preceded by a short overture.这部歌剧开始前有一段简短的序曲。
• His overture led to nothing.他的提议没有得到什么结果。

5 finalizing   

vt.完成（finalize的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• You may edit registered information any time during the finalizing period. 您可以在规定期限内随时编辑修改注册资料。 来自互联网
• Natsun Trimming & Ironing, Finalizing the Perfection. 40南山整烫，完美在此定格。 来自互联网

6 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

7 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。