Exercise 23 Answer the following questions.

1. What are the advantages of high-speed trains over automobiles and aircraft? 2. Which country is the world’s high-speed pioneer? 3. Why was the year of 1964 a pivotal point in the railway development? 4. Which speeds are common on upgraded conventional lines now? What is the high-speed standard for dedicated lines? 5. Is Japan still in the vanguard of high-speed R&D? How can you prove it? 6. What is the world speed record for a wheeled train? 7. What is the world speed record for experimental Maglev train? 8. When and where did the first European high-speed line appear? 9. How many generations of TGV trains do you know? How do they differ? 10.Which countries are connected with TGV network? 11. When did Germany commence high-speed operation? 12. What is an Eurostar train? 13.What is the journey time from London to Paris and Brussels by Eurostar? 14. How is HSR developing in Spain? 15.What is the main passenger carrier in the USA? Which trains does it operate? 16. What concept is Pendolino train based on? 17. What is one of the characteristic features of tilting trains? 18. How is the high-speed map of the world expanding? 19. Which countries will join the Asian high-speed club in the nearest future? 20. Are there high-speed trains in Ukraine? 21. What features do the latest high-speed train possess? 22. What will be the main advantage of the N700 tilting train? 23. What does the modular concept of the latest high-speed trains imply? Why is FASTECH 360 nicknamed ‘cat-eared Shinkansen’? 24. What is the trend in operating HSR in Europe? 25. Can you name the major railway producers and manufacturing companies in Europe?

Exercise 24 Complete the sentences with the following words:

purpose-built, consume, guided, captured, state-of-the-art, dedicated, boosting,

pivotal, tilting, commenced, likened, bullet, compatible, ride quality, mastered

1. The first generation of TGVs … high-speed. 2. French Railways deploy a new generation Super-TGV on … infrastructure. 3. Germany … its high-speed operation in 1991. 4. Eurostar has … a 69% market share on London-Paris axis. 5. Italian … vehicles have been developed with Tiltronix technologies. 6. High-speed stations are the main stimulus for … economy. 7. A … train was a beacon of hope for both Japanese and world railways. 8. Japan’s Tokaido Shinkansen Railway is the first … high-speed line in the world. 9. The new modular trains come in two versions: a … Pendollino and non- … train. 10. October 1964 became a ... point in railway development. 11. Maglev trains can be … to a flying train or a … aircraft. 12. Much of the technology behind HSR is … with existing infrastructure. 13. The last generation of high-speed trains is designed to improve …, reduce noise and … less energy.

Exercise 25 Are these sentences true or false? Correct the false sentences with the facts from the text.

1. At present France has the most heavily travelled, and the largest HSR network in the world. 2. Japan pioneered high-speed transportation in 1964. 3. There have been four generations of TGV in France by now. 4. The Maglev train is in commercial operation already. 5. Currently the TGV network consists of six high-speed lines. 6. Europe’s railways entered the high-speed era at the beginning of the 1990s. 7. Eurostars cannot compete successfully against air. 8. Tilting trains have been widely used in Italy because its mountainous geography influences the roads and railway tracks. 9. The Pendolino is not so fast on curves as it is on the straight lines, and can run only on dedicated tracks. 10. American high-speed trains are as fast as European ones. 11. Membership of the highly exclusive HSR club is limited by European countries. 12. Ukraine will soon enter the HSR club. 13. Much of the technology behind HSR is incompatible with existing infrastructure.

Exercise 26 Find the appropriate description for the following words.

Exercise 27 Look through the text attentively again and fill in the chart.

Exercise 28 Write a summary of the text, presenting the content of each paragraph in 2-3 sentences. Use the expressions:

The main idea of the text is ...

The text deals with one of the most important (urgent) issues ...

Much attention (consideration) is given to (classification, description) ...

It focuses on the matters of ...

The text gives an overview of ...

The text is mainly concerned with ...

The aim of the survey is to show (demonstrate, find)...

Particular emphasis is given to the analysis of…

The text gives a detailed analysis of (reports on) ...

To sum up ...

In conclusion ...