撼动未来航空旅行的新技术

弓晓春

Air travel technology is changing at a rapid pace—what can we expect to see in the near future？

Robotic airport assistants are becoming increasingly more commonplace—they help you navigate your way through a crowd， and at the same time， keep track of your flight information. The global demand and frequency of travel is expected to increase by 3.5% per year， and air travel is predicted to increase from 3.8 billion travelers in 2016， to well over 8.2 billion passengers by 2037. Robotic assistants will not only guide travelers through the airport but also carry their luggage for them！

With the introduction of biometrics（生物测定学）， long waits might become a thing of the past. There will come a time when we will no longer have to prove our identity—with advanced recognition technology， you can automatically pass all checks and be granted entry into an aircraft without ever having to show your passport and boarding pass. As long as you are on the passenger list and have no outbound（离开某地的） restrictions， your unique biological traits， like fingerprint， will be sufficient in proving your identity to customs and airline staff.

Our current aviation（航空） industry has already carried out a partial automatic pilot system， and it is only a matter of time before we switch over to complete cockpit（驾驶舱） automation！ So what does it mean for future air travelers？ The answer is clear： lower organizational costs， safer route planning and air traffic management， and a cheaper flight ticket.

Internet of Things （IoT） makes devices around us smarter and allows us to interact with them

even from a distance. When you are high up in the air， you can enjoy the convenience of adjusting your lighting， and many other creative features—controlled entirely from your phone！ Once you are landed， IoT technology will also allow you to track down your luggage using your phone， order it to roll over to you， and the luggage will follow you as you walk through the airport.

1. Which of the following works better when you travel with lots of luggage？

A. Internet of Things.

B. Automatic pilot system.

C. Robotic airport assistants.

D. Advanced recognition technology.

2. Whats the benefit of the use of biometrics？

A. It costs you less money.

B. Your waiting time shortens.

C. Your identity can be easily accessible to others.

D. It provides you with much recreation.

3. What do we know about current aviation industry？

A. It has completed cockpit automation.

B. It needs a cheaper flight ticket.

C. It has an automatic pilot system in part.

D. It will have an automatic pilot system by 2037.

Sentence for writing

Robotic assistants will not only guide travelers through the airport but also carry their luggage for them！

【信息提取】not only...but also...是英語中比较常见的一个关联词组，用于连接两个表示并列关系的成分，着重强调后者。它的意思是“不但……而且……”，其中的also有时可以省略。

【句式仿写】英国人和美国人不但语言相同，而且还有很多相同的风俗习惯。