时间:2018-12-19 作者:英语课 分类:VOA双语新闻 2010年4月


英语课

  The closure of airspace over Britain, Northern Europe and Scandinavia is having economic repercussions 1 around the world. It has halted the transport of goods, stranded 2 hundreds of thousands of passengers and dealt a severe economic blow to the airline industry.

Nearly 100,000 flights were canceled or delayed as volcanic 3 ash forced the closure of European airspace. The International Air Transport Association says the crisis has cost airlines more than $1.7 billion and is devastating 4 an already beleaguered 5 industry.

冰岛火山灰云团迫使欧洲空域关闭,近10万架次航班被取消或者延误。国际航空运输协会说,这场危机给航空业造成超过17亿美元的损失,并使已经遭遇困境的航空业雪上加霜。

British Airways 6 Chief Executive Willie Walsh says his company lost between $20 million and $30 million a day.

英国航空公司CEO 威利·沃尔什说,空域关闭期间英航每天的损失在2000万美元到3000万美元之间。

"My personal belief is that we could have safely continued operation for a period of time," said Walsh. "I think there were occasions when the decision to close airspace could have been justified 7."

沃尔什说:“我个人认为,我们本来能够继续运营一段时间。我认为,有关方面本应该对关闭空域的决定给出令人信服的理由。”

Walsh says canceling everything was unnecessary and that after the unprecedented 8 delays and cancelations there will still be complications with air travel.

沃尔什表示,取消所有航班没有必要。沃尔什说:“一开始我就认为,将空域全部关闭是没有必要的。”沃尔什说,前所未有的航班延误和取消过后,空中旅行仍会存在混乱现象。

"I think to get back to normal levels of operation, from an industry point of view, I think will take weeks," he noted 9.

沃尔什说:“从整个行业的角度看,要恢复到正常运营,我认为需要几个星期。”

About 20 percent of airline revenues comes from air freight.

航空公司大约20%的收入来自航空运输。

Aramex logistics company managing director Jim Armour 10 says the shutdown cost his company about a quarter of its daily revenue. The real problem is the uncertainty 11 he says.

安世通国际快递公司(Aramex)总经理吉姆·阿默尔说,空域关闭让他所在公司每天收入的四分之一付诸东流。他说,真正的问题是不确定性。

"If someone said this was going to last for two weeks like a strike, you could make your plans, you could think about what you do with your people. I think the concern is the unknown really," said Armour.

阿默尔说:“假如有人说目前的情况跟罢工差不多,会持续两个星期,你还可以做出自己的计划,你会考虑你能跟公司的员工做些什么。我认为现在的问题是情况不明,的确是这样。”

Armour says the implications are not just economic.

阿默尔认为,空域关闭造成的影响不只是经济方面。

"[There are] terrible impacts. [For example,] you want to move blood plasma 12 around and you need it badly, you want to move kidneys around… There [are] some disastrous 13 consequences apart from the economic ones," he explained.

阿默尔说:“造成的影响非常严重。有人急需血浆,需要送血浆过去;有人需要肾脏,需要把肾脏运送过去。因此除了对经济的重创之外,还有其它一些毁灭性的后果。”

Flower growers in Kenya and Israel have had to destroy tons of roses and other flowers that are too wilted 14 to have any economic value. Fruit and vegetable producers have also lost crops that could not travel to Europe. Jo Tanner, with Britain's Freight Transport association says there are lots of untold 15 costs.

肯尼亚和以色列的花农不得不毁掉成吨的玫瑰和其它花卉,这些花卉都已凋谢,已经没有任何经济价值。果农和菜农收获的作物无法及时运到欧洲,也都坏掉。英国货运协会的乔·坦纳说:

"The impact economically is really difficult to judge at this stage, because we do not know how much has been able to be salvaged 16, how much extra cost there has been in terms of the contingency 17 planning, so moving stuff to particular hubs by air and then picking up the rest of the journey by road, rail or sea," said Tanner.

“现阶段,从经济角度判断停飞的后果的确非常困难。我们不知道有多少损失可以挽回,从偶发事件规划角度,额外损失有多少,比如,把物品空运到特定的运输中心,然后通过陆路、铁路或是海上运输最后达到目的地,成本会增加多少。”

Airlines are asking European governments for financial and logistical compensation to help alleviate 18 some of their losses. Many businesses will not have the same option and it may take some time before the full economic impact of the volcanic ash cloud is known.

