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  3. Drone—Problem and Chances A)In the first incident on May 29, the pilot of a commercial airliner descending toward LaGuardia Airp

Drone—Problem and Chances A)In the first incident on May 29, the pilot of a commercial airliner descending toward LaGuardia Airp

admin2015-01-31  60
问题                         Drone—Problem and Chances
A)In the first incident on May 29, the pilot of a commercial airliner descending toward LaGuardia Airport saw what appeared to be a black drone(无人驾驶飞机)with a 10 to 15-foot wingspan about 5,500 feet above Lower Manhattan, according to a previously undisclosed report filed with the Federal Aviation Administration. In the second, two airliners separately approaching Los Angeles International Airport soared past what they described as a drone or remote-controlled aircraft the size of a trash can at an altitude of 6,500 feet, FAA records show.
B)The records do not name the airlines involved or say how close the aircraft came to the drones when they flew past. FAA officials said their inspectors could not track down the unregistered drones or determine who was flying them. "In many cases, radar data is not available and the operators cannot be identified," the agency said in a statement.
C)The close calls were the latest in a rash of dangerous encounters between civilian airplanes and drones flown in contravention of FAA rules intended to safeguard U.S. airspace. Hazardous occurrences are becoming more frequent as more drones—legal and illegal—take to the skies, according to a year-long investigation by The Washington Post.
D)In 15 cases over the past two years, drones flew dangerously close to airports or passenger aircraft, including the incidents in New York and Los Angeles, according to reports submitted to the FAA. On May 3, the pilot of a commercial airliner preparing to land in Atlanta reported a small drone with four legs and bright lights very close to his plane, according to the FAA records. The agency recently disclosed that the pilot of a US Airways plane reported a near collision with a drone or remotely controlled model aircraft over Tallahassee Regional Airport on March 22 in Florida.
E)Civilian drones flown with the FAA’ s permission and under its scrutiny are also susceptible to crashes. Since November 2009, law enforcement agencies, universities and other registered drone users have reported 23 accidents and 236 unsafe incidents, according to FAA records.
F)The problem is worsening just as the federal government is preparing to lift barriers that could flood the country’s already congested skies with thousands of remotely controlled aircraft. Under a law passed two years ago, Congress ordered the FAA to issue rules legalizing drones for commercial purposes by September 2015—the first step in a new era of aviation that will eventually allow drones of all sizes to fly freely in the national airspace, sharing the same airports as regular planes.
G)Congress imposed dual orders on the FAA that the agency has struggled to reconcile. Under the law, the agency must draft rules for drones as soon as possible so businesses can use their economic potential. The FAA must also ensure that safety standards are not compromised and passenger aircraft are not imperilled.
H)The FAA is facing pressure to move faster from drone manufacturers, the military, members of Congress and many companies that see remotely controlled airplanes as a breakthrough technology. The drone industry complains that it is losing $27 million in economic benefits a day while the FAA prepares regulations for certifying drones and licensing pilots.
I)The FAA says it is moving as quickly as it can. "I completely understand that there is significant potential, there’s significant benefit, there’s great things that unmanned aircraft can do. We need to be convinced that they can do so safely," Michael P. Huerta, the FAA’ s administrator, said in an interview. "Every day in America people are getting on airplanes. Every day people are seeing airplanes in the sky," Huerta added. "But they’re not really worried a lot about whether it’s safe. It’s their expectation that these things, that unmanned aircraft flying around in our airspace, will meet that same level of safety. And we owe that to them."
J)Thanks to rapid advances in technology, small satellite-guided drones with powerful miniature cameras can be bought online for less than $500. Flying drones as a hobby is permitted as long as operators keep them below 400 feet, away from populated areas and at least three miles from an airport, according to the FAA. But those restrictions are being violated and ignored. On May 5, a quad-copter—a drone with four rotors—crashed into the 30th floor of St. Louis’ s Metropolitan Square building, the city’ s tallest. In March, the FAA fined a Brooklyn man $2,200 for striking two Midtown Manhattan skyscrapers with his quad-copter before it nearly hit a man. In August, a small drone crashed into the grandstand at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie County, injuring three spectators.
K)Even drone advocates worry that the skies are becoming a free-for-all. "We have to understand that the industry is at risk because of illegal drone usage," Krista M. Ochs, a General Dynamics executive, said last month at a drone-industry conference in Orlando. "If we have a major catastrophe that involves some type of midair collision, it could set us back years."
L)In 2012, Congress passed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, legislation that ordered the federal government to "safely accelerate" the integration of civilian drones into the busiest airspace in the world.
M)At the time, the military had been flying drones overseas for more than a decade, revolutionizing warfare by keeping pilots on the ground and out of harm’s way. Defence contractors who invented the technology saw even bigger potential to sell drones to private businesses and other government agencies. Industry groups projected a market with $8 billion in annual revenue.
N)Until then, the FAA had been moving slowly and cautiously, issuing a handful of permits for the military, law enforcement agencies and universities to fly drones under restrictive conditions. The new law ordered the FAA to hurry it up. Lawmakers set a deadline of Sept. 30, 2015, for the FAA to develop a comprehensive plan and allow civilian drones to begin flying on a more regular basis. The FAA has approved six sites across the country to test drones and produce data that will shape safety standards. Officials said they will first propose rules for drones weighing 55 pounds or less. Regulations for larger aircraft will take significantly longer. Both sets of rules could take years to finalize. In an interim step, FAA officials say they may grant permits to filmmakers, farmers, and the oil and gas industry to use small drones under limited circumstances.
O)Manufacturers of drones and businesses that want to buy them are losing patience. They warn that foreign companies will steal the market if the FAA does not act swiftly. "We have got to be able to understand what the standards must be, and we have got to start fielding this technology," Michael Toscano, president and chief executive of the drone industry’s trade association, said in a May 30 speech to the Aero Club in Washington.
Some contractors see the potential to sell drones to private business and other government agencies and they projected a very profitable market of drones.
选项
答案M
解析 此句意为：一些承包商看到了把无人机卖给私营经济和其他政府部门的巨大潜力，并设想了一个利益巨大的无人机市场。根据题干可以定位到M段中的Defence contractors who invented the technology saw even bigger potential to selldrones to private businesses and other government agencies．Industry groups projected amarket with$8 billion in annual revenue．其中$8 billion in annual revenue就是题干中的profitable market的具体表述。
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