The Sonic Cruiser

这是一则新闻，主要信息呈倒三角形展示出来。也就是说，最主要的信息先说，次要信息后说。

 

In a few years, long flights may not seem so long. American airplane manufacturer Boeing is working on creating a new generation of passenger planes that will travel faster, higher and farther than its current models. 　

At the moment, the only passenger plane that is faster than the commonly-used Boeing 747’s and 767’s is the Concorde. However, the Concorde crash last year, coupled with the advanced age of the aircraft, has put the big bird out of service — temporarily, but some guess permanently. Another big problem with the Concorde is, of course, that almost nobody can afford to fly on it. 　

Boeing’s new model, nicknamed “The Sonic Cruiser,” will only be half as fast as the Concorde but will travel 20 per cent. faster than current passenger airplanes. By making the plane lighter, the company hopes that the Sonic Cruiser will be able to fly more than 10,000 miles without refueling. The plane will also be environmentally friendly as it will be much quieter at takeoff and landing than a 767. 　

According to a Boeing spokesperson, “The plane will change the way the world flies.” The new plane should be ready by 2006. The airlines therefore has plenty of time to make sure that passengers don’t start arriving at their destination before the end of the in-flight movie. 　

[注释]：
manufacturer : a person, an enterprise, or an entity that manufactures something 制造业者，厂商
concorde : computer Science 协和式飞机　
crash : to dash to pieces; smash 碰撞，坠落，坠毁　
couple : 连接，结合　
permanently : lasting or remaining without essential change 永存地，不变地　
Sonic Cruiser： the sudden sharp increase in aerodynamic drag experienced by aircraft
approaching the speed of sound 音速巡航机　
refuel : to supply again with fuel 补给燃料　
environmentally : of, relating to, or associated with the environment 环境地，周围地　
spokesperson : a spokesman or a spokeswoman 发言人，代言人　
destination : the place to which one is going or directed 目的地　
in-flight：occurring, carried out, or present while in flight 在飞行中的