《第79期Passage1》歌词

[00:00:00] 第79期Passage1-英语听力

[00:00:00] Few people expect luxury while flying, but these days,

[00:00:03] even the basics seem to be in bad shape.

[00:00:06] It's not uncommon to find your tray table broken,

[00:00:09] the in flight entertainment system not working and your

[00:00:12] seat cushion worn.

[00:00:14] All of this can make you think: how old is this plane anyway?

[00:00:18] The reality for many U.S. air travellers is that most of

[00:00:22] their journeys take place on planes that have been in service

[00:00:25] for a decade or more.

[00:00:27] The average age of the fleet of the seven large U.S. passenger

[00:00:30] airlines is about 14 years old,

[00:00:33] according to The Airline Monitor.

[00:00:35] It found American Delta Northwest had the oldest fleets,

[00:00:39] at about 16 years on average.

[00:00:42] As of the end of 2008, a small percentage of the merged

[00:00:46] Delta Northwest's planes dated back to the late 1960s.

[00:00:51] U.S. fleets are among the oldest in the world,

[00:00:54] said Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst.

[00:00:57] "I 'm not really sure that people should read

[00:01:00] that much into that, Aboulafia Aboulafia said.

[00:01:02] " From a safety standpoint, a lot of the older

[00:01:05] planes were built tougher and with proper maintenance."

[00:01:07] There's no reason why a plane can not stay safe

[00:01:10] for 25 to 30 years.

[00:01:12] " It's also important to remember that a plane may be

[00:01:14] 20 years old, but its engines and other major systems

[00:01:18] could have been recently manufactured or upgraded,"

[00:01:21] said Aboulafia." There's less pressure on the airlines to

[00:01:24] upgrade the interior, unless it's a safety issue or a

[00:01:28] redesign that will save money."