Beijing's newest train station looks like a modern airport and a ride on its bullet train is nearly as fast as taking a plane.

China's high-speed trains have come a long way from the steam engines that once chugged into the capital before economic reforms in the 1980s transformed long-distance transportation.

"This is how the majority of people travel across China. Old trains like this go as slow as 55 kilometers per hour when it's crowded. It's standing room only."

And the journey can take days. But that's no longer the only option. China is now home to the world's fastest train hurdling from Wuhan to Guangzhou at up to 400 kilometers per hour.

"This train is so fast. It threatened to airline ticket sales. China's southern airlines is struggling to compete on this particular route as high-speed railways changed the way Chinese people travel across this vast country."

China is spinning a web of high-speed railways with faster connection than ever before. The government plans to extend 3,000 current kilometers of high-speed track to 12,000 by 2012; estimated cost, $360 billion or 60% of the stimulus package China enacted to combat the financial crisis.

"If you are investing in high-speed railway system, you are sending checks to two million workers throughout the railway industry, so that's a very easy call to make predically ."

China's rail system is now arguably the most advanced in the world. US company General Electric is collaborating with Beijing on technology to modernize America's own engine rail network. While nowhere close to China's investment, president Obama has committed $8 billion to high-speed rail.

"Our nation has always been built to compete. There's no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains."

Just like interstate highways transformed the United States, faster trains in China will bring infrastructure, investment and passengers to destinations deep in the countryside.

"Everybody wants to take the high-speed trains." this traveller says. "It's less exhausted and more comfortable."

Critics counter China is overbuilding and that tickets on fast trains are too expensive for average citizens. But with living standards rising, more and more will be able and willing to pay to satisfy the need for speed.

生词汇总：

chug: to move making the sound of an engine running slowly （发动机缓慢运转时）发出突突声

arguably: used, often before a comparative or superlative adjective, when you are stating an opinion which you believe you could give reasons to support （常用于形容词比较级或最高级前）可论证地，按理

nowhere: not in or to any place 无处；哪里都不 not anywhere near/nowhere near: 远非，绝不是

counter: to reply to somebody by trying to prove that what they said is not true 反驳；驳斥

声明：音视频均来自互联网链接，仅供学习使用。本网站自身不存储、控制、修改被链接的内容。"沪江英语"高度重视知识产权保护。当如发现本网站发布的信息包含有侵犯其著作权的链接内容时，请联系我们，我们将依法采取措施移除相关内容或屏蔽相关链接。