【原版杂志阅读】22期 Day 1：China’s home-grown satnav system will soon be fully functional part 1

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12010

BeiDou begins
China’s home-grown satnav system will soon be fully functional

Will the West shun a system so closely linked with China’s military power? 

THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND kilometres above the island of Borneo, the final piece of a Chinese infrastructure project is floating into place. The satellite is the last to join the BeiDou navigation system, which has taken nearly 30 years to develop and build. The state-owned firm that launched it from Sichuan province on June 23rd says the network of BeiDou satellites will function fully around the end of July. China sees this as a moment of triumph. It marks the end of the country’s dependence on America for provision of a vital service: location data. 

Satellite-navigation systems work on a simple principle. Each spacecraft uses radio waves to beam the time and its position to Earth. Devices that receive simultaneous transmissions from three or more satellites can use tiny differences in these signals to work out where the user is. All location satellites broadcast timing data on the same frequencies, so that a location device could, in theory, lock on to whichever satellites provide the best signal, regardless of whether they belong to America’s Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia’s GLONASS, Europe’s Galileo or China’s BeiDou. 

But depending on foreigners for a technology so critical to national security has long worried the Communist Party. Having to rely on America has caused particular anxiety. GPS was the earliest network to provide global coverage, so GPS-enabled devices became the norm for use by Chinese companies, citizens and soldiers. The system is owned by America’s government and operated by its air force, which means American officials could decide—say, in a conflict with China—to switch off or degrade the signals coming from GPS satellites. The main purpose of building BeiDou, which is operated by China’s space administration, is to give China full control over a navigation system it can rely on. 

The placement of the final satellite (55 have been deployed, though some are no longer in use) is symbolic of a widening rift between China and the West in many technological domains. This trend was highlighted on July 14th by Britain’s decision to ban the use of products made by Huawei, a Chinese tech firm, in the country’s 5G telecommunications networks. 

一、词汇部分

1. triumph  /ˈtraɪ.əmf/ n. 胜利，成功

• 助记：tri-三+umph(Trump 川普）

• 联想：tricycle/bicycle (tri—-three)

2. simultaneous  /ˌsaɪ.məlˈteɪ.ni.əs/ adj. 同时的

• 词根：sim- 表示same

• 联系：tane—time（元音字母可以任意互换，不影响核心,tooth —teeth)

• 后缀：-ous 形容词后缀

3. transmission /trænsˈmɪʃ.ən/  n. 传递；传播

• 前缀：trans-改变(transportation)

• 词根：miss-发射(mit-, missile)

• 后缀：-ion 名词后缀

4. deploy  /dɪˈplɔɪ/ v. 部署；调动; 有效运用；发挥…的作用

• 前缀：de- 加强语气

• 词根：ploy- 用(employ 雇佣）

5. rift /rɪft/ n. （地面或岩石上的）裂缝，裂口

• 对比：rift-lift 

• 联系：r —i

二、文章讲解

1. THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND kilometres above the island of Borneo, the final piece of a Chinese infrastructure project is floating into place. The satellite is the last to join the BeiDou navigation system, which has taken nearly 30 years to develop and build. The state-owned firm that launched it from Sichuan province on June 23rd says the network of BeiDou satellites will function fully around the end of July. China sees this as a moment of triumph. It marks the end of the country’s dependence on America for provision of a vital service: location data. 

在婆罗洲岛上空3.5万公里处，中国一个基础设施项目的最后一个部分正缓缓就位。这是加入北斗导航系统的最后一颗卫星，这个系统的开发和建设耗时近30年。6月23日在四川发射这颗卫星的国有企业称，北斗卫星网络将在7月底前后全面投入使用。中国视之为一个胜利的时刻。它标志着中国将不再依赖美国提供一项重要的服务：位置数据。 

2. Satellite-navigation systems work on a simple principle. Each spacecraft uses radio waves to beam the time and its position to Earth. Devices 【that receive simultaneous transmissions from three or more satellites】 can use tiny differences in these signals to work out where the user is. All location satellites broadcast timing data on the same frequencies, so that a location device could, in theory, lock on to whichever satellites provide the best signal, regardless of whether they belong to America’s Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia’s GLONASS, Europe’s Galileo or China’s BeiDou. 

