【明報專訊】Knowing that the high-speed rail network is fast and efficient, Eason is trying to delay the Smarties' journey.

According to the European Union (歐盟), a high-speed train is one capable of travelling at a speed of over 200 km/h on an upgraded conventional line or over 250 km/h on a new line designed specifically for high-speed trains. The world's first high-speed rail link was built in Japan. Launched on 1 October 1964, it operates between Tokyo (東京) and Osaka (大阪), Japan. Nowadays, high-speed rail is most notably operated in France, Germany, Spain, South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan.

In addition to technology, building a high-speed rail system involves managerial, financial, commercial and environmental considerations. There are costs and benefits of having high-speed rail in one place. Benefits include bringing new job opportunities and increasing the mobility and accessibility of the regions it passes through. Nevertheless, ticket prices can be expensive and some people prefer the freedom of using automobiles.

■Mission 1

The Smarties are at one of the eight larger circles on the fringe of the map. The number in each circle indicates how many steps the Smarties move next. Can you find the location of the Smarties and the route to Town S?

(see the picture)

■Mission 2

Apart from the high-speed train, there is a standard train which also travels to Town S. If Town S is 100 km away, and the high-speed and standard trains travel at 250 km/h and 100 km/h respectively, how long does each of them take to reach Town S?

■Mission 3

Fill in the blanks with the correct place names about the MTR network. (answers on next text)

Tuen Mun/Shenzhen/New Territories/Hong Kong Island

The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is the only railway network in Hong Kong. It now consists of nine commuter lines (excluding the Airport Express) that link the 1. _____________, Kowloon and 2. _____________. The Light Rail, which is a part of the MTR network, operates in Yuen Long and 3. _____________. The MTR Corporation will also operate the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou- 4. _____________ -Hong Kong Express Rail Link (廣深港高鐵香港段). It was scheduled to open in 2015, but the project has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.

■Key words

high-speed rail 高速鐵路

mobility 流動性

accessibility 可達性

■Glossary

conventional (adj) 傳統的

operate (v) 運作

managerial (adj) 管理的

consideration (n) 考慮

opportunity (n) 機會

automobile (n) 汽車

plague (v) 困擾

overrun (n) 超支