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Why we may soon be phoning as we fly
飞机上究竟能不能玩手机？
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".
每当我们坐飞机的时候，都会被要求关闭手机或者调成飞行模式 —— 这是出于“安全考虑”。
But according to The Conversation website, having to turn our phones off on a plane is "a service issue, not a safety one".
但据“对话”网站报道，在飞机上关闭手机是“出于服务原因，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.
当我们在飞机上用手机通话时，手机会对飞机的广播系统造成干扰。飞行员们会在耳机中听到这种干扰声。“这种干扰声大家也很熟悉，就是手机离话筒太近时发出的声音，”《镜报》指出。“这种声音不会影响安全，但的确很烦人。”尽管在飞行期间打电话并不危险，但从服务的角度考虑，这么做依然不妥。
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.
在地面上打电话时，我们会连接到一个负责方圆80公里以内所有通讯的手机基站。在移动的过程中，会有不同的基站来负责我们的通讯。
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.
正如美国科学家斯文·比伦所解释的那样， 这套系统运作时有一些“内置”的前提条件：“信号转移”的次数不应太多；人们移动的速度不应超过车速，并且使用手机时应靠近地面。
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.
但在飞行途中打电话却无法满足上述任何一个前提条件。更糟糕的是，我们的手机会无法使用。
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，情况正发生着改变。尽管我们还不能在飞行期间打电话，但却可以使用手机的其他功能。比如，阿联酋航空的空客A330机型都在机上配备了无线网络，令乘客们能在空中收发短信。比伦指出，未来飞机上的乘客们或许还能随意拨打、接听电话。
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.
这项突破技术便是“微微基站”，这是种设置在飞机上的小型手机基站。这样一来，手机就无需连接到地面的基站，手机通讯也不会被破坏了。
One day, perhaps, we will be chatting in the air as much as we chat on the ground.
或许终有一日，我们能在空中煲电话粥，就和在地面上一样。
