第二篇:
Even though Japan and France are the two countries that enjoy highspeed today, their highspeed rail systems
are technically different.
The French TGV and Japanese Shinkansen were designed for different geographic and traffic demands. A
close look at the map of both these systems will tell you that Shinkansen, as the name itself suggests, was
envisioned like a huge backbone from which smaller branches branch out to connect the entire country. It passes
through a series of urban agglomerations hence encountering frequent stops throughout the line. The hilly terrain
of Japan means it will have more curves and tunnels comparatively which affect the train design as have been
seen. The geography of Japan also supports a track route of such a nature. The French TGV lines, on the other
hand, is designed in a way that the corners of the country are well connected with its capital city, Paris. And as
TGV map suggests, the lines are not so densely populated as in Japan.
Shinkansen trains are designed to run full of people. It is not that the TGV cannot run in full capacity. But the
number of seats required in Shinkansen is significantly much larger than that seen in TGV’s. The first seven of the
highest number of people that can be accommodated per meter all belong to Shinkansen, with a capacity per unit
length between 3 and 4 people every meter of train length. The best train in the series from the TGV series comes
at 8th with over 2.5 people per meter of the train. This means there is more space and comfort for travelers in
TGV as compared to the Shinkansen trains. This leads to a possibility of capacity of about 1,200 people per
trainset in case of Shinkansen trains while TGV trainset supports over 500 people per trainset.
【題組】56. What is the passage meaning about?
(A) A comparative study on modern highspeed rail systems.
(B) Traffic demands in Japan and France.
(C) A comparison between the French TGV and the Japanese Shinkansen.
(D) The performances of two highspeed rail systems.