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听力文本
Without Safety Approval, Boeing Freezes Production of 737 MAX Jet
Aerospace company Boeing's announcement that it is suspending production of the 737 MAX passenger jet is affecting more than just the business's financial results.
Thousands of employees and hundreds of suppliers are also facing an unclear future with the production freeze – Boeing's biggest in 20 years.
Boeing builds the 737 MAX in Seattle, Washington. About 12,000 employees are involved in making the airplane. The company said it would not lay off employees during the production freeze. However, the move will affect a supply chain of up to 900 companies in the U.S. and overseas that make parts for the complex jet.
Boeing's board of directors made the decision Monday after a two-day meeting. Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not approve the 737's return to service before 2020.
The 737 MAX passenger airplane has been banned from flying since March, shortly after a second deadly crash involving the aircraft took place near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Five months earlier, one of the jets crashed after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia. A total of 346 people died in the two incidents.
The crashes caused an international outcry against Boeing and many questioned the companies' support for safety policies. Pilots reportedly had expressed concerns about one of the flight control systems on the plane. It caused the aircraft lose altitude under some conditions.
Boeing has made changes to the airplane's software and proposed upgrading pilot training. But the changes are still being studied by flight safety officials.
The Federal Aviation Administration would not comment on what it described as Boeing's business decision. It said it would continue to work with safety officials around the world to study the proposed changes to the 737 MAX.
"Our first priority is safety, and we have set no timeframe for when the work will be completed," the agency said.
The production freeze signals a deepening of the crisis for Boeing. U.S. Representative Rick Larsen called the decision "a body blow to its workers and the region's economy." The lawmaker, however, praised Boeing's promise not to lay off workers.
Before Monday, Boeing had not stopped production of the 737 MAX during the months-long grounding. The company said that it had about 400 airplanes in storage waiting to be sent to buyers.
It is estimated that the grounding has cost Boeing about $9 billion so far and about $1 billion each additional month.
Boeing's production halt also affects suppliers like Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc, based in Wichita, Kansas. Fifty-percent of the company's sales are based on the 737 MAX. Other companies that supply parts to Boeing are Britain's Senior Plc and France's Safran SA. The French company partners with General Electric to make the planes' engines.
Many suppliers have seen their stock prices suffer as a result of the production halt. They may have to pull back their own production targets because of reduced demand.
In addition to suppliers, some airlines continue to cancel flights because the 737 MAX cannot fly. Southwest Airlines has extended cancellations for another five weeks through April 13 because it is unclear when the plane will return to service.
Richard Aboulafia, an aircraft industry expert with the Teal Group, spoke to the Associated Press. He said the freeze would probably affect the economy and could worsen what experts sometimes call the country's trade deficit.
"This is the country's biggest single manufactured export product," Aboulafia noted.
I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
重点解析
1.financial results 财务业绩
The company's stock was suspended from trading Wednesday for failing to disclose its2009 financial results.
公司周三因未披露2009年业绩被停牌一天。
2.return to 返回
I solemnly vowed that someday I would return to live in Europe.
我郑重发誓，总有一天我将回到欧洲生活。
3.trade deficit 贸易逆差
The trade deficit is hurting the nation's economy.
贸易赤字对该国经济造成伤害。
4.stock prices 股价
All the stock prices jumped up in Tokyo last month.
上月东京各种股票价格都大幅度上涨。
5.Many suppliers have seen their stock prices suffer as a result of the production halt.
as a result of 作为...的结果
As a result of this conflict he lost both his home and his means of livelihood.
这场冲突使他同时失去了住所和生计来源。
Millions of people are threatened with starvation as a result of drought and poor harvests.
几百万人因干旱和歉收而受到饥饿的威胁。
6.The lawmaker, however, praised Boeing's promise not to lay off workers.
lay off 解雇；休息
He went on attacking her until other passengers arrived and told him to lay off.
他不停地打她，直至其他乘客过来叫他住手。
They did not sell a single car for a month and had to lay off workers.
一个月来一辆汽车都卖不出去，他们只好裁员。
参考译文
波音公司宣布737MAX客机暂时停产
波音航空航天公司宣布暂时停产波音737MAX客机，此举不仅会影响到该公司的财务业绩。
这是波音20年来最大规模的一次停产，成千上万名员工和数百家供应商也将面临不明朗的未来。
波音在华盛顿西雅图市建造737MAX客机。大约有1.2万名员工参与了该机型的制造。该公司表示，停产期间不会裁员。但是，此举将会影响到美国和海外多达900家为这款复杂喷气式客机制造零件的公司供应链。
周一，波音公司董事会在经过两天会议后做出了这一决定。上周，美国联邦航空管理局没有批准这款737机型在2020年前复飞。
今年3月，波音737MAX客机在埃塞俄比亚亚的斯亚贝巴附近发生第二起致命事故后不久，该客机就被禁飞。在这起事故的5个月之前，一架飞机从印尼雅加达起飞后坠毁。这两起事故共造成346人遇难。
坠机事件引发了国际社会对波音公司的强烈抗议，很多人质疑波音公司对安全政策的支持。据报道，飞行员对飞机上的一种飞行控制系统表示担忧。在某些情况下，它会导致飞机失去高度。
波音公司已经对这款飞机的软件进行了修改，并提出升级对飞行员的培训。但是飞行安全官员仍在研究这些变动。
美国联邦航空管理局对波音公司的商业决定不予置评。该机构表示，将继续与世界各地的安全官员合作，研究737MAX客机的拟议变动。
该机构表示；“我们的首要任务是安全，我们没有设定完成这项工作的期限。”
对波音公司来说，停产预示着危机加剧。美国众议院议员里克·拉尔森称，该决定“对该公司员工和该地区经济造成了沉重的打击。”但是该议员赞扬了波音公司不裁员的承诺。
在周一之前，波音公司在长达数月的停飞期间并未停止737MAX客机的生产。该公司表示，其库存中大约有400架客机等着交付给客户。
据估计，截至目前，停飞导致波音公司损失了大约90亿美元，并且未来每月会损失10亿美元。
波音公司的停产也影响到堪萨斯州威奇托的Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc等地的供应商。该公司50%的销售额来自波音737MAX机型。其它向波音公司供应零件的公司还包括英国的的Senior Plc和法国的Safran SA。这家法国公司与通用电气合作制造飞机引擎。
许多供应商因波音公司停产导致股价蒙受损失。由于需求下降，这些公司可能不得不缩小生产目标。
除了供应商，一些航空公司会继续因737MAX客机停飞而取消航班。美国西南航空公司将航班取消再次延长5周至4月13日，因为尚不清楚这款客机何时可以复飞。
蒂尔集团的航空业专家里查德·阿布拉菲亚（Richard Aboulafia）接受了美联社采访。他表示，这次停产可能会影响美国经济，并可能会加剧美国的贸易逆差。
阿布拉菲亚表示：“这是美国最大的单一制造业出口产品。”
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