2-12 永别了，协和式飞机

Farewell, Concorde1

The Concorde bowed out2 with a spectacular triple landing finale3, closing an era of supersonic passenger travel and leaving the skies to the slower, cheaper jets that proved to be the future of air travel.

Three supersonic planes glided 1 into Heathrow Airport within minutes of one another, a majestic 2 send-off 4 for an aircraft that was a technological 3 marvel 4 but an expensive commercial dud5.

“Concorde was born from dreams, built with vision, and operated with pride,” said Capt. Michael Bannister, who was British Airways 5' chief Concorde pilot and flew the last trans Atlantic trip. But not everyone loved the slim, elegant jet.

Over the years, many criticized its enormous roar, heavy fuel use and the pollutants6 it emitted7. In New York, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner hosted a champagne 7 toast to celebrate Concorde's demise 88.

But tens of thousands of fans lined the road outside Heathrow to get a final look at the plane that epitomized9 jet-set10 glamour 9. Julia Zuk, 50, who lives near Heathrow, said she enjoyed her daily glimpses of the elegant jet and didn't mind the noise. “It's like wearing stilettos11,” she said. “They hurt your feet, but you know they look a lot sexier than ordinary shoes.”

The three jets landed at Heathrow to cheers and applause. The travelers who disembarked12 onto a red carpet took pictures of the plane and each other. “It was very moving, very sad in a way,” one passenger said. It was a bittersweet end to nearly 28 years of commercial supersonic travel.

The Concorde, conceived and built by the British and French governments, began commercial service in January 1976. It was hailed as a technological marvel but its economics were shaky and it never made back the billions of tax dollars invested in it.

Airlines had little interest in such expensive, fuel-guzzling13 jets. The Concorde's limited range, and rules that forbade it from setting off sonic booms14 over land meant it mostly stuck to its trans Atlantic back and forth 10.

For years it was the favorite form of Europe-to-America travel for celebrities 11 and high-powered executives. Cruising speeds of 1,350 mph meant westbound travelers got to New York more than an hour and a half before they left Europe.

The beginning of the end came when an Air France Concorde crashed after takeoff from Paris on July 25, 2000, killing 12 113 people and forcing both airlines to ground their supersonic jets for over a year. Overhauled 13 Concordes returned to service two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, in the middle of one of aviation's15 worst slumps16 and a miserable 15 global economy.

British Airways plans to announce where its fleet of seven Concordes will be kept. It has said most will likely go to museums, but it is looking into the possibility of keeping one in flying shape for occasional special events.

注释：

1.Concorde [kCn5kC:d] n. 协和式飞机（英法合造的超音速客机，时速可达2160公里以上）

2.bow out 退出；作最后一次露面

3.finale [fi5nB:li] n.〈意〉（常为高潮性的）结尾

4.send-off [send5C:f] n.〈口〉送别（会）；送行

5.dud [dQd]〈俚〉n.失败

6.pollutant 6 [pE5lu:tEnt] n. 污染性物质，有害物质

7.emit [i5mit] vt. 发出，散发

8.demise [di5maiz] n. 终止；职位（或地位）的丧失

9.epitomize [i5pitEmaiz] vt. 代表，象征；体现

10.jet-set [dVet5set] adj. （供）喷气式飞机旅游界的，（适合于）阔老们的

11.stilettos [sti5letEus] n. =stilettoheel 细高跟女皮鞋

12.disembark [5disim5bB:k] vi. 下飞机

13.fuel-guzzling [fjuEl5^QzliN] adj. 高耗能的

14.sonic boom [空]（超音速飞行器的）轰声，声震

15.aviation [7eivi5eiFEn] n. 航空，飞行

16.slump 14 [slQmp] n. 衰落；跌落

永别了，协和式飞机

　　伴随着一次壮观的三机着陆，协和式飞机退出了航空舞台，一个超音速客运时代从此宣告结束。现在，天空中只剩下速度较慢、价格较低的喷气式飞机，它们已经证明将主宰航空旅行的未来。

　　3架超音速飞机在相隔几分钟之内先后滑入伦敦希思罗机场。这是为既是技术奇迹同时又是代价高昂的商业败笔的一款飞机举行的庄严的送别仪式。

　　英国航空公司首席协和飞行员、执行这次最后跨洋飞行的迈克尔·班尼斯特机长这样说道：“协和在梦想中诞生，靠想像力建成，并带着自豪感营运。” 但是，并非人人都喜爱这种外观修长典雅的喷气式飞机。

　　自协和诞生以来，很多人对它巨大的噪音、高油耗及其排放有害废气进行了批评。在纽约，美国众议员安东尼·韦纳就举行了一个香槟酒会庆祝协和时代的结束。

　　但是，仍有成千上万的协和迷聚集在希思罗机场外的道路两旁，以求最后一睹作为“喷气族”象征的这款机型的风采。一位住在希思罗机场附近、名叫朱莉娅·朱克的50岁妇女表示，她很乐于每天见到这种外观优雅的飞机，并不在乎它的噪音。“这就像穿高跟鞋，”她说道。“它们会弄疼你的脚，但看起来要比普通的鞋漂亮得多。”

　　3架飞机在人们的欢呼声和掌声中降落在希思罗机场。乘客们走下飞机，在红地毯上为飞机，也为自己相互拍照。一位乘客说道：“这场面十分感人，也可以说非常伤感。”对于营运了将近28年的超音速商业航行来讲，这是一个苦乐参半的结局。

　　协和式飞机由英国和法国政府共同构想与建造，于1976年1月开始商业服务。协和式飞机的出色技术令人叹服，但其不稳定的经济效益却始终无法回收其来自税收的数十亿美元的投资。

　　各国航空公司对这种昂贵的、高能耗的喷气式飞机并没有表现出什么兴趣。协和式飞机航程有限，而且对其经由陆地上空发出轰鸣声有严格的禁令，因此它只能主要往返于大西洋两岸。

　　这些年来，它一直是名人和高层经理人所喜爱的往返欧美的旅行方式。1350英里的时速意味着如果向西飞行，他们抵达纽约的时间比他们在欧洲登机的时间要早一个半小时多！

　　预示最后结果的先兆是在2000年7月25日，法航一架协和式飞机从巴黎起飞后坠毁，造成了113人死亡，并迫使两航空公司将协和式飞机停飞了一年多的时间。“9·11”恐怖袭击两个月后，通过检查的协和式飞机恢复了航行，然而此时正值航空业的一次最大萧条期以及全球经济不景气。

　　英国航空公司计划宣布其公司所属的7架协和式飞机的保存地点。据说大多数可能被陈列在博物馆中，但是公司也在探讨是否可以将一架保持可飞状态，以备不时之需。