讲解人 · John
原文
Yet Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary and Elon Musk have come to digital blows over whether Ryanair should offer its customers Wi-Fi via Musk’s Starlink satellite network.
A spat between the two men broke out on Musk’s social network X after Ryanair estimated that Starlink would cost the airline an extra $250mn in fuel owing to the drag from the antennas.
Musk suggested O’Leary was wrong; the Irishman then called X a cesspit and the Tesla founder an idiot.
Musk polled followers over whether he should buy the $35bn airline.
The Wi-Fi issue is a live one for airlines, whether they view it as another ancillary revenue generator, a freebie to bolster their premium offering or, more recently, the means to build advertising revenues.
Craving for connectivity tends to grow the longer the flight, weakening the case for onboard Wi-Fi for the shorter trips that Ryanair specialises in.
Yet at roughly $1 for every passenger Ryanair carries in a year, the disputed $250mn fuel cost could soon be absorbed — though, of course, that doesn’t include installation, maintenance and operating costs.
The risk for O’Leary, though, is that some rival, such as easyJet or Wizz Air, rolls out cheap or free Wi-Fi in a bet that it will bring in extra business.
Perhaps, Musk might offer that rival a special deal on Starlink access if it meant he won the argument and O’Leary was forced to follow suit.
That would be cheaper than buying Ryanair outright, but no less cheeky.
Though it is hard to know whether anyone wins when cabins are full of YouTube streamers who “forgot” their headphones.
带着问题听讲解
- 文中 cesspit 一词是什么意思？
- 航空公司提供舱内 Wi-Fi 可能带来哪些商业价值？
- 瑞安航空不愿提供机上 Wi-Fi 的主要商业考量是什么？
讲解
重点词汇
ponder
/ˈpɑːn.dɚ/
v. 沉思，考虑
- 例句：He pondered his future career path.近义词：contemplate；mull over
- 例句：He's mulling over the proposals before making any changes.
wield
/wiːld/
v. 挥舞，拿起；施加（影响等）
- 例句：The knight wielded his sword with great skill.搭配短语：wield power/influence/authority例句：She wields considerable influence in the company's decision-making.相关词汇：chainsaw-wielding（挥舞电锯的）文化补充：马斯克曾在 2025 年的一场美国保守派集会上登台演讲并挥舞电锯，并宣布“这是砍向官僚主义的电锯”。
come to blows
争吵；大打出手
- 相关词汇：blow（n. 拳打，重击）例句：The two neighbours almost came to blows over the noise.搭配短语：come to blows with sb.近义词：have a war of words（舌战，论战）近义词：trade barbs with（唇枪舌剑）近义词：be at each other's throats（互相打斗；激烈争吵）
spat
/spæt/
n. 争执，口角
- 例句：They had a little spat about whose turn it was to do the dishes, but made up quickly.近义词：squabble
- 搭配短语：family squabbles
近义词：tiff- 搭配短语：have a tiff with sb.
antenna
/ænˈten.ə/
n. 天线；触须，触角；感觉
- 相关词汇：antennae（antenna 表示昆虫触角时的复数形式）搭配短语：a person with sensitive political antennae
- 英文释义：very aware of political issues and attitudes
搭配短语：television antennas近义词：aerial
cesspit
/ˈses.pɪt/
n. 污秽的场所；污水坑，粪池
- 例句：Many people argue that the internet has become a cesspit of misinformation.
poll
/poʊl/
v. 进行民意调查
- 搭配短语：sb. is polled on sth.词性拓展：poll（n. 民意调查；投票）
- 例句：The latest poll shows the president's approval rating has dropped.
freebie
/ˈfriː.bi/
n. 免费品，赠品
- 相关词汇：sample（n. 试用产品，试样）口语表达：Nice! I got a freebie!相关词汇：complimentary（adj. 免费赠送的）
- 搭配短语：a complimentary bottle of champagne
- 搭配短语：complimentary tickets
bolster
/ˈboʊl.stɚ/
v. 支撑；加固；提高
- 词性拓展：bolster（n. 长枕，垫枕）搭配短语：bolster confidence/courage例句：Good reviews can bolster a restaurant's reputation.
craving
/ˈkreɪ.vɪŋ/
n. 渴望；难以抑制的渴求
- 搭配短语：a craving for
- 例句：After a long hike, I had a craving for a cold drink.
相关词汇：crave（v. 渴望）- 搭配短语：crave for sth.（少见）/crave sth.（高频用法）
absorb
/əbˈzɔːrb/
v. 承担（费用成本）；吸收；理解；吸引
- 例句：Water and salts are absorbed into our bloodstream.搭配短语：absorb information搭配短语：be absorbed in例句：The banks would be forced to absorb large losses.
roll out
在市场上推出某物
- 例句：We're rolling out a new advertising campaign in phases.相关词汇：roll（v. 卷；翻滚）
- 搭配短语：roll with the punches（灵活应对，克服困难）
- 搭配短语：be rolling in money（赚大钱）
- 口语表达：We're ready to roll.
近义词：launch
follow suit
照着做，仿效
- 相关词汇：suit（n. 扑克牌花色；西装）
- 相关词汇：hearts（红桃）；clubs（梅花）；diamonds（方块）；spades（黑桃）
例句：When one airline lowered its ticket prices, the others were forced to follow suit.相关词汇：sb's strong suit- 例句：Public speaking is not my strong suit.
outright
/ˌaʊtˈraɪt/
adv. 彻底，完全；立刻；当场
- 搭配短语：buy/own sth. outright
- 例句：Instead of getting a mortgage, they bought the house outright.
近义词：on the spot例句：Most of the crash victims were killed outright.词性拓展：outright（adj. 彻底的；直率的）- 搭配短语：an outright victory
- 例句：There was outright opposition to the plan.
cheeky
/ˈtʃiː.ki/
adj. 厚脸皮的；放肆的
- 相关词汇：cheek（n. 脸颊）例句：The little boy gave his mom a cheeky grin after stealing a cookie.
拓展阅读
