2012年職稱英語理工類閱讀理解練習(xí)題(38)

Rescue platform 救生平臺

　　In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, security experts are trying to develop new ways of rescuing people from burning skyscrapers. One idea is a platform capable of flying vertically and hovering in the air like a helicopter. The platform would rise up and down alongside a skyscraper and pick up people trapped in high stories.

　　The idea for the vertical takeoff platform was hatched more than ten years ago by a Russian aerospace engineer, David Metreveli, who has since moved to Israel. Metreveli's design, called the Eagle, calls for two jet engines that turn four large horizontal propellers. The spinning of the propellers generates the necessary lift, or upward force, to raise the platform. The more power is supplied to the propellers, the higher the platform rises. Moving the platform sideways involves applying differing amounts of power to each propeller.

　　Helicopters are now used in some cases to get people out of burning buildings. Escape baskets slung from them dangle beside the building for people to climb into. Unfortunately, the baskets cannot reach every floor of a building because the ropes from which they hang become unstable beyond a certain length.

　　So far, Metreveli has built a small-scale model of the Eagle to test his idea. In the wake of September 11, he has been able to secure enough funding to start building a larger, 4-meter by 4-meter prototype, which he calls the Eaglet.

　　在世界貿(mào)易中心遭到恐怖襲擊后，安全老師們正在努力尋找新方法，來從燃燒的摩天大樓上營救人們。其中的想法之一就是構(gòu)建一個能夠垂直升降并像直升機一樣在空中盤旋的平臺。該平臺可沿摩天大樓上下移動，運送高樓受困人員。

　　十多年前，一名俄羅斯航空航天工程師David Metreveli醞釀出垂直起落平臺這一想法，隨后移居以色列。Metreveli的設(shè)計方案命名為“老鷹”，需用兩個噴氣發(fā)動機來推動四個大型水平方向旋轉(zhuǎn)的螺旋推進(jìn)器。螺旋推進(jìn)器快速旋轉(zhuǎn)，生成必要的上升力，使平臺升起。供給螺旋推進(jìn)器的能量越多，平臺升得就越高。要使平臺側(cè)向移動，則需要給螺旋推進(jìn)器添加不等的能量。

　　現(xiàn)在，人們有時還用直升機營救起火大樓中的被困人員。從直升機中拋出的救生籃在大樓旁搖擺，人們可以爬到里面去。不幸的是，由于懸掛救生籃的繩索在超出一定長度后就會非常不穩(wěn)定，所以救生籃無法達(dá)到每一層樓。

　　目前，Metreveli已經(jīng)建立起一個小型“老鷹”模型，來檢測自己的構(gòu)思。“9?11”事件后，Metreveli獲得了足夠的基金，開始構(gòu)建一個較大規(guī)模的模型。該模型大小為4公尺×4公尺，他為之命名為“小鷹”。

　　★1). A rescue platform called the Eagle is capable of moving vertically but not sideways. -W

　　★2). The four propellers are fitted horizontally to the Eagle. -R

　　★3). With the help of jet engines, the Eagle can fly at a speed of 100 miles an hour. -N

　　★4). In the third paragraph, the word helicopter refers to the Eagle. -W

　　★5). The more jet engines are fitted to the propellers, the more people the platform can carry. -N

　　★6). In the wake of September 11, Mr. Metreveli has secured enough funding to build up a small-scale model of the Eagle to test his idea. -W

　　★7). Mr. Metreveli is designing for Israel a more advanced form of rescue platform than the Eagle or the Eaglet. -N

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