Unmanned aerial vehicles, a technological marvel of our age, are increasingly being used to tackle our real problems, such as documenting the aftermath of disasters without putting people at risk.
But drones also prompt some serious questions. Now more drones fly close  to commercial aircraft. The safety of air travel is at stake.
Rogue drone operators are invading sensitive airspace and private property. There have been more than 500 recorded incidents since 2012, in which they hovered over military bases and nuclear plants, crashed into buildings, smuggled drugs, impeded efforts to fight wildfires, and made other troubles.
Drone accidents generally happen in a regulatory vacuum. New safety rules will be made， but people who fly drones for fun aren’t regulated. They don’t need licenses, register their aircraft or undergo training.
Although the FAA can't license recreational drones, it has the power to impose fines for interfering with air traffic or endangering other people. The recent risky incidents have prompted the FAA to adopt more stringent enforcement measures.
It is estimated that 700,000 drones will be sold in U.S. this year. Drone companies need to take more responsibility for educating their customers in all aspects. 

该文讨论无人机在今天的广泛使用所造成的问题。文章第一段首先承认无 人机的有益之处，说它可以帮我们解决实际问题，比如帮我们记录灾难的后果而无需 让人处于危险境地，还可以把包裹运送到人无法到达的地方。英文可以概括为：
Unmanned aerial vehicles, a technological marvel of our age, are increasingly being used to tackle our real problems, such as documenting the aftermath of disasters without putting people at risk.
此后话锋一转开始说无人机的普遍使用引发了一些严重的问题，越来越多的无人 机飞得离商用飞机很近，使空中航行受到了威胁。这层意思可以简述为：
But drones also prompt some serious questions. Now more drones fly close to commercial aircraft. The safety of air travel is at stake.
文章接下来讲流氓无人机操作者侵犯了敏感航空领域和私人领地，有记录显示自 2012年以来已发生过500多起事件，其中包括无人机飞到军事基地和核工厂上空盘旋， 闯入大楼，走私毒品，阻碍人们对抗野火等。对此可以概括为：
Rogue drone operators are invading sensitive airspace and private property. There have been more than 500 recorded incidents since 2012, in which they hovered over military bases and nuclear plants, crashed into buildings, smuggled drugs, impeded efforts to fight wildfires, and made other troubles.
文章此后开始讨论对无人机的处置问题，指出无人机事故一般都发生在管控缺乏 的条件下，需要制定新的规则，但同时指出对那些纯粹为了娱乐而玩无人机的人很难监管。他们不需要执照，不办理注册登记，也不经过培训。英文对此可以总结为： 
Drone accidents generally happen in a regulatory vacuum. New safety rules will be made， but people who fly drones for fun aren’t regulated. They don’t need licenses, register their aircraft or undergo training.
再下来文章说到美国联邦航空管理局（FAA) 在这方面所受到的限制及所能发挥 的作用。FAA无权发放娱乐性无人机许可，但有权处罚干扰空中交通并影响他人的人。 最近发生的多起事件促使FAA决定采取更加严格的强制性措施。这段大意英文可以概 括如下：
Although the FAA can't license recreational drones, it has the power to impose fines for interfering with air traffic or endangering other people. The recent risky incidents have prompted the FAA to adopt more stringent enforcement measures.
文章最后补充指出，据估计，这一年在美国将会售出700 000架无人机，那么无人 机公司也需要承担对其用户的有关教育培训。大意可总结为：
It is estimated that 700,000 drones will be sold in U.S. this year. Drone companies need to take more responsibility for educating their customers in all aspects.

[录音原文]
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), better known as drones, are one of the technological marvels of our age. They are increasingly being used to tackle real problems for us. For example, they can document the aftermath of disasters without putting additional people at risk, and can deliver small packages to unreachable remote areas.
But the affordability and availability of drones are also prompting some serious legal, financial and practical questions. A growing number of drones have been flown dangerously close to commercial aircraft. The safety of air travel is at stake when there are unauthorized flying objects in the skies. According to the FAA, more than 650 pilots have reported seeing unmanned aircraft as of August 9 this year, compared to a total of 238 such sightings for all of 2016. In one such case, a drone nearly collided with three airliners over New York City.
Rogue drone operators are rapidly becoming a national nuisance, invading sensitive airspace and private property. The Department of Homeland Security said it had recorded more than 500 incidents since 2012 in which rogue drones hovered over "sensitive sites and critical installations," such as military bases and nuclear plants. Drones have crashed into buildings, smuggled drugs into an Ohio prison, impeded efforts to fight wildfires in California, knocked people down at out-door events, and in one well-publicized case in January, a drone even crashed onto the White House grounds.
In general, drone misadventures are happening in a regulatory vacuum. The FAA has banned most commercial drone flights until it can finalize new safety rules — a step that will take at least another year. But people who fly drones for fun aren't regulated. Under a law passed in 2012 that was designed in part to protect model-airplane enthusiasts, the FAA cannot impose new restrictions on recreational drone owners. As a result， they are not required to obtain licenses, register their aircraft or undergo training.
Although the FAA lacks the authority to license recreational drones, it does have the power to impose civil fines on anyone who recklessly interferes with air traffic or endangers people on the ground. The recent spate of risky incidents have prompted the FAA to adopt more stringent enforcement measures in cooperation with state and local officials.
Drone manufacturers have made it easy for consumers to fly the robotic aircraft right out of the box. The Consumer Electronics Association, an industry group, estimates that hobbyists will buy 700,000 of the remote-controlled aircraft in the United States this year, a 63 percent increase from two years ago. But companies need to take more responsibility for educating their customers by adding warning labels, devising software fixes to limit where drones can fly and taking other steps.