Bin Railway Dreams
从北京到上海，只需要288分钟！中国的高铁时代已经到来，越来越多的旅客会放弃飞机而选择火车。
Imagine，one day，getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours，and then，after a full day of work，going back home to Beijing and having dinner there.
Sounds unusual，doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic，with the development of China's highspeed railway plan to connect the country with Southeast Asia，and eventually Eastern Europe.
China is negotiating to extend its own highspeed railway network to up to 17 countries in 10 to 15 years，eventually reaching London and Singapore.If China's plan for the highspeed railway goes forward，people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days.
The new system would still follow China's highspeed railway standard.And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour，almost as fast as some airplanes.
Of course，there are some technical challenges to overcome.There are so many issues that need to be settled，such as safety，rail gauge，maintenance of railway tracks.So，it's important to pay attention to every detail.
It'll be a winwin project.For other countries，the railway network will definitely create more opportunities
for business，tourism and so on，not to mention the better communication among those countries.
For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some muchneeded resources，but would also help develop China's far west.We foresee that in the coming decades，millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources are unused.With highspeed trains，people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all.And they'll trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries.
[阅读障碍词]
1．unrealistic adj. 不现实的，不切实际的
2．negotiate vi.&vt. 谈判，协商
3．zip vi. 疾行前往
4．gauge n. 轨距
5．definitely adv. 确切地，肯定地
6．migrate vi. 迁徙，移居
[诱思导读]
1．What benefits do you think the highspeed railway system can bring us?
It can create more opportunities for business，tourism，and make better communication and so on.
2．Are there any problems in the railway network? Please make a list.
There are some technical challenges to overcome，such as safety，rail gauge，maintenance of railway tracks.