卫星导航系统的工作原理很简单。每颗卫星都使用无线电波向地球发送时间和位置信息。从三颗或更多的卫星同时接收信号的设备可以利用这些信号间的微小差异来确定用户的位置。所有定位卫星都以相同的频率广播计时数据，因此理论上定位设备可以锁定任何提供最佳信号的卫星，不管它们是属于美国的全球定位系统（GPS）、俄罗斯的格洛纳斯（GLONASS）、欧洲的伽利略，还是中国的北斗。 

3. But 【depending on foreigners for a technology so critical to national security】 has long worried the Communist Party. Having to rely on America has caused particular anxiety. GPS was the earliest network to provide global coverage, so GPS-enabled devices became the norm for use by Chinese companies, citizens and soldiers. The system is owned by America’s government and operated by its air force, which means American officials could decide—say, in a conflict with China—to switch off or degrade the signals coming from GPS satellites. The main purpose of building BeiDou, which is operated by China’s space administration, is to give China full control over a navigation system （that） it can rely on. 

但是，在一项对国家安全至关重要的技术上依赖外国人一直都让共产党担忧。不得不依赖美国尤其让他们焦虑。GPS是最早覆盖全球的网络，因此搭载GPS的设备被中国企业、民众和军队广泛使用。这一系统归美国政府所有，由美国空军运营，这意味着美国官员可以决定关闭或降级来自GPS卫星的信号，比如在中美发生冲突时。建设由中国国家航天局运营的北斗系统主要是为了让中国可以完全控制一个自己可以依赖的导航系统。 

4. The placement of the final satellite (55 have been deployed, though some are no longer in use) is symbolic of a widening rift between China and the West in many technological domains. This trend was highlighted on July 14th by Britain’s decision to ban the use of products made by Huawei, a Chinese tech firm, in the country’s 5G telecommunications networks. 

最后一颗卫星到位（已部署55颗，虽然其中一些已不再使用）标志着中西方在许多技术领域中的裂痕正在扩大。7月14日，英国决定禁止在本国的5G电信网络中使用中国科技公司华为的产品，更是凸显了这一趋势。

三、段落翻译

在婆罗洲岛上空3.5万公里处，中国一个基础设施项目的最后一个部分正缓缓就位。这是加入北斗导航系统的最后一颗卫星，这个系统的开发和建设耗时近30年。6月23日在四川发射这颗卫星的国有企业称，北斗卫星网络将在7月底前后全面投入使用。中国视之为一个胜利的时刻。它标志着中国将不再依赖美国提供一项重要的服务：位置数据。 

卫星导航系统的工作原理很简单。每颗卫星都使用无线电波向地球发送时间和位置信息。从三颗或更多的卫星同时接收信号的设备可以利用这些信号间的微小差异来确定用户的位置。所有定位卫星都以相同的频率广播计时数据，因此理论上定位设备可以锁定任何提供最佳信号的卫星，不管它们是属于美国的全球定位系统（GPS）、俄罗斯的格洛纳斯（GLONASS）、欧洲的伽利略，还是中国的北斗。 

但是，在一项对国家安全至关重要的技术上依赖外国人一直都让共产党担忧。不得不依赖美国尤其让他们焦虑。GPS是最早覆盖全球的网络，因此搭载GPS的设备被中国企业、民众和军队广泛使用。这一系统归美国政府所有，由美国空军运营，这意味着美国官员可以决定关闭或降级来自GPS卫星的信号，比如在中美发生冲突时。建设由中国国家航天局运营的北斗系统主要是为了让中国可以完全控制一个自己可以依赖的导航系统。 

最后一颗卫星到位（已部署55颗，虽然其中一些已不再使用）标志着中西方在许多技术领域中的裂痕正在扩大。7月14日，英国决定禁止在本国的5G电信网络中使用中国科技公司华为的产品，更是凸显了这一趋势。