Ex. 12. Choose the right alternative to complete the sentences.

1. Japanese National Railways were privatized in … .

a) the late 1970s b) the late 1890s c) the late 1980s

2. The JR Group operates both intercity rail service and … .

a) freight services b) commuter services c) Shinkansen services

3. There are … companies in the JR Group.

a) Nine b) seven c) five

4. The Shirasagi train runs between … .

a) Tokyo and Osaka

b) Nagoya and Maibara

c) Nagoya and Toyama

5. JR West is the owner of … .

a) rolling stock b) railway tracks c) train crews

6. Before 1987, freight traffic in Japan was carried by … .

a) Freight Railway Company

b) Tokaido Shinkansen

c) Japan National Railways

7. Japan Freight Railway Company has to hire track from the … .

a) passenger companies b) commuter companies c) JNR

8. Non-operating companies do not provide … .

a) rail services b) cheap services c) freight services

9. The Railway Technical Research Institute is one of the … .

a) operating companies

b) non-operating companies

c) profitable companies

10. The Shinkansen is operated by … Japan Railways Group companies.

a) five b) six c) four

Ex. 13. Answer the following questions. Do it in written form.

1. What does the word Shinkansen mean?

2. What does this word refer to nowadays?

3. What is the world’s busiest high-speed rail line?

4. What cities does this line connect?

5. When was the Tokaido Shinkansen officially opened?

6. What speed did the Shinkansen trains achieve in the 1960s?

7. What speed can maglev trainsets achieve?

8. How many passengers were transported by Shinkansen trains in 2008?

9. How long is a Shinkansen train?

10. What is the train’s seating capacity?

11. Does the Shinkansen serve only long-distance travelers?

12. How do we call people, which travel to work in large cities from remote places?

Ex. 14. Translate the following texts to answer the question: Which trains do (A), (B), (C) refer to?

A. ♦ is the fastest train service running on the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen in Japan. The service stops at only the largest stations. ♦ services using 500 series and N700 series equipment reach speeds of 186 mph. The trip between Tokyo and Osaka, a distance of 515 kilometers, takes 2 hours 26 minutes on the fastest ♦. The word ♦ in Japanese means ‘hope’ or ‘wish’.

B. ♦♦ is one of the three train services running on the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen. ♦♦ trains stop at all stations, making ♦♦ the slowest Shinkansen service for trips between major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. The ♦♦ trains are used primarily for travel to and from smaller cities such as Atami. Travelers between major cities generally take the ♦ services, which make fewer stops. The Japanese word ♦♦ means ‘echo’. It was originally a name of limited express trains on the conventional Tokaido Main Line, which was discontinued by the inauguration of the Shinkansen in 1964.

C. ♦♦♦ is the name of a high-speed train service running on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen ‘bullet train’ lines in Japan. Slower than the ♦ but faster than the ♦♦, the ♦♦♦ is very popular among travelers. The word ♦♦♦ means ‘light’ in Japanese.

Text C

Kuibyshev Railway

Ex. 1. Practice the reading of the words and phrases.

Among, apparatus, region, personally, unique, sustainable, depot, priority, annually, chemicals, cement, automobile, ton, technology;

economically vital regions, special importance, girder bridge, marshalling yard, Middle Asia, oil products.

Ex.2. Practice the reading of the proper names.

• the Urals ['juər(ə)lz] – Урал, Уральский регион (России)

• Asia ['eɪʃə] – Азия

• European [ˌjuərə'piːən] – европейский

• Tatarstan [ˌtɑːtə'stɑːn] – Татарстан

• Bashkortostan [bæʃ'kɔːtɔˌstɑːn] – Башкортостан

• Turkestan [ˌtɜːkɪ'stɑːn] – Туркестан

• Mordovia [mɔː'dəuvɪə] – Мордовия

• Bashkiria [bæʃ'kɪ(ə)rɪə] – Башкирия

• Ryazan [ˌrɪə'zɑːn] – Рязань

• Penza ['pjenzə] – Пенза

• Tambov [tam'bɔːf] – Тамбов

• Siberia [saɪ'bɪərɪə] – Сибирь

• Morse [mɔːs] – Морзе

• Alexander [ˌælɪg'zɑːndə] – Александр

Ex. 3. Copy the following words and phrases and memorize their meanings.

1. division – отделение (ж/дороги) 2. electrical multiple-unit train (emu) – электричка 3. joint-stock company – открытое акционерное общество, ОАО 4. local train –поезд местного сообщения 5. long-distance train –поезд дальнего следования 6. main-line track – главный путь 7. marshalling yard – сортировочная станция 8. to repair – ремонтировать 9. to span – строить мост, соединять берега (о мосте) span – пролет 10. to supervise – контролировать; наблюдать