Step by Step 3000 第3册 Unit9:Warming up(2)

B. Keywords.

monorail, mass transit, Maglev, light rail.
Vocabulary.

guideway, propel, pick up, pylon, prefabricate, levitation, repulsion, rumble, standee.
You're going to hear several descriptions of some of the modern means of transportation. Fill in the blanks according to what you hear.
1. Monorail.
Monorail systems relay on a very simple technology, rubber-tired cars riding on a narrow concrete guideway.
The cars are self propelled by electric motors with power pickup via distribution bars mounted on the side of the guideway.
Monorail systems are capable of speeds of 65 miles per hour and offer ride quality comparable to conventional rail transit technologies.
Monorail systems are safe because the design and nature of monorail systems make it very difficult for trespassers to access the guideway and power rails.
Monorail systems are more environmentally sensitive than any other elevated transit technology due to the monorail's narrow guideway structure and quiet rubber tires.
Also, since many of the pylon and rail components can be prefabricated elsewhere and then assembled along the routes, the noises and disruption of construction will be kept to a minimum.
Thus, noise and neighborhood disruption caused by monorail construction are dramatically lower than other forms of mass transit.
2. Maglev.
One of the most exciting recent innovations in railroad technology is Maglev levitation, or Maglev, which relies on the principle of magnetism, attraction and repulsion.
This new techonology, still under development, will result in trains that are faster, smoother, more efficient, more comfortable and more environmentally sound.
No longer will trains rumble heavily along steel rails, rather, they will float along a magnetic cushion, without any direct contact with the ground.
3. Light rail.
Light rail transit is an electric railway system, constructed in the 1970s or later, characterized by its ability to operate single cars and multi-car trains along shared or exclusive rights-of-way at ground level, on aerial structures, in subways, or occasionally in streets.
It is able to board and discharge passengers at station platforms or at street, track or car floor level, and is normally powered by overhead electrical wires.
In most current settings, light rail is anything but light, and is built to exacting standards.
The maximum speed of light rail trains is normally 60 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour), while heavy rail trains normally operate at higher speeds.
Depending upon the specific system, the distance between light rail stations is shorter than within heavy rail systems, which lends some major advantages to urban settings.
Light rail trains operate as either single or multiple car consists.
Passenger capacity of each car in a multiple car consist can be up to as many as 250 passengers, standees included.