“DR.

RICARDO CORNEJO ROSALES”

HIGH SCHOOL
AÑO LECTIVO: 2017-2018
BACHILLERATO INTENSIVO
READING WORK

NAME: Angelo Daquilema

DATE: July 29th, 2017

DATE OR READING: July 26th, 2017

TITLE OF READING: High-Speed Trains

Voice 1 
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Robin Basselin.

Voice 2 
And I’m Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for
people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 3 
“Monday morning in Tokyo, Japan. It is eight o’clock in the morning. The Shinkansen express
train is leaving for Osaka. It takes passengers out into the country. It makes the 560 kilometre
trip in just two and half hours. Every day many passengers across the world travel like this.
Today, millions of people use high-speed trains. Soon, millions more will use them too. More
and more countries are turning to high-speed trains. They are a way to meet the growing
transportation needs of the 21st century.”

Voice 1 
These words begin a short film about high-speed trains from the California state government.
These are trains that travel much faster than normal trains. Some of them move at over 400
kilometres an hour! Today’s Spotlight is on high-speed trains.

Voice 2 
Many people think that high-speed trains are the transportation of the future. There are
double the high-speed railways that there were even a few years ago. Japan, Germany, France,
Spain and China have the most high-speed railways. But there are plans for expanding the
railways in the United States, Italy and Russia. Governments are starting new high-speed
railway systems in Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Voice 1 
Japan developed the first large system of high-speed trains in 1964. This system of trains is
called the “Shinkansen.” In English this word means “new main line.”
Voice 2 
Shinkansen trains are also called bullet trains. The trains are rounded like a bullet from a gun.
Their sides are very smooth. Their front end is often pointed - as if they have a nose! This helps
the trains move along their lines, or tracks, with great speed. The Shinkansen trains travel at
over 200 kilometres per hour.

Voice 1 
Many people may be frightened to ride on such a fast train. But high-speed trains are fun to
ride! A man who lives in the city of Osaka describes it on the website Hubpages:

Voice 4
“Once you are on the train you can sit back and rest. While riding, train workers will bring
drinks, snacks and meals. You can purchase these. The only other thing you should do is look
out of the window. You could see the beautiful, snow covered Mount Fuji out of your window
as you pass by.”

Voice 2 
There are two main kinds of high-speed trains. The first kind of high-speed train is a magnetic
levitation or mag-lev. This kind of train does not have a fuel engine. It uses electricity and
magnetic power to move along at high speeds. This kind of train is easy to identify. It does not
ride on the track like other kinds of trains. It floats, or levitates, a few centimetres above the
track.

Voice 1 
The only mag-lev train that carries passengers is in Shanghai, China. The Shanghai mag-lev
train is the fastest passenger train in the world. It goes up to 430 kilometres per hour! It began
service in 2004. It runs from the airport into the city of Shanghai. This trip is about 30
kilometres long. But it only takes the mag-lev train eight minutes!

Voice 2 
The other main kind of high-speed train is not as fast as the mag-lev train. But it is more
common. These high-speed trains use the same tracks that traditional trains use. But they are
designed to go much faster. The Shinkansen in Japan is this kind of train. The TGV train is also
this kind of train. The TGV opened in 1981. It is a popular high-speed train that is based in
France. It can go up to 320 kilometers per hour.

Voice 1 
But the Shinkansen, TGV and mag-lev in Shanghai are all similar in one way. They are all owned
by the government. In Italy, the new high-speed rail line, NTV, is private. Individuals and
companies own it, instead of the government. The leading businessman of NTV is Luca di
Montezemolo. He is also the chairman of the famous car company Ferrari. Di Montezemolo
hopes that the train will be good for the Italian economy and for travellers.

Voice 2 
The new NTV trains in Italy are red, smooth and shiny. They look a bit like Ferrari sports cars!
But they are better for the environment than driving cars. Many people can travel in them at
one time. This saves space and fuel. Trains also create less air pollution than cars. And a
railway track takes up much less space than a large road for cars.

Voice 1 
High-speed rail also has advantages over travelling by airplane. Airports must usually be away
from big cities. This leaves enough room for the airplane to land. Trains do not need as much
space. This is how the mag-lev train can reach into the city of Shanghai. It is faster and easier
for passengers in the city to get to a train station than an airport.

Voice 2 
And, of course, high-speed rail is fast! High-speed rail travel is faster than travelling by car or
bus. But it can also be just as fast as travelling by airplane. Before riding on an airplane,
passengers spend a lot of time waiting. Airplane travel also requires passengers to go through
more security.

Voice 1 
Finally, travelling by train can be safer than travelling in a car or by airplane. In 50 years, the
Shinkansen in Japan has never had an accident!

Voice 2 
Safety, environment and time are all reasons why high-speed trains are popular. Many people
think that high-speed rail may soon be the most important transportation. Today’s program
ends with news from the British Telegraph newspaper about one exciting new international
project:

Voice 5 
“China is talking about building a high-speed railway to India and Europe. It would take ten
years or more to complete this international high-speed railway. Passengers could get on a
train in London and step off in Beijing in just two days. This is over 8,000 kilometres away. This
railway would bring together the whole of Central, East and South East Asia.”

Voice 1 
The writer and producer of this program was Rena Dam. The voices you heard were from the
United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced
by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet
at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘High-Speed Trains’.

Voice 2 
You can leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at radio@radioenglish.net.
You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us
again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

Question:
Is there a high-speed train where you live? How do you travel in your city or country?