Lesson 7
High Speed Train, Railroad Train and MRT Train
I.
Context
Recently Taiwan High Speed Cooperation just tried running its trains. Mr.
Chang and Mr. Wang are talking about the differences between Taiwan High Speed
Cooperation and MRT as well as their impact on Taiwan Railroad Station and airlines.
II. Dialogue
Mr. Chang: Do you know the differences among Taiwan High Speed
Cooperation’s trains, Taiwan Railroad Station’s and MRT’s
and the features of them?
Mr. Wang:
No, I don’t. What are the differences and the features?
Mr. Chang: The main function of high speed train is for long-distance
conveyance, so there are fewer stops and the speed is high up to 300km/h.
Mr. Wang: How about MRT train and railroad train?
Mr. Chang: MRT is served as metropolitan public transportation, so its
main claims are fast starting, fast speeding-up and fast
reaching the next stop.
Mr. Wang: I feel very comfortable in taking Taipei MRT train.
Mr. Chang: Of course! Its construction costs are almost the highest in the
world.
Mr. Wang: I was planning to take high speed train the other day, but when
I saw there were so many people waiting in lines, I didn’t want
to wait and got back home.
Mr. Chang: The reason why a lot of people took high speed train was that
they loved novelty and the benefits of half-priced tickets.
Mr. Wang: After the period of half price, it will return to normal.
Mr. Chang: After high speed train is completed, the people in the west of
Taiwan can 兜圈子迴轉 circle back toward home from
Taipei in one day. (The west of Taiwan becomes a one-day
life circle.)
Mr. Wang: Yah! I’ll take the early high speed train to visit Taipei the day
after tomorrow and take the last train home in the same day.
Mr. Chang: As for Taiwan Railroad Station, it must make some physical
adjustment, or it will become very miserable.
Mr. Wang: Perhaps there are some impacts, but Taiwan Railroad Station
still have some advantages in the urban area.
Mr. Chang: I agree, but its burden has been too heavy, I think it is
supposed to bring its advantages into thorough play.
Mr. Wang: I am sure it will survive. Then what are the impacts on
airlines?
Mr. Chang: I think airlines will adopt united transit to reduce impacts.
Mr. Wang: I think they still have to lower their prices to avoid the
decrease of passengers.
Mr. Chang: In this way, it is the passengers that can benefit most.
Mr. Wang: I hope the owners of the three companies can push Taiwan’s
transportation industry to the summit under reasonable
competition.
III.
Vocabulary and Terminology
1. Taiwan High Speed Cooperation (N.)
Our government spent a lot of money helping Taiwan High Speed Cooperation
complete its construction.
(我們的政府花了很多錢幫忙高鐵來完成他的建造。)
2. MRT (N.)
MRT has been successful in reducing traffic jam in rush hours in Taipei.
(捷運已經成功減少台北尖峰時間的交通阻塞。)
3. Conveyance (N.)
This elevator is only used for the conveyance of patients who lie in bed.
(這個電梯只被用來運送臥病在床的人。)
4. Public transportation (N.)
This city has a very convenient public transportation system.
(這個城市有非常方便的大眾運輸系統。)
5. Novelty (N.)
Cars were still something of a novelty at the beginning of the 20th century.
(汽車在 20 世紀開始時還是一種新奇的東西。)
6. Normal (N.)
Electricity supply returned to normal again after the blackout.
(停電之後電力的供應又恢復正常。)
7. Circle back (V.ph.)
I circled back to home from Taipei just now.
(我剛從台北兜個圈子回家。)
8. Physical (Adj.)
The company must make some physical changes, or it’ll lose a lot of money.
(這個公司一定做一些體質的改變，否它會損失很多錢。)
9. Burden (N.)
Having a family of eight people is a great burden to me.
(養活八口之家對我來說是一個很大的包袱。)
10. Bring…into thorough play (V. ph.)
We bring our wisdom into thorough play to solve the touchy problem.
(我們徹底的發揮我們的智慧來解決這個棘手的問題。)
11. United transit (N.)
All the airlines should adopt united transit to lower their prices.
(所有的航空公司要採取聯合運輸來降低它們的價格。)
12. Summit (N.)
He is now at the summit of power.
(他現在正在權力的巔峰。)
IV.
Sentence patterns
1. 人 feel comfortable in …
1. I feel comfortable in listening to you sing.
(聽你唱歌我感到很舒服。)
2. He told me that he felt comfortable in working with m.
(他告訴我和我工作他感到很舒服。)
3. Did you feel comfortable in living here?
(你覺得住在這裡舒服嗎？)
2. It is…that
1. It is Mary that deserves the praise.
(那是瑪莉值得這個讚賞。)
2. It is the baby that I took care of yesterday.
(那是我昨天照顧的嬰兒。)
3. It is in the evening that I saw him.
(那是在傍晚時我看到他。)