London City first in UK to get remote air traffic control 英国首个远程空中交通管制系统

London City first in UK to get remote air traffic control 英国首个远程空中交通管制系统

伦敦城市机场的空中交通管制塔将被一套远程操作数码系统替代，是英国首例。这意味着空中交通管制员们将无需坐在高塔中眺望飞机跑道，而是在离机场八十英里（约 129 公里）外的地方察看高清摄像机拍下的实时影像。这套新系统计划在 2018 年完成修建，其系统测试期为一年，而最终将于 2019 年正式投入使用。请听 Richard Westcott 的报道。

I’m looking at the runway of London City Airport. It’s easy to pick out every detail from the aircraft to people walking around and birds flying nearby. But that runway is actually more than a hundred miles away.

The images are being fed onto high-definition television screens because I’m inside Britain’s first digital control tower which, after extensive testing, will eventually go live in 2019.

The airport has worked with air traffic controllers at Nats to test the system. They insist it’s safer for many reasons. Controllers can overlay radar data onto the live screens to make it easier to keep track of aircraft. They can zoom in for detail, light up the runway at night, even follow rogue drones straying into dangerous areas. They also insist it’s been independently stress-tested to ensure it can’t be hacked or brought down by power failures.  

词汇表 runway 飞机跑道

pick out 辨认出

fed onto 被传送到（系统中）

high-definition 高清晰度的，简称 HD

digital control tower （航空）数字管制塔台

go live （电脑系统）开始运行

air traffic controllers 空中交通管制员

overlay 在…上叠加

keep track of 记录、追踪…

zoom in 放大

rogue drones 失常的无人机

straying 偏离航道的

stress-tested 接受危机压力测试的

brought down 使（系统）瘫痪

power failures 停电

测验 请听报道并回答下列问题。  

1. When will Britain’s first digital control tower go live?

2. Who has London City Airport worked with to test the system?

3. True or false? Controllers insist that the system cannot endure security and potential power failures.

4. Which word in the text means ‘a large range and scale of’?

答案

1. When will Britain’s first digital control tower go live?

Britain’s first digital control tower will eventually go live in 2019.

2. Who has London City Airport worked with to test the system?

London City Airport has worked with air traffic controllers at Nats to test the system.

3. True or false? Controllers insist that the system cannot endure security and potential power failures.

False. Controllers insist that the system has been independently stress-tested to ensure it can’t be hacked or brought down by power failures.

4. Which word in the text means ‘a large range and scale of’?

Extensive.