教学素材 | 国产大飞机C919即将首航！
The C919, the much-anticipated first large commercial aircraft for passengers to be made in China, has taken another step closer to its maiden flight by completing its fourth high-speed taxiing test on April 23rd in Shanghai.
万众瞩目的首架国产大型客机C919距离首飞只有一步之遥。上月23日在上海完成了第四次高速滑行试验后，C919飞上蓝天便指日可待了。
It was the C919's first test with the front landing gear of the plane slightly lifted to simulate takeoff. The single-aisle, 168-seat, twin-engine jet is now just one step away from its first flight, according to Shanghai-based Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), the state-owned manufacturer.
本次高速滑行试验中，C919首次抬起前轮，模拟起飞状态。至此，按照总部位于上海的中国商用飞机有限公司（COMAC）的话说，这架单通道、168座的双引擎客机已经完成了首飞前的一切地面测试工作。
Also on April 22nd, the C919 received a flight permit from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). It has acquired all the necessary certificates to prepare for its first flight.
另外在22日，C919成功获得了由中国民航总局（CAAC）颁发的适航证，完成了首航前的一切准备手续。
The domestically manufactured plane, which uses a large number of composite materials, is expected to be relatively light and fuel-efficient compared with its competitors, including the updated A320neo and the new-generation B737MAX, which currently dominate the market.
这架由我国自主研发和制造的新型客机运用了大量的合成材料，相比同类竞争机型拥有更轻巧的机身和更高的燃油效率，完全不输占据市场主导地位的新一代空客A320neo和波音737MAX。
So far, COMAC had received 580 orders for the C919 from 23 clients, including domestic airlines such as Air China, China Southern, China Eastern, Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines. Overseas orders from Germany, Thailand, Africa and other countries of the Pacific region account for 10 percent of the total.
至今，中国商飞已经接到了来自23个客户的580架C919订单，包括国内的知名航企如中国国航、南航、东航、海南航空、四川航空等。海外的订单占据了10%的份额，包括来自德国、泰国、亚太地区和非洲的航企。
China has invested heavily in commercial passenger jet manufacturing. The ARJ21, its first regional aircraft, began commercial operations in June 2016. The research and development of the C919 which is about to fly started in 2008, and China's long term goal is to break the duopoly of Airbus and Boeing.
我国已在商用客机的研发制造上投入了大量的心血。我国首架ARJ21支线客机于2016年6月投入商业运行，而此次即将试飞的C919的研发则早在2008年就已经开始，如果试飞成功，它将有望打破空客与波音两家独大的垄断局面。
The ABC of Aircraft Manufacturers
飞机制造中的“ABC”大厂
Airbus SAS is a civil aircraft manufacturer based in Toulouse, France. Founded in 1970, Airbus Industrie (its former name) began as a consortium of European aviation firms formed to compete with American companies such as Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, and Lockheed. Airbus introduced A300 in 1974 as its first product since establishment. A300 holds the distinction of being the world's first twin-engined widebody airliner. Currently, the company produces and markets the first commercially viable digital fly-by-wire airliner A320, the cost-efficient widebody airliner A330, the next-generation A350XWB and the world's largest passenger airliner A380.
空中客车公司是一家总部位于法国图卢兹的民航客机制造公司。成立于1970年的空客（原名空中客车工业公司）由欧洲几大航空器制造厂合并而来，以对抗美国的飞机制造厂例如波音、麦道和洛克希德。空客于1974推出了其成立以来的第一款产品——A300，这是世界上首架双发宽体客机。如今，空客主营世界上首次运用数字电传操纵飞行控制系统的A320，高经济性的宽体机A330，全新一代的A350XWB和世界上最大的客机A380。
The Boeing Company is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, and satellites worldwide. Boeing is the largest global aircraft manufacturer in terms of revenue and is the largest exporter in the United States by dollar value. William E. Boeing founded the company in 1916 as Pacific Aero Products Co. in Seattle, Washington. Boeing's products range from B707 to the newest B787 Dreamliner, and it has been dominating the civil aircraft market since the advent of jet airliners.
波音公司是一家总部位于美国，业务遍及全球的跨国企业，负责设计、制造、销售各类喷气客机、旋翼飞机、火箭和人造卫星等。波音是全球销售额最大的飞机制造商，也是美国最大的出口商（以美元计）。威廉·爱·波音在1916年于华盛顿州的西雅图创立了波音公司的前身——太平洋飞行产品公司。波音的主营产品线从B707发展到最新的B787梦想客机，主导了喷气客机出现以来的民用航空市场。
COMAC is a Chinese state-owned aerospace manufacturer established on 11 May 2008 in Shanghai, China. The state-owned corporation is a designer and manufacturer of large passenger aircraft with capacities of over 150 passengers, in an effort to reduce China's dependence on Boeing and Airbus. The C919 airliner is expected to begin commercial operation after 2020.
中国商用飞机有限责任公司（COMAC）是一家负责航空器制造的国有企业，2008年5月11日成立于中国上海。这家大型国企负责150座以上大型民航客机的设计和制造，以摆脱国内对于波音和空客的依赖。C919预计将在2020年后投入正式的商业运行。
maiden flight: 处女航；首飞
high-speed taxiing: 高速滑行
landing gear: 起落架
regional aircraft: 支线客机
duopoly: n. 两家独大；双头垄断
consortium: n. 财团；共同体
viable: adj. 切实可行的；有望实现的
rotorcraft: n. 旋翼飞机