Travel in the Future

These days, if you want to travel from New York to Beijing, the flight takes about 16 hours. You also have to wait at the airport, and sometimes you have to transfer (换乘) onto a different airplane. If you add all of that extra time, the trip takes at least 20 hours. But in the future, the trip from New York to Beijing might only take two hours.

Right now, a company is developing something called ET3, which stands for "evacuated tube (真空管) transport technology". Here's how it works. A tube goes all the way from New York to Beijing. The tube is only a few meters wide. Capsules (舱) move through the tube. Six people can sit in one capsule. The capsules use electricity instead of oil. For international travel, the capsules can travel at about 6,500 kilometers per hour. That's much faster than airplanes—most modern airplanes usually only fly at about 800 kilometers per hour.

So how is this possible? How can these capsules travel so fast? The answer is that there is no air inside the tube. When airplanes fly, they have to move through air. The air slows the airplanes down. Because there isn't any air in the ET3 tubes, the capsules are able to move at a very high speed. Also, the capsules are quite light. Each only weighs 183 kilograms.

There are other advantages to ET3. Because it uses electricity, it's quite clean. Also, it's a lot quieter than airplanes and cars. Finally, ET3 tubes and capsules don't require very much building materials.

Of course, ET3 doesn't come into use yet. The technology is still being developed. Developers still have to solve a lot of problems. The biggest problem is that right now ET3 would be far too expensive. In order to make ET3 cheaper, we will need much better technology.

It's exciting to think of how ET3 will change the travel in the future. Who knows? Maybe someday you'll be able to have lunch in New York and dinner in Beijing.

1.According to the passage, an ET3 looks more like a ________.

A.spaceship B.bus C.plane D.subway train

2.ET3 travels at the very high speed because _________.

A.it is powered by electricity and oil B.it is much lighter than an airplane

C.it moves through a tube without air D.it is made up of fewer capsules

3.From the passage, the writer expects that ________.

A.modern technology will be used in airplanes B.ET3 will take the place of airplanes some day

C.less money will be spent for passengers on ET3 D.ET3 will change the travel in the future greatly

What makes Australia different? First, if you are traveling from Southeast Asia, you will cover about 4,500 miles (7,240 km). If you are from the Americas or South Africa, you will cover about 9000 miles (14,500 km). If you come from Europe, you will have to travel about 10,500 miles (17,000 km). It is not just a quick crossing by boat, or a walk over a bridge. It is a long way to “Down Under”. So there are surely to be cultural as well as geographical differences.

And then there is the size of it. It’s a long way from one side to the other. Perth, the capital of Western Australia, is the most isolated (孤立的) city in the world. It is closer to Singapore than to Sydney, which is about 1, 900 miles (3,000 km) away.

Most countries have probably had population growth, with much the same racial mix, for hundreds of years. Apart, of course, from the Aborigines (土著), who have been there for over 50,000 years, Australians have not been there long. The first Europeans came and lived just over 200 years ago. Most other foreigners arrived less than 50 years ago. Australia’s population has doubled since 1957, transforming what was perhaps one of the most boring nations to one of the most exciting, with many interesting differences of culture and custom.

Australians are generally warm-hearted and open. Perhaps they have taken the best from other foreign cultures, mixing them with the best of Aboriginal and early foreign cultures. Australians are also humorous. You are expected to be the same. It is said in Australia that all visitors must be able to take a joke. Learn to laugh at yourself, your country, and so on. And if you really want to be a social hit, tell jokes about yourself, your country, and the way you speak. There is almost nothing that cannot be laughed at. The important things in life such as traditions (like public festivals) are taken very lightly. Sport, however, is taken very seriously!

Today, Australia has one of the world’s highest standards of living, fine food and wine, a great sporting tradition, a colorful and high culture, and an affection for visitors.

1.How far will visitors travel from Europe to Australia?

2.Which is closer to Perth, Singapore or Sydney?

3.When did the first Europeans come to Australia?

4.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

5.According to Paragraph 4, what are Australians like?

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