The Future of Public Transport
Pre
discussion questions
What
kinds of transport will be popular in the future?
What
do you not like about public transport now?
South Korea wants to create a super-fast
train that will be able to carry passengers at almost the speed of sound. (the
speed of sound is 1225 km/h)
They hope that the mode of transport will be able to travel more than 997 km/h. This
would drastically reduce travel
times in Korea.
The train would be inside a 'low-pressure tube.’
If it is successful it could travel along at twice the speed of other
high-speed trains. At this time, the fastest in the world is capable of 431km/h.
The Korea Railroad Research Institute said
that they hope to make an ultra-fast
train. A train that will travel inside a state-of-the-art
low-pressure tube at lightning speeds, in the near future.”
"…, we will cooperate with institutes
as well as Hanyang University to check the viability
of similar technologies called the hyper-tube format over the next three
years."
Another system is Hyperloop. Hyperloop is a long tube that has had the air
removed to create a vacuum.
A company called Hyperloop One in Los
Angeles has started making a transport system that could potentially become the world's first Hyperloop transport system.
One of these transport systems has already
been made and is working in a desert in North Las Vegas. And some places such
as Dubai are interested in Hyperloop for their country.
So keep
an eye out for the future of world transport.
Try
to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest
meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and
have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the
reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary
depending on how they are used.
The
answers are below the table.
mode of transport
|
A
|
1
|
A huge difference or change
|
drastically
|
B
|
2
|
The newest technology
|
capable
|
C
|
3
|
Future posibility
|
state-of-the-art
|
D
|
4
|
A way to get from one place to another
|
viability
|
E
|
5
|
Look for
|
potentially
|
F
|
6
|
Very very much
|
ultra
|
G
|
7
|
Possibility that it will succeed
|
keep an eye out
|
H
|
8
|
Can do, have the ability
|
A=4, B=1, C=8, D=2, E=7, F=3,
G=6, H=5
Some
example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they
are used in the reading to help you understand better.
1.
The best mode of transport to get around Seoul is the subway.
2.
The doctor told her that she drastically needed to lose weight or
she could have a heart attack.
3.
She is a smart student and capable of passing the test.
4.
The new smart phone will be state-of-the-art technology.
5.
It is not viable to spend money on this business idea because you will lose
it all.
6.
A Porsche 911 has the potential to go more than 250 km/h.
7.
He said that the rides as
Disneyworld were ultra fun.
8.
Could you keep an eye out for Mr Lee. We can’t find him.
Some
questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your
answer.
1.
What do you think of these
future modes of transport?
2.
Do you think these future
transports will have a drastic
effect on air travel?
3.
What other state-of-the-art transport do you think we will see in the future?
4.
What do you think a country
needs to make this expensive transport viable?
5.
Potentially, what do you think this
would do for the future of transport in Korea?
6.
How do you feel about traveling
ultra fast in a tube like in the
story?
7.
Are there other technologies we
should keep an eye out for?
8.
What is something that you are capable of doing?