Taiwan High Speed Rail Elementary

Reading Passage
Taiwan has a very fast train. It is called the High Speed Rail, or HSR. The trains are white and orange. They look very modern and clean. Many people ride them every day.
The HSR can go 300 kilometers per hour. That is very speedy! A trip from Taipei to Kaohsiung takes only 90 minutes. By car, the same trip takes about 4 hours.

The HSR started in 2007. It has 12 stations along the west side of Taiwan. The trains are very comfortable. They have big seats and air conditioning. You can even buy food on the train.
Riding the HSR is easy. You can buy tickets at the station or online. There are machines that speak English too. Many tourists use the HSR to travel around Taiwan.
The trains are also very safe. They stop automatically if there is a problem. Taiwan is proud of its high speed rail. It helps people travel quickly and easily!
等級: Level C
A. Vocabulary Matching
Match each word with its definition.
1. fast ______
2. modern ______
3. speedy ______
4. minutes ______
5. stations ______
6. comfortable ______
7. tickets ______
8. tourists ______
9. safe ______
10. automatically ______
a. places where trains stop
b. short amounts of time; 60 in an hour
c. moving quickly
d. new and up to date
e. by itself; without help
f. feeling nice and relaxed
g. people visiting from other places
h. very quick
i. not dangerous
j. papers that let you ride
B. True or False
Write T (True) or F (False) for each statement.
- The HSR trains are blue. ______
- The HSR can go 300 km per hour. ______
- Taipei to Kaohsiung takes 4 hours by HSR. ______
- The HSR started in 2007. ______
- There are 12 stations. ______
- You can buy food on the train. ______
- You can only buy tickets at the station. ______
- The trains stop automatically if there is a problem. ______
- The seats are small and hard. ______

C. Fill in the Blanks
Word Bank: fast | modern | minutes | stations | comfortable | tickets | safe
- Taiwan has a very _______________ train called the HSR.
- The trains look very _______________ and clean.
- A trip from Taipei to Kaohsiung takes only 90 _______________.
- You can buy _______________ at the station or online.
- The trains are very _______________ and stop if there is a problem.
D. Comprehension Questions
- How fast can the HSR go?
- When did the HSR start?
- How many stations are there?
- How long does it take from Taipei to Kaohsiung?
- How can you buy tickets?

E. Discussion Questions
Talk about these questions with a partner or write your answers.
- Have you ridden on a fast train before?
- Why do you think fast trains are useful?
- How do you usually travel to other cities?
Answer Key
Check your answers below.
A. Vocabulary: 1-c, 2-d, 3-h, 4-b, 5-a, 6-f, 7-j, 8-g, 9-i, 10-e
B. True/False: 1-F, 2-T, 3-F, 4-T, 5-T, 6-T, 7-F, 8-T, 9-F
C. Fill in the Blanks: 1-fast, 2-modern, 3-minutes, 4-tickets, 5-safe
D. Comprehension: 1. 300 kilometers per hour; 2. 2007; 3. 12 stations; 4. 90 minutes; 5. At the station or online
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