China aims to accelerate research and development of key core technologies and application-oriented technological innovations this year, said Liu Zhenfang, president of China State Railway Group. Liu, also a deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress, said they would continue to     1     (immense) promote independent research and the industrial application of key core technologies this year       2     (boost) self-reliance in railway technology.

China’s high-speed railways are a successful example of independent innovation in our country, and the overall technological level of China’s railways     3     (enter) the forefront of the world so far.

The group plans to unveil a more advanced bullet train, the CR450—with     4     top operating speed of 400 km/h and an experimental speed of up to 450 km/h-by next year.

Currently, the fastest bullet trains in China     5     (programme) at speeds of 350km/h along several lines, including the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway and the Beijing-Tianjin High-Speed Railway. A train     6     (travel) at 400 km/h would shorten the journey       7     Beijing to Shanghai to 2. 5 hours. China aims to achieve technological     8     (breakthrough) to improve operational safety.

“China’s overall level of railway infrastructure has reached the forefront globally, providing the foundation and conditions for     9     (far) advancement toward a higher level of modernization,” Liu added, “China aims to have 165,000 km of track by the end of next year, 50,000 km of     10     will be high-speed.”

An undersea tunnel (n.隧道) of a high-speed railway was completed in South China on Friday,    1     (set) a new record in the construction of high-speed railway tunnels in China.

The Zhanjiang Bay (湛江湾) Undersea Tunnel, a key project of the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang High-speed Railway,    2     (complete) after 33 months of construction, marking a significant milestone in the construction of the new railway.

The Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel spans (v.横跨)    3     total length of 9,640 meters. It is designed as a single tunnel with double tracks, crossing the seabed of the Zhanjiang Bay and the urban area of Zhanjiang. It crosses a 2,500-meter sea section and a 5,051-meter section of land.    4     (especial), the tunnel is China’s    5     (long) single-headed undersea high-speed railway shield tunnel (盾构隧道), showcasing the country’s remarkable engineering techniques.

“Single-headed shield (单头盾构) refers to the method of using a single tunnel boring machine (隧道掘进机)     6     (dig) continuously from one end to the other,” said Yin Yihao, an engineer from China Railway’s 14th Bureau Group, which was responsible for the tunnel’s construction. Yin added that the traditional methods were not applied in the Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel due to the complicated geological conditions and    7    the single-headed shield tunnel was    8       (safe) and more efficient in this case.

Wu Chunzhao, a senior engineer of the China Railway Design Company,    9     (explain) the reason for building an undersea tunnel instead of a bridge. “Building a tunnel preserves (v.保护) the beautiful urban skyline of the Zhanjiang Bay,    10     avoids the impact of the project on the marine (adj.海洋的) ecological environment,” he said. Wu also noted (v.指出) that a bridge will affect the large ships’ navigation, but the tunnel will not do this.

The tunnel is a key project of a high-speed railway linking Guangzhou and Zhanjiang in Guangdong.

CRRC, a leading manufacturer of railway vehicles globally, has officially unveiled its latest addition to the intercity smart train family — the Cinova 2.0, at    1     event held in Qingdao, China. This significant milestone marks the     2     (begin) of a new era in intercity rail travel, as the train represents a leap forward in terms of technology and passenger comfort.

The train was independently developed and manufactured by CRRC. What sets the Cinova 2.0 apart from its predecessors (前代产品) is the integration of cutting-edge technologies such as advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and digital twins. These technologies provide intelligent solutions that enhance the safety,     3     (efficient), and promising passenger experience of the train.

The ADAS, for instance,     4     (utility) a suite of sensors and cameras to provide the driver with real-time information about the train's surroundings and operating conditions. This allows for safer and    5     (smooth) navigation, even in complex urban environments. Meanwhile, the digital twins technology creates a virtual replica (复制品) of the train and its operating environment,     6     can be used to simulate various scenarios (情景) and test new operational strategies,    7     affecting the actual train.

The new model is an    8     (upgrade) version of the Cinova 1.0 intercity train, which featured characteristics suited for intercity operations such as fast start and stop times, efficient boarding and a large capacity. The Cinova 2.0 has these same design qualities while also integrating intelligent    9     (technology) like 5G, big data and cloud computing. This intelligent train, with its advanced technologies and exceptional performance, is ready to    10     (revolution) the way people travel between cities, making it safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.

Every early morning in Southwest China’s Chongqing, there is a common scene at the city’s Rail Transit Line 4: A group of farmers     1     (shoulder) vegetables for sale are busy riding on the subway to downtown.

Nicknamed “packbasket special line”, the second phase of the subway line, connecting Shichuan town to the city center, has     2     total length of 32.8 kilometers and 15 stations. It     3     (provide) local farmers near the town with a wider channel for selling their produce since its opening.

Every morning around 6 o’clock, the entrance and exit of the Shichuan Town station of the line are     4     (crowd) with these special commuters (上下班往返的人)     5     baskets are filled with fresh seasonal vegetables. It took them more than one hour     6     (reach) the city before the opening of the line as they had to take several buses. Now, by taking the subway, they can get there in less than 30 minutes     7     any difficulty. The opening of this subway line not only saves money for the farmers but also time, bringing great     8     (convenient) to them.

To facilitate the farmers, the station, which was supposed to open at 6:15, now opens five minutes earlier every day. The staff members     9     (arrange) at the station also assist as much as possible: guiding them to     10     (efficient) enter the station in order and to use the elevators, and helping them with the baskets.

In Japan’s capital city of Tokyo, the height of buildings     1     (limit) because of earthquake danger. As one of the most crowded cities in the world, the traffic in Tokyo has become so heavy that it is very difficult     2     (go)from one place to another. The price of the land, too, has always been going up     3     (rapid). All these explain why a group of Japanese land developers came to     4     conclusion that there was nowhere to go but down. So far they     5     (dig) out space underground for fifteen shopping centers.

One of the     6     (advantage) of shopping and eating underground is its clean air. The city of Tokyo has one of the most serious smog problems in the world. Also, while     7     (travel) underground, you escape the ever-present threat of traffic accidents on the city’s busy streets. Still, the advanced underground traffic system makes it     8     (convenience) for people to get around in Tokyo: you are usually right next to, or even in, a subway station. And you can even spend the night underground     9     you like. The Ginza Station, for example, in downtown Tokyo, has a hotel     10     a bar, restaurant, and barbershop.

China’s C919 airliner, a potential     1     (compete) to Western-made Boeing and Airbus planes, made its first flight outside China on Sunday by staging a flyby at the Singapore Airshow.

China calls the C919,     2     (produce) by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), its first large homegrown passenger jet. The aircraft took to the skies for its first commercial flight last May. At present, it is carrying passengers only within Chinese mainland     3     flies with China Eastern Airlines.

China has more and more confidence to     4     (eventual) compete against Boeing and Airbus. The C919’s first overseas flight comes at the time     5     Boeing is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Last month, part of the fuselage (机身) of a 737 Max 9 Boeing plane     6     (fall) off during an Air Alaska flight in the United States.

The C919 would be the most focused aircraft at the Singapore Airshow. There is a lot of interest     7     (see) the actual aircraft, how it performs and how it is in flight. With an ability to fly between five to six hours, the C919 is perfect for regional travel.     8     had the potential to appeal to countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central Asia.

Currently, only a     9     (hand) of countries make their own planes because of extremely high barriers to entry in the industry. A high level of special technology, as well as huge amounts of time and resources,     10     (need).