Fantastic Flying Machines

Fantastic Flying Machines, written by John Meyer and Elizabeth Austin.

《神奇的飞行器》，作者：约翰·迈耶、伊丽莎白·奥斯汀。

Introduction. Imagine if you could fly like a bird. Where would you go? What would you see? Today, many people can fly thanks to fantastic flying machines.

引言。 想象一下你能像鸟儿一样飞翔。 你会想去哪里呢？ 你会看到什么呢？ 如今，很多人都能飞上天空，多亏了这些神奇的飞行器。

People have always wanted to fly. They watched birds fly, and some tried tying wings to their arms. Long ago, an artist even drew plans to make a helicopter. He drew his idea, but he didn't build it.

人类一直都渴望飞翔。 他们看着鸟儿飞翔，有些人还试着把翅膀绑在自己胳膊上。 很久以前，甚至有一位艺术家画出了直升机的设计图。 他画出了自己的构想，但并没有把它造出来。

History of flight. People kept trying to fly. Two French brothers made the first hot air balloon. Another man made the first glider that worked. Later, someone made a better glider that could sail in the air for a long time.

飞行的历史。 人们一直在尝试飞行。 两位法国兄弟造出了第一个热气球。 还有另一个人造出了第一架能正常使用的滑翔机。 后来，有人造出了更棒的滑翔机，它能在空中飞行很长时间。

Brothers named Orville and Wilbur Wright studied all of these ideas. They thought about how some ideas worked and why some didn't work. They tested their own ideas. Finally, they designed an airplane that worked. One day Orville flew the plane for one full minute. It flew for 260 meters, 850 feet. People could fly.

奥维尔·莱特和威尔伯·莱特兄弟研究了所有这些构想。 他们思考了有些构想可行、有些却行不通的原因。 他们还测试了自己的想法。 最后，他们设计出了一架能正常飞行的飞机。 有一天，奥维尔驾驶这架飞机飞行了整整一分钟。 飞行距离达到了260米，也就是850英尺。 人类终于可以飞翔了。

Airplanes. Airplanes have changed a lot since the early days of flight. Today's large airplanes carry about 450 people on trips. They also carry people's bags and cargo. Has your family flown on one?

飞机。 自从飞行时代开启以来，飞机已经发生了翻天覆地的变化。 如今的大型飞机一趟可以搭载大约450名乘客。 还能运送行李和货物。 你家人坐过飞机吗？