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President Trump wants to privatise air-traffic control
特朗普总统意欲将空中交通控制私有化
In June 1956 a TWA Constellation collided with aUnited Air Lines DC-7 over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, killing all 128 people on both aircraft.
1956年6月，环球航空的星座机型(TWA)在亚利桑那州大峡谷与美国联合航空DC-7机相撞，两机128名人员全部罹难。
At the time it was the worst ever airline disaster.
这是当时史上最严重的一次空难。
Struggling with outdated technology and a post-war boom in air travel, overworked air-trafficcontrollers failed to spot that the planes were on a collision course.
由于过时的技术和战后航空旅行的繁荣发展，过度劳累的空中交通管制人员未能及时发现飞机处在碰撞航向。
That crash led to the creation of a new body, which became the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA), in charge of running and modernising the world's biggest air-transport system.
那次事故导致了一个新的机构诞生并成为联邦航空管理局(FAA)，负责运营和现代化世界最大的航空运输系统。
With that system again struggling to keep pace with demand, Donald Trump thinks it is time toprivatise America's air-traffic control service.
随着这个系统再次难以跟上需求增长的速度，唐纳德·特朗普认为，是时候将美国的空中交通管制服务私有化了。
This week the president outlined a plan to turn air-traffic control into a separate non-profitentity financed by user fees, instead of the present patchwork of taxes and grants.
本周总统提出一项计划，将空中交通控制转变为独立的非盈利实体并由用户费资助，取代当前的税收和补助金的共同资助。
Shorn of its air-traffic responsibility, the FAA would become a safety body.
没有了其空中交通的责任，美国联邦航空局将成为一个安全机构。
America's air-traffic system is vast, consisting of 14,000 controllers working in 476 airport-control towers that handle take-offs and landings, as well as in 21 “en route” centres lookingafter flights along the nation's airways.
美国的空中交通系统是庞大的，由在476个机场控制塔工作的14000个管制人员处理飞机起降工作，以及在21“途中”中心照顾沿着国家航道的航空公司的航班。
It has a good safety record, but elderly technology limits the number of flights that can behandled.
而且它有一个良好的安全记录，但过时的技术限制了可管理的航班数量。
This leads to delays and frustrated flyers.
这就导致了飞机延误和飞机乘客受挫。
With passenger numbers set to grow from 800m a year to almost 1bn by 2026, the problem willonly get worse.
随着旅客人数将从每年8亿到2026增长到近10亿，这个问题只会变得更糟。
Mr Trump believes that, no longer mired in a federal bureaucracy, the air-traffic service willbecome more efficient and better able to invest in technology.
Many countries, including Australia, Britain andCanada, have privatised air-traffic services or turnedthem into state-owned firms.
许多国家，包括澳大利亚、英国和加拿大，已经私有化的空中交通服务或转为国有企业。
Nav Canada, a non-profit firm that has longmanaged Canadian airspace, has costs per flighthour of $340 compared with the FAA's $450.
加拿大导航局，一家长期管理加拿大领空的非盈利公司，每小时飞行费用为340美元，而联邦航空局的450美元。
Replacing old radar-based methods with accurate satellite navigation and better digitalcommunications is a particular priority.
旧的基于雷达的导航方式被精确的卫星导航和更好的数字通信取而代之，这是一个特别的优先项目。
Aircraft using satellite navigation can be safely spaced more closely together, which permitsmany more planes to be in the air at the same time.
使用卫星导航的飞机可以更为紧密却安全相隔，同时允许更多的飞机在空中飞行。
Digital systems also provide data links to control centres and to other planes by regularlybroadcasting an aircraft's identification sign, its position and course.
数字系统还通过定期广播飞机的识别标志、位置和航线，向控制中心和其他飞机提供数据链接。
This would allow “free routing”, which means pilots can fly directly to a destination, ratherthan follow established airways, which often zigzag around.
这将允许“自由飞行”，这意味着飞行员可以直接飞到目的地，而不是遵循既定的航线，往往曲折前进。
The president's proposal might even speed a move towards “virtual” control towers in low-rise buildings, which can replace towers physically located at airports.
总统的提议甚至可能加快向低层建筑中“虚拟”控制塔的发展，以取代在机场设立的物理塔。
The virtual versions are fed live video from airfield cameras.
虚拟塔台是由机场摄像机提供的实时视频。
Proponents argue that they are both safer and around 30% cheaper to operate.
支持者认为，它们更安全，运营成本低30%左右。
Virtual towers can look after more than one airport.
虚拟塔可以兼顾不止一个机场。
One in Norway is set to supervise 32 airports, some of them in remote areas.
在挪威设置的一个将监督32个机场，其中一些在偏远地区。
The European Union reckons such innovations will allow three times as many flights to behandled in the region and save airlines some 9bn euro ($10bn) a year.
欧盟认为，这些创新将允许在一个区域处理三倍多的航班，每年为航空公司节省90亿欧元(100亿美元)。
It also, optimistically perhaps, predicts that on average aircraft will land within one minute oftheir scheduled arrival time.
它还乐观地预测，平均飞机将在预定到达时间的一分钟内降落。
That would count as a miraculous improvement for anyone, let alone America's weary airportwarriors.
这对任何人来说都是一个奇迹般的进步，更不用说美国疲惫的机场工作人员。
Mr Trump, though, may struggle to get the proposal through Congress.
然而，特朗普先生可能很难通过国会的提议。
A similar plan got stuck last year, despite being backed by most airlines and the air-trafficcontrollers' union.
去年，尽管大多数航空公司和空中交通管制员工会都支持这一计划，但类似的计划还是被搁置了。
At least the president can dodge the queues: Air Force One flights get special clearance.
至少总统可以避开排队：空军一号航班已得到特别许可了。
特朗普认为，如果不再陷入联邦官僚机构，空中交通服务将变得更有效率，并能更好地投资于技术。
重点词组：
1.no longer 不再
例句:After about three months, I was no longeraddicted to nicotine.
大约3个月后，我就不再对尼古丁上瘾了。
2.get worse 变得糟糕
例句:In fact, things could get worse in the short run.
事实上，事情在短期内可能会变得更加糟糕。
3.instead of 取代;代替
例句:Water companies should concentrate on reducing waste instead of building newreservoirs
自来水公司应该集中精力减少水浪费，而不是修建新水库。
4.keep pace with 跟上
例句:Our understanding often fails to keep pace with the march of events.
我们的认识常常赶不上形势的发展。
5.let alone 更不用说
例句:He did not have enough money to have the tirepatched up, let alone buy a new one.
他的钱还不够补这个轮胎，更别提买个新的了。
6.look after 照顾
例句:We'll help you look after your finances.
我们将会帮您理财。
7.compared with 与...相比
例句:He's a pygmy when compared with great musicians.
他和伟大的音乐家相比就成了侏儒。
8.remote areas 偏远地区
例句:Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas.
滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
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