HSK 4 · Article · 510 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-big-is-chinas-high-speed-rail

中国的高铁有多长？

How big is China's high-speed rail?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

如果rúguǒ把bǎ中国zhōngguó所有suóyǒu的de高铁gāotiě线路xiànlù连lián成chéng一yì条tiáo线xiàn，会huì有yǒu多duō长cháng？答案dá’àn是shì：比bǐ地球dìqiú一yì圈quān还hái长cháng。到dào2025年nián底dǐ，中国zhōngguó的de高铁gāotiě已经yǐjīng超过chāoguò了le五万wǔwàn公里gōnglǐ，而ér地球dìqiú赤道chìdào一yì圈quān只有zhíyǒu四万sìwàn公里gōnglǐ左右zuǒyòu。

放fàng在zài全世界quánshìjiè来lái看kàn，这zhè个gè数字shùzì也yě很hěn惊人jīngrén。今天jīntiān，全世界quánshìjiè的de高铁gāotiě线路xiànlù里，大约dàyuē百分之七十bǎifēnzhīqīshí在zài中国zhōngguó。

可是kěshì，中国zhōngguó的de高铁gāotiě开始kāishǐ得de并不bìngbù早zǎo。2008年nián8月yuè，北京běijīng到dào天津tiānjīn的de城际铁路chéngjì-tiělù才cái正式zhèngshì通车tōngchē。这zhè是shì中国zhōngguó第一dìyī条tiáo时速shísù三百五十sānbái-wǔshí公里gōnglǐ的de高铁gāotiě，速度sùdù可以kéyǐ达到dádào每měi小时xiǎoshí三百五十sānbái-wǔshí公里gōnglǐ。

变化biànhuà最zuì大dà的de一yì条tiáo路lù，也许yéxǔ是shì北京běijīng到dào上海shànghǎi。2007年nián，从cóng北京běijīng坐zuò火车huǒchē去qù上海shànghǎi，还hái要yào十shí个gè小时xiǎoshí左右zuǒyòu。很hěn多duō人rén会huì买mǎi一yì张zhāng卧铺wòpù票piào，在zài车chē上shàng睡shuì一yì晚wǎn，第二天dì’èrtiān早上zǎoshang才cái到dào。2011年nián，京沪高铁开通kāitōng了le。这zhè条tiáo线路xiànlù有yǒu一千三百多yìqiānsānbǎiduō公里gōnglǐ，现在xiànzài最zuì快kuài的de车chē四sì个gè多duō小时xiǎoshí就jiù能néng到dào。早上zǎoshang在zài北京běijīng吃chī完wán早饭zǎofàn，中午zhōngwǔ就jiù能néng在zài上海shànghǎi吃chī午饭wǔfàn。

高铁gāotiě也yě改变gǎibiàn了le很hěn多duō人rén过日子guòrìzi的de方式fāngshì。有人yǒurén住zhù在zài一yí个gè城市chéngshì，在zài另lìng一个yígè城市chéngshì上班shàngbān，周末zhōumò坐zuò高铁gāotiě回家huíjiā。每年měinián春节chūnjié，几亿jǐyì人rén回老家huílǎojiā过年guònián，高铁gāotiě成chéng了le很hěn多duō人rén的de第一dìyī选择xuǎnzé。现在xiànzài，在zài人口rénkǒu超过chāoguò五十万wǔshíwàn的de城市chéngshì里，百分之九十七bǎifēnzhījiǔshíqī都dōu通tōng了le高铁gāotiě。

第一次dìyīcì坐zuò中国zhōngguó高铁gāotiě的de外国人wàiguórén，常常chángcháng会huì说起shuōqǐ几jǐ件jiàn小事xiǎoshì。车站chēzhàn大dà得de像xiàng机场jīchǎng。进站jìnzhàn不用búyòng纸zhǐ票piào，一yì张zhāng证件zhèngjiàn就jiù够gòu了le。车chē开kāi得de那么nàme快kuài，车厢chēxiāng里却què很hěn安静ānjìng，很hěn多duō人rén在zài座位zuòwèi上shàng看书kànshū、睡觉shuìjiào，或者huòzhě用yòng电脑diànnǎo工作gōngzuò。

当然dāngrán，高铁gāotiě也yě有人yǒurén批评pīpíng。修xiū高铁gāotiě花huā了le很hěn多duō钱qián，也yě欠qiàn了le很hěn多duō债zhài，一些yìxiē线路xiànlù坐zuò的de人rén并不bìngbù多duō。可是kěshì不管bùguǎn怎么zěnme说shuō，对duì今天jīntiān的de很hěn多duō中国zhōngguó人rén来lái说shuō，“出远门chūyuǎnmén”的de意思yìsi已经yǐjīng变biàn了le：一千yìqiān公里gōnglǐ以外yǐwài的de城市chéngshì，也yě只是zhǐshì几jǐ个gè小时xiǎoshí的de事shì。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
高铁	gāotiě	high-speed rail; bullet train
只有	zhíyǒu	only; only if; unless
答案	dá’àn	answer; solution
地球	dìqiú	the earth; globe
底	dǐ	bottom; base
超过	chāoguò	to exceed; to surpass
公里	gōnglǐ	kilometer
数字	shùzì	number; digit; figure
大约	dàyuē	approximately; about
正式	zhèngshì	formal; official; officially
速度	sùdù	speed; velocity; pace
达到	dádào	to reach; to achieve; to attain

English (for the teacher)

If you joined every high-speed rail line in China into one, how long would it be? The answer: longer than a trip round the Earth. By the end of 2025, China had more than fifty thousand kilometres of high-speed rail, while the equator is only about forty thousand kilometres round.

Even on a world scale, the number is astonishing. Today, about seventy percent of all the high-speed lines in the world are in China.

Yet China's high-speed rail didn't start early. It was only in August 2008 that the intercity railway from Beijing to Tianjin officially opened. It was China's first high-speed line built for three hundred and fifty kilometres an hour.

Perhaps the route that changed most was Beijing to Shanghai. In 2007, the train from Beijing to Shanghai still took about ten hours. Many people bought a sleeper ticket, slept a night on board and arrived the next morning. In 2011, the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway opened. The line is over thirteen hundred kilometres long, and the fastest trains now get there in just over four hours. Have breakfast in Beijing in the morning, and you can be eating lunch in Shanghai at noon.

High-speed rail has also changed the way many people live. Some live in one city, work in another and take the train home at the weekend. Every Spring Festival, hundreds of millions of people go back to their home towns for New Year, and for many of them the high-speed train is the first choice. Today, ninety-seven percent of cities with more than five hundred thousand people are on the high-speed network.

Foreigners riding a Chinese high-speed train for the first time often mention a few little things. The stations are as big as airports. You don't need a paper ticket to get in; your ID card or passport is all it takes. The train goes so fast, yet the carriage is quiet, with people in their seats reading, sleeping or working on laptops.

Of course, high-speed rail has its critics too. Building it cost a great deal of money and ran up a lot of debt, and some lines carry few passengers. But whatever you say, for many Chinese people today, “making a long trip” means something different: a city a thousand kilometres away is just a matter of a few hours.