The United States has over 340 million people but doesn’t have many fast trains like other countries. China, Japan, and Europe have high-speed trains that go really fast. The U.S. is working on two big train projects. One is in California, going from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and the other is from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. The Las Vegas train might be ready by 2028.

Even with these projects, the U.S. is still behind in fast trains. Only a small part of the Northeast has trains going over 150 mph. Amtrak, the U.S. train service, isn’t building the new fast trains. People in the U.S. like driving cars, and the government hasn’t spent much money on trains. Some people think the government should help more with trains.

China is building lots of fast trains and plans to have many more by 2030. Fast trains help cities grow and do better economically. Europe has done a good job with its train systems, and the U.S. could learn from them. Experts say Americans need to like public transport more for fast trains to work. Without help from the government, the U.S. might not get a big fast train network.

Original news source: Is the US finally on track to build a high-speed rail network? (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns acting out different modes of transport (e.g., trains, cars, buses) without speaking, while the other groups guess what they are. This will help students learn vocabulary related to transportation.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Create a simple survey with questions about transportation preferences (e.g., “Do you prefer trains or cars? Why?”). Students will walk around the classroom asking their classmates the questions and noting their answers. Afterward, they will share their findings with the class.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: Provide students with the main points from the article. Ask them to create catchy headlines that summarize the content. They can work in pairs to brainstorm ideas and then share their best headlines with the class.

– WORD ASSOCIATION
Instructions: Start with the word “train.” Students will take turns saying the first word that comes to their mind related to trains or transportation. This will help them build vocabulary and make connections between words.

– THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Instructions: Pose a question related to the article, such as “What do you think about the U.S. train system compared to other countries?” Students will think individually for a minute, then pair up to discuss their thoughts before sharing with the whole class. This encourages speaking and listening skills.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. How many people live in the United States?
2. Which countries have fast trains that go really fast?
3. What are the two big train projects in the U.S. mentioned in the article?
4. When might the Las Vegas train be ready?
5. Why do some people think the U.S. government should help more with trains?
6. What do fast trains help cities do?
7. What do experts say Americans need to do for fast trains to work better?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The United States has over 340 million people but doesn’t have many fast (1)______s like other countries. China, Japan, and Europe have high-speed trains that go really fast. The U.S. is (2)______ on two big train projects. One is in California, (3)______ from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and the other is from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. The Las Vegas train might be ready by 2028.

Even with these projects, the U.S. is still behind in fast (4)______. Only a (5)______ part of the Northeast has trains going over 150 mph. (6)______, the U.S. train service, isn’t building the new fast trains. People in the U.S. like driving cars, and the government hasn’t spent much money on trains. Some people think the government should help more with trains.

(7)______ is building lots of fast trains and plans to (8)______ many more by 2030. (9)______ trains help cities grow and do better economically. Europe has (10)______ a (11)______ job with its train systems, and the U.S. could learn from them. Experts say Americans need to like public (12)______ more for fast trains to work. Without help from the government, the U.S. might not get a big fast train network.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a fast train?
2. Do you like trains? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you could travel on a fast train?
4. Do you think fast trains are better than cars? Why?
5. What is your favorite way to travel?
6. How would you feel if there were more fast trains in your country?
7. Do you think the government should spend more money on trains? Why?
8. What is a city you would like to visit by train?
9. Do you think people in your country like using public transport? Why or why not?
10. How would you feel if you had to take a long train ride?
11. What do you think makes a good train system?
12. Do you think fast trains help cities? Why?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. projects
2. economically
3. government
4. network
5. experts
6. transport
7. building
8. plans
9. service
10. Northeast
11. public
12. systems

Meanings:
(A) For everyone to use or see
(B) A set of things that work together
(C) Ideas about what to do in the future
(D) People who know a lot about a certain topic
(E) Things people work on to make or build something
(F) Making something by putting parts together
(G) A group of connected things or people
(H) The group of people who run a country
(I) Helping or doing work for others
(J) Moving people or things from one place to another
(K) The top right part of a country
(L) Related to money and business
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How many people live in the United States?
(a) Over 200 million
(b) Over 150 million
(c) Over 400 million
(d) Over 340 million

