Unit 1 High-speed Rail 高速铁路
Warm-up
高速铁路简称“高铁”，根据UIC（国际铁路联盟）的建议，是指通过改造原有线路使其设计速度达到200km/h，或新建线路的设计速度达到250km/h以上。其主要技术优势表现在：①速度快、旅行时间短；②行车密度高、运量大；③高速列车乘坐舒适性好；④土地占用面积小；⑤能耗低；⑥环境污染小；⑦外部运输成本低；⑧列车运行准点；⑨安全可靠；⑩不受气候影响，全天候运行；
社会经济效益好。
高速铁路的特点和建设管理模式，各国因国情不同而异，大致有四种类型：①新建高速铁路双线，专门用于旅客快速运输，如日本新干线和法国高速铁路均为客运专线，白天行车，夜间维修；②新建高速铁路双线，实行客货共线运行，如意大利罗马—佛罗伦萨高速铁路，客运速度250km/h，货运速度120km/h；③部分新建高速线与部分既有线混合运行，如德国柏林—汉诺威线，承担着客运和货运任务；④既有线上运行摆式列车在欧洲国家常见，美国“东北走廊”摆式列车速度为240km/h。1964年10月1日，最高时速达210km的日本东海道新干线的开通，标志着真正意义的高速铁路诞生。
中国高速铁路，常被简称为“中国高铁”。2002年建成运营的秦沈客运专线全线设计时速达到200～250km，是中国高速铁路的前期实验路段，而现在秦沈客运专线已合并成京哈线的区间段。2009年12月26日武汉到广州高速铁路正式开通运营，从广州南站发车至武汉站用时不到3h。2012年9月28日，京广高铁郑武段开通。2012年12月26日，世界上运营里程最长的高速铁路——京广高铁正式全线贯通运营，它北起首都北京，南到广州，全程2298km。2013年12月2日，广深港高铁香港段826项目开工，标志着该项目施工进入香港境内。京沪高铁（Figure 1.1）2008年4月18日正式开工，2011年6月30日通车，线路由北京南站至上海虹桥站，全长1318km，北京到上海最快只需4h 48min。
Figure 1.1 Beijing-shanghai High-speed Railway Route
Dialogue
A：Excuse me，can you help me？
B：Certainly.
A：Can you tell me how to get to Changsha？
B：You can get there by regular train or high-speed rail.
A：What is high-speed rail？
B：High-speed rail is faster than the regular rail.The average speed is about 300km/h.
A：How much time would I save if I take the high-speed rail？
B：About 2 hours.It only takes 37 minutes from Hengyang to Changsha.
A：Wonderful！How much is the fare？
B：Eighty Yuan.And you can buy the ticket from the TVM.It’s very convenient.
A：How often does the high-speed train run？
B：About every half an hour.
A：Oh，good.By the way，the speed is so fast，will I feel uncomfortable？
B：Don’t worry.You will feel comfortable because the train runs very smoothly.
A：That’s great.I’ll take the high-speed train.Thank you very much.
B：You’re welcome.
Reading
Introduction
China has led the world in high-speed railway construction.China had owned a railway network of 110，000 kilometers by the end of 2012，13，000 kilometers of which was high-speed rail，and 36 passenger dedicated lines were put into service according to the former MOR（Ministry of Railways）.
China high-speed railway set the first world speed record on June 24，2008.Then，the Beijing-Tianjin CRH3high-speed train hit a top speed of 394.3 kilometers per hour.
After that，more fast-train lines were put into service，such as the Wuhan-Guangzhou line linking central and southern China，the Zhengzhou-Xi’an line connecting central and western China，and the Shanghai-Nanjing line in the country’s east.
Looking at Figure 1.2.It was taken on Tuesday，Sep.28，2010.It shows a high-speed train running on the Shanghai-Hangzhou railway in Jiashan County of East China’s Zhejiang province.During its trial service on Tuesday，a high-speed train in eastern China set a new speed record，highlighting China’s leading position in the fast-train industry.
Figure 1.2 High-speed Train Running on the Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway
The opening of the Shanghai-Hangzhou line relieves transportation pressures in the Yangtze River Delta，one of China’s most dynamic economic areas.
