中國第一位"神女":中國首名女航天員劉洋
China is getting ready to send a woman into space for the first time in a mission that will also represent the country's first manned docking mission with its Tiangong-1 space station.
中國正在爲將首名女航天員送入太空做準備，這次飛行也是中國的宇宙飛船與天宮一號目標飛行器進行的首次載人交會對接任務。The mission, announced just a few days ago, is moving forward rapidly: The Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft to be used in the mission has already been strapped to its carrier rocket and the rocket already moved to the launch pad at a satellite launch center in northwest China.
Associated Press去年11月，神舟八號無人飛船發射升空。本月中國稱，將發射神舟九號飛船，這次使用與發射神舟八號同系列的運載火箭，但將把三名航天員送入太空，其中包括一名女航天員。這個幾天前剛剛宣佈的任務正在迅速推進：在中國西北部的一個衛星發射中心，執行任務的神舟九號載人飛船與運載火箭的組合體已經垂直轉運至發射區。All that remains is to choose the woman who will be on board when spacecraft shoots skyward.
剩下的工作就是選擇最後與飛船一同升空的女航天員了。
On Tuesday, in what may or may not be a sign that the decision has been made, the state-run China Daily published a profile of 34-year-old fighter pilot Liu Yang, one of the two candidates tipped as the most likely to go where no Chinese woman has gone before.
週二，國有媒體《中國日報》（China Daily）刊登了34歲的應急機動作戰部隊女飛行員劉洋的個人簡介。不知道這是否代表最後的決定已經做出。劉洋是最有可能成爲中國首名女航天員的兩名候選人之一。Based on the story, it sounds like Ms. Liu will make a reliable and pleasant, if not particularly entertaining, travel partner.
從報道中看，劉洋似乎將是一名可靠、容易相處，甚至非常有趣的旅伴。Liu's uncle Niu Zhenxi told China Daily on Tuesday that she has long set the example for children in her relatives' families since she was very devoted and obedient to her parents.
劉洋的舅舅牛先生週二告訴《中國日報》，劉洋是個聽話的孩子，一直都是家裏孩子的榜樣。"We all believe that she could make a difference because she is good at overcoming various difficulties," he said.
他說，我們都認爲這孩子錯不了，她特別能吃苦。Wang Xufeng, one of Liu's high school classmates, said she was not talkative in high school but very friendly to the other classmates.
劉洋的一名高中同學王旭峯說，她在高中不太愛說話，但是對同學很友善。"I remember that she was a quiet girl who was shy to talk in public," Wang told China Daily. "She always smiled while talking with her friends, and I can still remember her sweet smile."
王旭峯告訴《中國日報》，她挺文靜，見人總是樂呵呵的。他說，劉洋臉上常常有淡淡的淺笑。She was very diligent in her studies and always ranked in the top 10 of the class in exams, Wang said.
王旭峯說，她性格很執着，成績總在全班前十名。Lest anyone assume that having a sweet smile and obeying her parents as a child means Ms. Liu is soft, the story makes sure to point out that she flies with ice in her veins, citing as evidence an incident in 2003 when a plane she was flying collided in mid-air with a flock of pigeons.
爲了避免人們認爲劉洋作爲“一個面帶微笑而且聽話的孩子”會很柔弱，這篇報道還指出劉洋在執行飛行任務時的鎮靜，並提到了她在2003年處理信鴿撞機事件的例子。According to China Daily, the plane tore through 18 of the unfortunate birds, destroying one of its engines and splattering blood on the windshield. Despite the carnage, the report says, Ms. Liu managed to keep the plane steady, safely executing an emergency landing minutes later.
《中國日報》報道說，劉洋駕駛的飛機當時撞上了18只不幸的信鴿，飛機的一個引擎受損，血噴到了擋風玻璃上。報道中說，儘管撞上了信鴿，劉洋仍保持了飛機平穩飛行，在幾分鐘之後成功實施了緊急迫降。The newspaper didn't mention the woman widely believed to be Ms. Liu's chief rival for a seat on the Shenzhou-9, Wang Yaping, a fighter pilot said to have flown relief flights during the Sichuan earthquake.
《中國日報》對劉洋蔘與此次飛行任務的最大競爭對手王亞平隻字未提。據說，王亞平曾經駕駛飛機參與汶川地震的救援任務。The Guardian has photos of both women here.
《衛報》(The Guardian)刊登了兩名女飛行員的照片。It's unlikely, though by no means impossible, that propaganda authorities would choose to profile Ms. Liu in the country's main state-run English-language newspaper if she weren't considered the front-runner.
儘管並不是完全不可能，但如果劉洋不被視爲頭號人選，宣傳機構是不大可能選擇在國有主要英文報紙上刊登劉洋簡介的。In any case, we won't know for sure who won until just before the Shenzhou-9 lifts off, an event authorities have said will happen"in mid-June."
不管怎樣，在神舟九號飛船升空之前，我們無法確定到底誰會獲勝。中國官方說，此次發射將在6月中旬進行。