2. Which country has fast trains like China and Japan?
(a) Canada
(b) Mexico
(c) The United States
(d) Brazil

3. What is one of the train projects in the U.S.?
(a) New York to Chicago
(b) San Francisco to Los Angeles
(c) Miami to Orlando
(d) Seattle to Portland

4. When might the Las Vegas train be ready?
(a) By 2030
(b) By 2028
(c) By 2025
(d) By 2022

5. How fast do some trains in the Northeast U.S. go?
(a) Over 150 mph
(b) Over 100 mph
(c) Over 200 mph
(d) Over 50 mph

6. Who is not building new fast trains in the U.S.?
(a) Amtrak
(b) The government
(c) Private companies
(d) Local cities

7. What do fast trains help cities do?
(a) Have more cars
(b) Build more roads
(c) Make more buses
(d) Grow and do better economically

8. What do experts say Americans need to like more?
(a) Driving cars
(b) Riding bicycles
(c) Public transport
(d) Walking

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. There are two big train projects being worked on in the U.S.
2. Amtrak is building new fast trains in the U.S.
3. Experts say Americans need to dislike public transport more for fast trains to work.
4. Only a small part of the Northeast U.S. has trains that go over 150 mph.
5. The U.S. has many fast trains like China, Japan, and Europe.
6. The Las Vegas train project might be finished by 2028.
7. One train project goes from San Francisco to New York.
8. The United States has more than 340 million people.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
Check your answers with our free English writing assistant!

1. How many people live in the United States?
2. What are the two big train projects in the U.S. mentioned in the article?
3. Why do some people think the U.S. government should help with trains?
4. Which countries have fast trains that go really fast?
5. What do experts say Americans need to do for fast trains to be successful?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. How many people live in the United States?
Over 340 million people live in the United States.

2. Which countries have fast trains that go really fast?
China, Japan, and countries in Europe have fast trains that go really fast.

3. What are the two big train projects in the U.S. mentioned in the article?
One project is in California, going from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The other project is from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

4. When might the Las Vegas train be ready?
The Las Vegas train might be ready by 2028.

5. Why do some people think the U.S. government should help more with trains?
Some people think the government should help more because there aren’t many fast trains and they want better train systems.

6. What do fast trains help cities do?
Fast trains help cities grow and do better economically.

7. What do experts say Americans need to do for fast trains to work better?
Experts say Americans need to like public transport more for fast trains to work better.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) train
(2) working
(3) going
(4) trains
(5) small
(6) Amtrak
(7) China
(8) have
(9) Fast
(10) done
(11) good
(12) transport
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. projects
Answer: (E) Things people work on to make or build something

2. economically
Answer: (L) Related to money and business

3. government
Answer: (H) The group of people who run a country

4. network
Answer: (G) A group of connected things or people

5. experts
Answer: (D) People who know a lot about a certain topic

6. transport
Answer: (J) Moving people or things from one place to another

7. building
Answer: (F) Making something by putting parts together

8. plans
Answer: (C) Ideas about what to do in the future

9. service
Answer: (I) Helping or doing work for others

10. Northeast
Answer: (K) The top right part of a country

11. public
Answer: (A) For everyone to use or see

12. systems
Answer: (B) A set of things that work together
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How many people live in the United States?
Answer: (d) Over 340 million

2. Which country has fast trains like China and Japan?
Answer: (c) The United States

3. What is one of the train projects in the U.S.?
Answer: (b) San Francisco to Los Angeles

4. When might the Las Vegas train be ready?
Answer: (b) By 2028

5. How fast do some trains in the Northeast U.S. go?
Answer: (a) Over 150 mph

6. Who is not building new fast trains in the U.S.?
Answer: (a) Amtrak

7. What do fast trains help cities do?
Answer: (d) Grow and do better economically

8. What do experts say Americans need to like more?
Answer: (c) Public transport
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. There are two big train projects being worked on in the U.S. (Answer: True)
2. Amtrak is building new fast trains in the U.S. (Answer: False)
3. Experts say Americans need to dislike public transport more for fast trains to work. (Answer: False)
4. Only a small part of the Northeast U.S. has trains that go over 150 mph. (Answer: True)
5. The U.S. has many fast trains like China, Japan, and Europe. (Answer: False)
6. The Las Vegas train project might be finished by 2028. (Answer: True)
7. One train project goes from San Francisco to New York. (Answer: False)
8. The United States has more than 340 million people. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