On its run between the metropolises of Shanghai and Hangzhou，capital city of East China’s Zhejiang Province，the China-made CRH380Atrain hit a maximum speed of 416.6 kilometers per hour，which is a world train speed record.
There is the 202-kilometer-long railway line between Shanghai and Hangzhou.The train is designed to run at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour.Every year，there are 80 million passengers who are expected to travel on this busy route.Previously the one-way journey used to take two hours，but the new train shortens that to less than 40 minutes.This railway line was also significant for regional economic，cultural and social development in the Yangtze River Delta.
Because the high-speed railway is important to the development of economy，China aims to expand its high-speed rail network.
The Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway，shorts for Jinghu High-speed Railway，has been under construction from April，2008.It was put into commercial service on June 30，2011.This rail line has a total length of 1，318km and serves over 50 pairs of bullet trains shuttling between the two cities every day.
The High-speed Electric Multiple Units（EMU）Trains，namely the G-trains，travel between Beijing South Railway Station and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station，going across Beijing，Tianjin，Shanghai，Hebei，Shandong，Anhui and Jiangsu.There are 24 stops along this journey among which 5stops are starting stations，including Beijing South Railway Station，Tianjin West Railway Station，Jinan West Railway Station，Nanjing South Railway Station and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station.
The G-train was first designed for a commercial running speed of 380km/h and it was expected to finish the whole non-stop journey between Beijing and Shanghai in 3 hours 58 minutes.However，its trial run speed was slowed down to 300km/h and it would take about at least 4 hours 48 minutes to finish the whole journey.
China’s rapid development of high-speed railway technology at a reasonable cost is also drawing the world’s attention.
New Words and Expressions
1.boast [bəust] vt.自夸，自吹自擂；有，拥有（值得骄傲的成就或财产）
n.夸口，自负
2.comprehensive[kɔmprihensiv] adj.广泛的；综合的；有理解力的，悟性好的
3.hit [hit] vt.& vi.打，打击；碰撞；使受严重影响；达到（某一高点或低点）
4.highlight [hailait] n.最重要的事情；最精彩的部分
vt.强调，突出；把……照亮
5.relieve[rili∶v] vt.解除；缓解；换班
6.delta [deltə] n.（河流的）三角洲
7.dynamic [dainæmik] adj.动态的；动力的，充满活力的
n.动态；动力，活力
8.metropolis [mitrɔpəlis] n.大都市，大都会；首府，首都；大城市
9.maximum[mæksiməm] adj.最大值的，最大量的；n.最大的量、体积、强度等
10.expand [ikspænd] vt.使……变大；扩张；详述
vi.扩展；发展；张开；展开
11.previously [pri∶vjəsli] adv.事先；以前；仓促
12.shorten [ʃɔ∶tn] vt.& vi.缩短，变短
13.regional [ri∶dʒənəl] adj.地区的，区域的；特定区域的，特定地区的；方言的；区域性
14.bullet[bulit] n.子弹，弹药；弹丸
15.shuttle[ʃʌtl] n.（织机的）梭子；航天飞机
vt.&vi.穿梭般来回移动
16.commercial[kəməʃəl] adj.商业的；贸易的；营利的
n.（电台或电视播放的）广告
17.in service 在使用中；运行中
18.put into service 投入使用
19.draw one’s attention 吸引……的注意
Notes
1.MOR：Ministry of Railways 的缩写形式，译为“铁道部”。China Railway Corporation译为“中国铁路总公司”。
2.Passenger Dedicated Lines：客运专线，缩写成PDL。客运专线是以客运为主的快速铁路。目前，我国铁路等级除Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ级外又增加了“客运专线”等级，时速200～350km的铁路统称为客运专线，曲线半径一般在2200m以上。
3.Electric Multiple Units（EMU）：电力动车组；Multiple Units（MU）：动车组；Multiple Unit Train（MUT）动车组列车；High-speed Electrical Multiple Unit（High-speed EMU）：高速动车组；Diesel Multiple Units（DMU）：内燃动车组。把动力装置分散安装在每节车厢上，使其既具有牵引力，又可以载客，这样的客车车辆叫做动车。而动车组就是几节自带动力的车辆加几节不带动力的车辆编成一组。带动力的车辆叫动车，不带动力的车辆叫拖车。动车组技术源于地铁，是一种动力分散技术。一般情况下，普通列车是依靠机车牵引的，车厢本身并不具有动力，是一种动力集中技术。而采用了“动车组”的列车，车厢本身也具有动力，运行的时候，不光是机车带动，车厢也会“自己跑”，这样把动力分散，更能达到高速的效果。
Exercises
Ⅰ.Answer the following questions.
