Construction starts on China's first low-speed maglev line

    BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Construction began on China's first low-speed maglev¹(磁力悬浮火车) line Monday in Beijing, a project that will make China only the second country with a low-speed maglev line after Japan.
    The project marked China's ability to industrialize(工业化) low-speed maglev technologies, said Chang Wensen, father of China's maglev technology and professor at the National University of Defense² Technology.
    The 10-kilometer line runs from Shimenying Station in west Beijing's Mentougou District to Pingguoyuan Station in the Shijingshan District.
    The line, a section of Line S1 on the Beijing subway network, is expected to be completed in 2013 with a designed speed of 100 to 120 km per hour.
    China's research of maglev technologies was started in the 1980s by a team led by Chang Wensen. A 204-meter test line in central China's Hunan Province and a 1.5-km test line in north China's Hebei Province were built jointly³ by Beijing Maglev Technology Development Co., Ltd. and National University of Defense Technology.
    The intensity⁴ of the magnetic(磁场) field had been tested as safe, according to a test report of Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
    The cost of the low-speed maglev line was estimated at 300 million yuan (4.6 million U.S. dollars) per kilometer, slightly more than light rail, but cheaper than the subway, which cost more than 600 million yuan a kilometer, said Li Jie, director of technology research center of National University of Defense Technology.
    The technology was also under consideration for Line 8 of the subway network in Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong Province, said Liu Zhiming, board chairman of Beijing Maglev Technology Development Co., Ltd..
    "If Shenzhen adopts the technology, Line 8 will be China's second low-speed maglev line," he said.
    The world's first low-speed maglev line, at 8.9 km long, was completed in Japan in March 2005.
    Maglev, short for magnetic levitation⁵, technology uses a large number of magnets to lift and propel a vehicle, making it faster, quieter and smoother than conventional wheeled transport systems.
    High-speed maglev vehicles can reach speeds of 450 km per hour and are usually used in long distance transportation, while low-speed maglev lines are usually used in short distance transportation.
    Construction also began on another seven lines on the Beijing subway network Monday.
    With an investment of 82 billion yuan (12 billion U.S. dollars), the eight lines will total 113.7 km in length and are expected to open from 2013 to 2015.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 maglev   

n.磁力悬浮列车；adj.磁力悬浮列车的

参考例句：

• The engine for maglev trains is rather in noticeable.磁悬浮列车的车头是相当值得注意的。
• The high speed maglev railway is a new-style traffic system. 高速磁悬浮铁路是一种新型的交通方式。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

4 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

5 levitation   

n.升空，漂浮；浮起

参考例句：

• We are particularly interested in phenomena such as telepathy and levitation. 我们对心灵感应及空中漂浮这样的现象特别有兴趣。 来自辞典例句
• This paper presents a magnetic levitation system control using the gain-scheduling controller. 本文以增益程序控制器针对磁浮系统进行控制。 来自互联网