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Why we may soon be phoning as we fly
飛機上究竟能不能玩手機？
Every time we get on a plane, we're asked to either turn off our phones or change them to flight mode – it's for "security reasons".
每當我們坐飛機的時候，都會被要求關閉手機或者調成飛行模式 —— 這是出于“安全考慮”。
But according to The Conversation website, having to turn our phones off on a plane is "a service issue, not a safety one".
但據“對話”網站報道，在飛機上關閉手機是“出于服務原因，而非安全原因”。
When we speak on our phones in the air, they can cause interference to the aircraft's radios. Pilots can hear this interference in their headphones. "It's the same noise you'll be familiar with, if you put your mobile too close to a speaker," the Mirror noted. "It is not safety critical, but is annoying for sure." Though speaking on a phone during a flight isn't dangerous, from the viewpoint of service, it isn't still a good idea.
當我們在飛機上用手機通話時，手機會對飛機的廣播系統造成干擾。飛行員們會在耳機中聽到這種干擾聲。“這種干擾聲大家也很熟悉，就是手機離話筒太近時發出的聲音，”《鏡報》指出。“這種聲音不會影響安全，但的確很煩人。”盡管在飛行期間打電話并不危險，但從服務的角度考慮，這么做依然不妥。
When we make or receive a call on the ground, we connect to a cell tower that deals with all calls within an 80-kilometer radius. As we move from place to place we are "handed on" to different cell towers.
在地面上打電話時，我們會連接到一個負責方圓80公里以內所有通訊的手機基站。在移動的過程中，會有不同的基站來負責我們的通訊。
As US scientist Sven Bilen explains, for this system to work, there are "built-in" expectations: There shouldn't be too many "handoffs"; people shouldn't be traveling faster than car speeds and phone users should be close to the ground.
正如美國科學家斯文·比倫所解釋的那樣， 這套系統運作時有一些“內置”的前提條件：“信號轉移”的次數不應太多；人們移動的速度不應超過車速，并且使用手機時應靠近地面。
If we were to make phone calls while we flew, however, none of these expectations would be met. And even worse, our cellphones would stop working.
但在飛行途中打電話卻無法滿足上述任何一個前提條件。更糟糕的是，我們的手機會無法使用。
But now things are beginning to change. If we still can't speak during a flight, we can use other phone functions. For example, Airbus A330 of Emirates Airlines has inflight wifi to make passengers send and receive short messages in the air. In the future, as Bilen points out, it may be possible for air travelers to make and receive calls freely.
但如今，情況正發生著改變。盡管我們還不能在飛行期間打電話，但卻可以使用手機的其他功能。比如，阿聯酋航空的空客A330機型都在機上配備了無線網絡，令乘客們能在空中收發短信。比倫指出，未來飛機上的乘客們或許還能隨意撥打、接聽電話。
The breakthrough could be "pico cells", which are small cell towers on the plane itself. There would no longer be connections made between phones and the ground and therefore there would be no danger of disruption to phone service.
這項突破技術便是“微微基站”，這是種設置在飛機上的小型手機基站。這樣一來，手機就無需連接到地面的基站，手機通訊也不會被破壞了。
One day, perhaps, we will be chatting in the air as much as we chat on the ground.
或許終有一日，我們能在空中煲電話粥，就和在地面上一樣。
