Meet the BusTrain

Is that a bus? Um… yes… But it's also a train! It's a bus and a train… it's a BusTrain! 這台車是一輛巴士，同時也是一輛火車！ A bus and a train… no way… that's crazy! Some places in Japan, like Tokyo, are super busy, and many, many people live there. But very few people live in some places in the countryside of Japan… some towns only have around 100 people… but they need a way to travel. 在日本，有一些鄉下地方人口很少，但是他們一樣需要到處去。 That's why the bus-train is a good idea. It has 4 wheels with tires… like a bus, but when it drives on the railway tracks… 2 metal wheels come down… these two metal wheels are train wheels… so the bus can turn into a train! 這輛巴士有四個輪胎，但是開上鐵軌的時候，會有兩個金屬輪子從巴士底部降下來，巴士就變成火車了！ These new bus-trains can pick people up in very small towns, drive to a railway, and then go into a big city as a train. 小鎮的居民可以先搭這一台巴士到了有軌道的地方，然後巴士變成了火車，把他們送到大城市。 It's a pretty cool idea, yeah? Driving in a bus all the way from the countryside to the big city would take too long, but building a train line to a very small town is too expensive. 如果只坐巴士，從鄉下到大城市會太久，但是蓋鐵路又太貴了！ The answer is the bus-train… a vehicle that can be a bus or a train! What an interesting idea! ________________________________ Vocabulary 巴士火車這個嶄新的主意，造福許多鄉下居民。 1. Railway 鐵軌。 Trains travel on railways, while cars travel on roads. 火車在軌道上走，汽車在路上走。 Yes, and trains run on wheels, but cars run on tires. 而火車用輪子跑，但是汽車用輪胎。 2. Wheel 輪子。 Who invented wheels? 誰發明輪子的？ That I don't know. 這我不知道。 But I know wheels appeared 2 thousand years ago. 但我知道輪子兩千年前出現。 3. Countryside 鄉下地方。 I enjoy living in the countryside. 我喜歡住在鄉下。 Not me. 我可不。 4. City 城市。 I prefer living in the city. 我比較愛住在城市。 There are movies to watch and stores to go to. 有電影可看，商店可以去。 Do you live in the countryside or city? 一起來讀單字。 railway 鐵路 wheel 輪子 countryside 鄉下地方 city 城市 ________________________________ Quiz 1. Where can you find a bus-train? A: In America B: In Japan C: In India 2. Why did they make the bus-train? A: To help people in the countryside B: To help people living in Tokyo C: To help animals get into town faster 3. How many wheels does a bus-train have? A: 11 wheels and 5 wings B: 4 bus wheels, and 4 train wheels C: None! The bus-train doesn't need wheels! Answers 1: B 2: A 3: B -- Hosting provided by SoundOn