On September 12, a new rail line began test runs along its full length. The line starts at Xiongan, a new city in Hebei Province, and crosses two provinces and three cities before reaching Beijing. It is about 86 kilometres long and has eight stations.
What makes it unusual is how it works. Trains can run at 200 kilometres per hour, but they stop and start quickly, like a bus rather than a long-distance train. Passengers do not need to book far ahead or buy a separate ticket for each leg. One ticket and one code are enough for the whole trip.
At Daxing Airport, the line joins a Beijing subway route and continues to a station in the south of the capital. When another station opens later, trains will reach the Lize business district. The trip from Xiongan to Daxing Airport takes about half an hour, and to Lize about an hour.
The test runs will go through two stages. In the first, engineers check the trains, signals and communication systems, while staff practise working across two networks. In the second, trains follow the real timetable, so that punctuality and reliability can be measured before the line opens to the public.
The line is part of a plan to move some of Beijing’s non-capital functions to Xiongan. By making the trip easier, officials hope that commuting between two cities will gradually feel like living in one. Laying the tracks is only half the work; making people willing to use them is the other half.
Words to know:
- province (省)
- station (车站)
- passenger (乘客)
- subway (地铁)
- signal (信号)
- timetable (时刻表，运行图)
- punctuality (正点率，准时)
- commute (通勤)
长难句拆解 · by doing 作状语 + 宾语从句
例句：By making the trip easier, officials hope that commuting between two cities will gradually feel like living in one.
句首的 By making the trip easier 是方式状语，by 加动名词表示「通过做某事」，说明手段；它在句中位置靠前，是为了承接上一句提到的疏解目标，读的时候要先在脑子里把它放到主句后面。
主句主干是 officials hope，后面 that 引导宾语从句，说明希望的具体内容。从句内部的主干是 commuting will feel like living in one，其中 commuting 是动名词作主语，谓语用了 will feel like 而不是 will be，因为 feel like 更强调「感觉像」，与 gradually 一起表达一种逐步形成的主观体验。句尾的 one 是代词，指代前面的 one city，避免重复。
直译：通过让出行更方便，相关部门希望两地之间的通勤会逐渐像在同一座城市里生活。
再看一句：Trains can run at 200 kilometres per hour, but they stop and start quickly, like a bus rather than a long-distance train.
这是一个由 but 连接的并列句，前后形成对比：前半句讲速度——设计时速 200 公里；后半句讲起停方式——快速起停。真正的重点落在后半句，因为速度是高铁也有的能力，起停方式才是这条线路的独特之处。
句尾的 like a bus rather than a long-distance train 是介词短语作方式状语，rather than 表示「而不是」，用来排除另一种可能。阅读时遇到 A rather than B，要立刻意识到作者在通过对比来下定义：不是 B，而是 A。
直译：列车可以跑到时速 200 公里，但它们能快速起停，像公交车而不是长途列车。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
下面 7 组替换都出自本文，右侧是对应的替换说法，点开核对。
- began test runs along its full length → started trial operations on the whole route（test runs 与 trial operations 同义）
- It is about 86 kilometres long and has eight stations → It stretches roughly 86 km and serves eight stops（be … long 与 stretch 同义）
- What makes it unusual is how it works → Its unusual feature lies in the way it operates（how it works 与 the way it operates 同义）
- they stop and start quickly, like a bus rather than a long-distance train → they accelerate and brake quickly, more like a bus than an intercity train（stop and start 与 accelerate and brake 同义）
- The test runs will go through two stages → The trials will be carried out in two phases（go through 与 be carried out 同义）
- so that punctuality and reliability can be measured → so that on-time performance and reliability can be assessed（measure 与 assess 同义）
- commuting between two cities will gradually feel like living in one → travelling between the two cities will slowly feel like living in a single one（gradually 与 slowly 同义）
阅读自测 · 3 题
三道题分别对应数字、阶段与结论，先不看答案。
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- 简答：How long does the trip from Xiongan to Daxing Airport take?
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- 判断正误（T / F / NG）：During the second stage of the test runs, trains follow the real timetable.
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- 判断正误（T / F / NG）：The passage says the line will cut the number of cars on the road by half.
参考答案与解析
每题给出答案与判断依据，注意最后提到的干扰项套路。
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- About half an hour. 依据在第三段。原文写 The trip from Xiongan to Daxing Airport takes about half an hour, and to Lize about an hour，问的是到大兴机场的用时，答案就是约半小时。答 one hour 是把到丽泽的时间当成了到大兴机场的时间，属于典型的「信息错位」。
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- T（正确）。第四段写 In the second, trains follow the real timetable, so that punctuality and reliability can be measured，与题干一致。原文的 follow the real timetable 是「按真实运行图行驶」，题干只是把语序调整了一下，属于同义改写。
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- NG（未提及）。全文提到这条线路能让更多人选择轨道出行、让跨城通勤更像同城生活，但从未说公路上的汽车会减少一半。题干凭常识补充了一个合理但原文没有的结论，属于「无中生有」——数字再合理，也只能选 NG。
中文译文
9 月 12 日，一条新的轨道线路开始进行全线试运行。线路起自河北省的新城雄安，跨越两省三市后抵达北京。它全长约 86 公里，共设八座车站。
让它显得特别的，是它的运行方式。列车最高可跑到时速 200 公里，却能快速起停，更像公交车而不是长途列车。乘客不必提前很久订票，也不用为每一段行程单独买票。一张票、一个码，就够走完全程。
在大兴机场，这条线路接入北京的一条地铁线路，继续开往首都南部的一座车站。待另一座车站日后开通，列车将通达丽泽商务区。从雄安到大兴机场约需半小时，到丽泽约需一小时。
试运行将分两个阶段进行。第一阶段，工程师检查车辆、信号和通信系统，运营人员则演练跨线协同作业。第二阶段，列车按真实运行图行驶，以便在线路面向公众开放之前，检验正点率与可靠性。
这条线路是疏解北京非首都功能整体部署的一部分。通过让出行变得更方便，相关部门希望两地之间的通勤，能逐渐变得像在同一座城市里生活。铺好轨道只是工作的一半，让人愿意坐上去是另一半。