导读:中国第二艘航母26日上午在大连出坞下水，标志着我国自主设计建造航母取得重大阶段性成果。中央军委副主席范长龙出席了下水仪式。
China officially launched its second -- and the first domestically developed -- aircraft carrier on Wednesday morning in Dalian, Liaoning province.
星期三（4月26日）早上，我国第二艘航空母舰——也是第一艘中国人自主研发的航母，在辽宁省大连正式下水出坞。
The ship is the largest and most sophisticated surface vessel China has ever built.
这艘航母是我国建造的航母中最大的，也是结构最复杂的水面舰艇。
General Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, took part in the launch ceremony at a shipyard in the northeastern coastal city. Fan’s presence indicates the significance Chinese leaders attach to the colossal ship because only the most important equipment for the PLA would have top-level officers at the public debut ceremony.
下水仪式在这个东北沿海城市的一个造船厂举行，中央军委副主席范长龙将军出席了仪式。范长龙的出席意味着，这艘巨型航母对中国领导人有着非同寻常的意义，因为通常只有在解放军最为重要的装备公开亮相仪式上，高层官员才会出席。
The new carrier’s name and hull code remain unknown as the Navy usually makes public such information when a ship is commissioned.
这艘新航母的名字和船体代码尚不清楚，因为海军通常在一艘船服役时才公开这类信息。
Currently, the PLA Navy operates a sole aircraft carrier, CNS Liaoning, which was originally a Soviet-era vessel and received an extensive refit at the same shipyard in Dalian, where the new carrier is being constructed, before going into service in September 2012.
目前,中国人民解放军海军仅有的唯一一艘航母CNS辽宁号，原本是前苏联造的，同样是在建造这艘新航母的大连造船厂进行了全面的改装后，才在2012年9月正式服役。
The new carrier has been designed in China, according to a news release published by the military after the ceremony.
根据仪式结束后军方在新闻发布会上的消息，这艘新航母是中国自主设计的。
In the next phase, the carrier will start the outfitting process, the news release said. During the outfitting stage, engineers and workers will complete the installation of the ship’s power plant, engines, interior equipment and systems as well as weapons.
发布会上还说，下一步，该航空母舰将按进行舾装施工。在舾装过程中，工程师和工人们将完成电力、引擎、内部装备、系统设备以及武器的安装工作。
Besides China, six countries operate a total of 16 aircraft carriers. The United States is the largest operator as it now runs 10 Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carriers with each having a full-load displacement of about 100,000 tons.
除了中国，还有6个国家共拥有16艘航母。美国是拥有航母最多的国家，当前共有10艘尼米兹级核动力航母，都是排水量在10万吨的超级航母。
