二十年前，从北京到上海，坐火车要十几个小时。
Twenty years ago, the train from Beijing to Shanghai took more than ten hours.
现在坐高铁，只需要四个半小时。
Now the high-speed train takes only four and a half hours.
高铁又快又安全，座位舒服，车里也很安静。
The high-speed train is fast and safe, the seats are comfortable, and the carriages are quiet.
你可以在车上喝茶、看书，看着窗外的城市和大山很快地过去。
You can drink tea and read on board, watching cities and mountains fly past the window.
高铁改变的不仅是速度，而且是人们的生活。
What high-speed rail has changed is not only speed, but also people's lives.
很多人住在一个城市，在另一个城市上班；周末坐高铁去看父母，也变得很容易。
Many people live in one city and work in another; going home by high-speed train on weekends to see their parents has also become easy.
有人说，世界变小了。
Some people say the world has become smaller.
其实世界没有变，是我们和远方的距离变短了。
Actually the world hasn't changed — it is the distance between us and faraway places that has grown shorter.
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teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.
Key words 生词
高铁gāotiěhigh-speed rail
速度sùdùspeed
距离jùlídistance
安全ānquánsafe
窗外chuāngwàioutside the window
远方yuǎnfāngfaraway places
Grammar note 语法点
不仅……而且……
"Not only A, but also B" — B goes further than A: 高铁改变的不仅是速度，而且是人们的生活。
他不仅会说汉语，而且说得很好。— He not only speaks Chinese, but speaks it very well.
V + 着 (ongoing action)
着 after a verb marks an ongoing or accompanying action: 看着窗外的城市和大山过去。
她听着音乐做作业。— She does her homework while listening to music.
Check yourself 小测验
1. How long does the trip from Beijing to Shanghai take by high-speed train now?
2. Besides speed, what does the text say high-speed rail has changed?
3. What does the author say at the end of the text?