航空公司要求欧洲各国政府给予资金和物流方面的补贴,帮助减轻一部分损失。不同企业所面临的情况也各不相同,因此要想知道这次火山灰给经济到底造成多少损失还需要一段时间。



1 repercussions
n.后果,反响( repercussion的名词复数 );余波
  • The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
  • Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 stranded
a.搁浅的,进退两难的
  • He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里, 身无分文,一筹莫展。
  • I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市,既没有钱,又没有朋友。
3 volcanic
adj.火山的;象火山的;由火山引起的
  • There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
  • Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。
4 devastating
adj.毁灭性的,令人震惊的,强有力的
  • It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
  • Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。
5 beleaguered
adj.受到围困[围攻]的;包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词);困扰;骚扰
  • The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
  • We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 AIRWAYS
航空公司
  • The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
  • At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。
7 justified
a.正当的,有理的
  • She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
  • The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。
8 unprecedented
adj.无前例的,新奇的
  • The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
  • A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
9 noted
adj.著名的,知名的
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
10 armour
(=armor)n.盔甲;装甲部队
  • His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。
  • Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。
11 uncertainty
n.易变,靠不住,不确知,不确定的事物
  • Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
  • After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后,压力开始产生影响了。
12 plasma
n.血浆,细胞质,乳清
  • Keep some blood plasma back for the serious cases.留一些血浆给重病号。
  • The plasma is the liquid portion of blood that is free of cells .血浆是血液的液体部分,不包含各种细胞。
13 disastrous
adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的
  • The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
  • Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨,血本无归。
14 wilted
(使)凋谢,枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 )
  • The flowers wilted in the hot sun. 花在烈日下枯萎了。
  • The romance blossomed for six or seven months, and then wilted. 那罗曼史持续六七个月之后就告吹了。
15 untold
adj.数不清的,无数的
  • She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
  • They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖,因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。
16 salvaged
(从火灾、海难等中)抢救(某物)( salvage的过去式和过去分词 ); 回收利用(某物)
  • The investigators studied flight recorders salvaged from the wreckage. 调查者研究了从飞机残骸中找到的黑匣子。
  • The team's first task was to decide what equipment could be salvaged. 该队的首要任务是决定可以抢救哪些设备。
17 contingency
n.意外事件,可能性
  • We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
  • A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。
18 alleviate
v.减轻,缓和,缓解(痛苦等)
  • The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
  • Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
学英语单词
adaptation syndrome
advanced industrial country
aglaonemas
alipoidic
Arkhangel'skoye
arteriograrm
atomist theories
backing of rafters
black ink figure nation
bunkums
bus-rod
Carex orthostachys
cartagenas
cognovit judgment
cold-pressing
common sequence
commutation zone
cutesy-pie
Dianhydrodulcitolum
drive sb potty
eirene
equal validity
Eradex
Esk.
ex officio magistrate
externa bark
fascial sheath of prostate
fast color
front elevation drawing
furacana(e)
Garciaz
general Cayley algebra
go off the boil
hard cosmic ray
Hemandifoline
highwayman
hybrid signature
i remember
imperial preferential tariff system
in a flutter
indium oxide
initial operation
Institution of Electronics
intensifer
kapaa
Keenania tonkinensis
Lancang
lesser curvature(stomach)
light diaphoretic prescription
living environment
lysionotin
meitneriums
microinfusion
miniatus
Muhlenberg, Frederik Augustus Conrad
non-experiences
non-prosecution
nonstandard bearing
off-street parking
ognissanti
os1 carpale distale secundum
palmicolous
phoneticism
plain hook
Poa attenuata
position dialing
postmodern campaign
pre-defense
precalcination
press corrector
pseudotuberculosis aspergillaris
pulsed aerosol generator
quality of tobacco
recombiner
register wheels
reserve protein
retailed
reverse multiple
rochate
roman churches
rudiments of tank gunnery
Schesaplana
self-revealings
short-lived radioactive substance
shottage
single event effects
sintered ferrous product
sleepy sicknesses
smaller whole tone
sonar optimum frequency
specific storage
spiderwick
Spinacia oleracea L.
tenoch
the top of the market
undiversifiable risk
Unitarian Universalism
unscheduled downtime
volumetric correction factor
Vostochnaya Litsa
water locust
whitemarsh