A growing number of countries around the world are grounding a popular type of passenger plane and that's the first story we're explaining. On Sunday, an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after takeoff in the capital of Ethiopia. All 157 people aboard were killed. It happened less than six months after an incident on October 29th, when a Lion air flight crashed shortly after take off in the capital of Indonesia. All 189 people aboard that flight were killed.

全世界有越来越多的国家停飞一个备受欢迎型号的客机，这是我们今天的首条新闻。周日，埃塞俄比亚一架航班从埃塞俄比亚首都起飞后不久坠毁。机上157人全部遇难。而不到六个月之前，10月29日那天，狮航一架客机从印度尼西亚首都起飞后不久坠毁。机上189人全部罹难。
The one thing these two flights have in common is that they were aboard new models of the same airplane, a Boeing 737 Max 8. It was introduced two years ago. It's a very technologically advanced jet. And it might be that technology that's causing its problems.

这两架飞机的其中一个共同点是，它们属于同一型号——波音737 Max 8。该型号在两年前推出。这是一款技术极为先进的喷气式飞机。而引发事故的可能就是这种先进技术。
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boeing bills its 737 Max as the fastest selling airplane in the company's history. A high tech, single-aisle jet, there are more than 5,000 on order for 100 airlines world wide. Many of them are in China and India. The 737 has a long history. Since the first twin jet Baby Boeing was introduced in 1967, it's grown into the best selling line of commercial jets in history. The Max 8 variant, launched in 2017, seats up to 200 passengers. It was designed to offer airlines greater range, better fuel efficiency than the models that came before. Like any new series, Boeing introduced brand-new technology and features into the 737 series, including the automatic safety system.

身份不明的男性：波音公司称737 Max是该公司史上销售速度最快的机型。737 Max是应用高科技的单通道喷气式飞机，全球100家航空公司订购了5000余架该款飞机。其中多数订单来自来自中国和印度的航空公司。737系列飞机历史悠久。自1967年发布首款双引擎喷气式飞机Baby波音以来，737系列已经成为商用喷气式飞机史上最畅销的型号。Max 8飞机在2017年发布，最大载客量可达200人。这一机型旨在为航空公司提供更大的选择空间，与此前发布的型号相比，燃油效率更加优化。和所有新系列一样，波音在737系列中引进了全新的技术和功能，包括自动安全系统。
DAVID SOUCIE: This particular aircraft has a new, something new, as far as how the autopilot responds when the angle of attack. When the aircraft nose goes up too high, it pushes that nose down, even when the autopilot's off. And a lot of pilots aren't used to that.

大卫·索西：这款飞机采用了新技术，即自动驾驶仪如何应对迎角。即使在自动驾驶仪关闭的情况下，当飞机机头过高时，其也会将机头下拉。但是许多飞行员对此感到不习惯。
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the case of Lion Air, Indonesia investigators say pilots repeatedly fought to override that system before the fatal crash of the plane back in October. The preliminary crash report said faulty sensors led the automated system to push the nose of the plane down again and again. It's not clear why the pilots did not follow the recognized procedure and turn the system off. Now, this crash, the second in a brand-new model plane shortly after takeoff. It's provoking more questions about the plane’s design and what Boeing has told the airlines.

身份不明的男性：就狮航去年10月发生的那起空难来说，印尼调查人员表示，在飞机坠毁之前飞行员曾多次尝试控制该系统。坠机事故初步报告显示，传感器故障导致飞机机头多次向下俯冲。目前并不清楚飞行员为什么没有按照公认的程序关闭该系统。埃塞俄比亚这起空难是该全新机型在起飞不久后发生的第二起坠机事故。这引发了更多质疑，该飞机的设计以及波音对航空公司所说的信息均存在疑问。

CARL AZUZ: The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines says the pilot had flight control problems shortly before the plane crashed. But both accidents involving this Boeing model are under investigation. And there's no evidence at this point that the same problem caused them. Still, countries from Australia to China to the European Union and India have grounded the 737 Max 8 airplanes, making it illegal for them to fly in or over these nations. According to the Reuters News organization, Boeing says it's been developing a software update for the plane that's quote "designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer."

卡尔·阿祖兹：埃塞俄比亚航空公司首席执行官表示，飞行员在飞机坠毁不久之前遇到了飞行控制问题。不过这款波音飞机发生的两起事故仍在调查中。目前没有证据表明是同一个问题引发了这两起空难。但是，从澳大利亚、中国、欧盟再到印度，多个国家停飞了737 Max 8飞机，这使该款飞机在这些国家境内飞行或飞越这些国家成为非法行为。据路透社报道，波音表示他们一直在为该型号飞机研发升级软件，“旨在使这个本就安全的飞机更加安全”。
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also said earlier this week that the aircraft is safe, though it has ordered Boeing to make some design changes to it. Some U.S. Senators are now saying the FAA should temporarily ground it until its proven air worthy. The U.S. and Canada are the only two countries where substantial numbers of these planes are still flying.

另外，美国联邦航空局本周初也表示，这款飞机是安全的，不过该机构已经要求波音公司更改设计。一些美国参议员认为，在证明737 Max 8适合飞行之前，美国联邦航空局应该暂时停飞该飞机。在拥有该型号飞机数量相对较多的国家中，只有美国和加拿大两国仍在执飞这款飞机。

来源：可可英语