1.By the end of 2012，how long had the high-speed rail been in China？And how many lines of passenger dedicated lines were put into service？
2.When did China High-speed railway set its first world speed record？What speed did the Beijing-Tianjin CRH3high-speed train hit per hour？
3.Which High-speed railway line relieves transportation pressures in the Yangtze River Delta？
4.How long did it take to travel between Shanghai and Hangzhou previously？And how long does it take now？
5.How long does it take to finish the whole journey between Beijing and Shanghai by the High-speed Electric Multiple Units Train？
Ⅱ.Translate the following terms into Chinese or English.
1.MOR 2.set a new speed record 3.客运专线 4.Electric Multiple Units（EMU）
5.子弹头列车 6.投入运营 7.天津西站 8.High-speed Rail network
9.starting stations 10.单程旅行 11.缓解交通压力 12.试运行
Ⅲ.Fill in the blank.
1.China had owned a railway network of by the end of 2012，13，000 kilometers of which was high-speed rail.
2.The China-made CRH380Atrain hit a maximum speed of per hour，which is a world train speed record.
3.The Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway，short for，has been under construction from.
4.The Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway was put into commercial service on.This rail line has a total length of.
5.The Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway goes across Beijing，Shanghai，Shandong，and.There are stops along this journey among which are starting stations.
Ⅳ.Translate the following paragraph into Chinese.
In order to prepare for the opening of the Harbin-Dalian-High-Speed Railway in Shenyang，capital of Liaoning Province of northeast China，the Shenyang Railway Bureau had launched etiquette training programmers for bullet train attendants（Figure 1.3）who began working on this railway on Nov.26，2012.The Harbin-Dalian High-Speed Railway，the first rail line in the freezing high-latitude regions of China，was scheduled to open on Dec.1，2012.The whole rail line is 921 kilometers long.
Figure 1.3 Bullet Train Attendants Receive Trainings in Shenyang of China
Reading Material
Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway
Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway（Figure 1.4），or called Beijing-Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-speed line（Jingguangshengang High-speed railway from its Chinese name），is a high-speed railway of CRH service.Now it connects Beijingxi Station in Beijing and Shenzhenbei Station in Shenzhen.Futian Station in Shenzhen opened at the end of 2014.When finished，it will only take about 15 minutes from Futian to Hong Kong.
Figure 1.4 Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway
The construction started in 2005.The Wuhan-Guangzhou section opened in December 2009，the Guangzhou-Shenzhen section opened in December 2011，the Zhengzhou-Wuhan section opened in September 2012，and the Beijing-Zhengzhou section was opened in December 2012.The 36-kilometre cross-border Shenzhen-Hong Kong section is expected to open in 2017.The line is 2，240 kilometres long，is the world’s longest high-speed rail route.The high speed rail line cuts travel time by more than half.
Guangzhounan Station and Wuhan Station are designed as hubs for several high-speed railway（HSR）lines.Frequent service to Zhuhai is available at Guangzhounan Station，while a connection to Yichang can be made at Wuhan.
Although the Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway largely parallels the older conventional Beijing-Guangzhou line，most of the HSR stations are located away from the local conventional train stations.Therefore，direct transfer to conventional（not high-speed）trains is possible only at a few stations along the route.Among them are Beijingxi（which is one of the nation’s main passenger railway hubs），Shijiazhuang，Wuhan（which has a few conventional trains，although fewer than the city’s two other stations，at Hankou and Wuchang），and Guangzhoubei.
The designed speed is 350km/h，the highest speed is 380km/h，and the operating average speed is 310km/h.After the opening of the Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway，it is very convenient from Guangzhou to Beijing.It takes only 8 hours.It costs about 20 hours while taking the conventional trains.
The Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway covers one city and five provinces，including Beijing City，Hebei Province，Henan Province，Hubei Province，Hunan Province and Guangdong Province.There are 36 stations altogether.The opening of the Beijing—Guangzhou High-speed Railway promotes the development of these areas.