London City first in UK to get remote air traffic control 英國首個遠程空中交通管制系統

文字稿

倫敦城市機場的空中交通管制塔將被一套遠程操作數碼系統替代，是英國首例。這意味著空中交通管制員們將無需坐在高塔中眺望飛機跑道，而是在離機場八十英裡（約129公裡）外的地方察看高清攝像機拍下的實時影像。這套新系統計劃在2018年完成修建，其系統測試期為一年，而最終將於2019年正式投入使用。請聽 Richard Westcott 的報道。

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.

詞匯表

runway 飛機跑道
pick out 辨認出
fed onto 被傳送到（系統中）
high-definition 高清晰度的，簡稱 HD
digital control tower （航空）數字管制塔臺
go live （電腦系統）開始運行
air traffic controllers 空中交通管制員
overlay 在…上疊加
keep track of 記錄、追蹤…
zoom in 放大
rogue drones 失常的無人機
straying 偏離航道的
stress-tested 接受危機壓力測試的
brought down 使（系統）癱瘓
power failures 停電

測驗

請聽報道並回答下列問題。

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.