前幾天，美國小哥哈里森·雅各布（Harrison Jacobs）來北京西站坐了次高鐵。
第一次坐高鐵的他有點興奮，一路拍照，超開心地寫了個游記發表在商業內幕網上（Business Insider）：
我坐了次中國高鐵，從紐約到芝加哥的路程只要4.5小時，這體現了美國實際多么落后
這位小哥說，在中國旅行，仿佛是一場未來之旅。而這種未來感最明顯的體現之處便是高鐵了。
Traveling to China can often feel like visiting the future. The cities stretch out for what seems like forever, while new skyscrapers, bridges, and futuristically designed landmarks spring up every year.
在中國旅游仿佛是一場未來之旅。城市一望無邊，每年都有新的高樓、立交橋和未來主義的城市地標拔地而起。
Nowhere is this feeling more apparent than when you encounter China's high-speed railway network. At 15,500 miles, the country's "bullet train" is the world's largest. And it's getting larger.
而這種感覺最明顯的體現就是中國的高鐵網絡。中國高鐵網絡共1.55萬英里，目前世界規模最大。并且仍在持續增長。
這位小哥對高鐵的印象非常好，表示在中國坐高鐵，速度基本都能媲美飛機，畢竟坐飛機更麻煩……
You can pretty much travel in anywhere in China via high-speed rail. It's usually comparable in speed to air travel (once you factor in security lines and check-in) and far more convenient, as I found on a recent trip to China.
乘坐中國高鐵，你幾乎可以去中國的任何地方。最近在中國坐飛機的一次經歷表明，如果算上過安檢和登機的時間，高鐵速度可以跟乘坐飛機相媲美。
話不多說，上游記！
他的路線是從北京到西安，路程是746英里，高鐵和其他出行方式的時間差多少呢？小哥做了個對比：
飛機 2小時+
汽車 11小時
普通火車 11.5-17.5小時
高鐵 4.5小時
而在美國，相似的路程要走多久呢？
If I wanted to travel a comparable distance in the US by train — at 712 miles, New York to Chicago is the closest — it would take 22 hours, with a transfer in Washington, DC. And that's with traveling on Amtrak's Acela Express, currently the fastest train in the US with a speed up to 214 km/h.
如果你在美國坐高鐵走相似的距離，比較接近的是從紐約到芝加哥的712英里，你需要從華盛頓換乘，全程花22小時。而且這是美國鐵路公司的阿西樂特快，目前美國速度最快的火車，速度最高可達214千米/時。
1、到站：提前一個多小時，西站真大
I arrived at Beijing West Railway station a little over an hour before my train at 2:00 p.m. Built in 1996 and expanded in 2000, the railway station is the second largest in Asia, serving up to 400,000 people a day. It was very busy when I arrived.
我下午2點的車，提前一個多小時來到北京西站。西站建于1996年，2000年擴建，北京西站是亞洲第二大車站，客運量每天40萬人。我到時車站人很多。
2、取票：要是有電子票就好了
小哥在網上訂了票，到站后從英語服務的取票口取票。但他給這個取票系統提了點意見：
If there's one aspect of the high-speed rail system that could be improved, it's ditching hard tickets for e-tickets. But, knowing China's obsessive adoption of mobile phones and QR codes, I'm sure it won't be long.
如果讓我說中國的高鐵系統有什么需要改進的，那就是把紙質車票換成電子票。現在中國對手機和二維碼如此癡迷，相信這一天的到來不會太晚。
ditch vt. 丟棄
3、安檢：讓人挺安心
To enter the station properly, you have to present your ticket and passport (or Chinese national ID) and put your bags through an x-ray machine and step through a metal detector. All that security happens right at the entrances, which gives a nice peace-of-mind considering recent terror attacks in transit hubs across the world.
進站的時候，你需要出示車票和護照（身份證），把包通過X光機器，然后過金屬探測器。這些檢查是在入口完成的，最近世界各地交通樞紐的恐襲事件，這讓人頗為安心。
4、候車：我不能像大家一樣“佛系”候車
The Beijing West Station is over 20 years old at this point and a bit shabby when compared to the country's other railway stations. But it's fairly easy to navigate once you get inside. Match the train number on your ticket to the numbers on the platforms and you're ready to go.
北京西站已經建了20多年了，和其他站比起來略顯老舊。但進站之后卻十分容易走。直接把票上的數字比對站臺號就可以出發了。
小哥說，現在中國不少火車站都像飛機場一樣有未來感，他po了一張西安火車站的圖片：
小哥說，車上都是對號入座的，不少人都不爭不搶，也不在檢票口排隊，而是安靜地坐在邊上“佛系候車”。不過第一次坐車的小哥卻有些按捺不住：
A lot of people decided to sit it out and wait. The seats are all assigned like an airplane, so it's probably not worth it to rush. But I'm a worrywart and it was my first time.
很多人都是安靜地坐在旁邊等。高鐵和飛機一樣都是對號入座的，所以可能不用著急。但因為第一次坐，我還是比較擔心。
worrywart n. 自尋煩惱的人；杞人憂天者
5、刷票進站：中國人刷身份證就能進站啦？！
小哥說，如果你是中國人，直接刷個身份證就進站了！
When you get to the front of the line, you scan your ticket in the card reader. If you are a Chinese national, all you have to do is tap your ID card. Chinese national IDs are linked to the railroad system.
排到前面，就可以刷票進站了，如果你是中國人，直接刷身份證就行！因為中國身份證與鐵路系統是相連的。
小哥說，他很喜歡下臺階進站的感覺，看著站內所有井然有序的高鐵列車（rows of sleek "bullet trains"），感覺很棒：
About a week after I took this train, I happened to be standing on a train platform in a smaller city when a bullet train blew by at full speed. The whoosh of the train nearly knocked me onto the ground.
大概一周后我坐了一次火車，在一個小城市的列車月臺上，碰巧一輛列車全速開過，飛馳的列車帶動的氣流差點把我掀翻在地。
小哥終于找到了自己的4號車廂，開心地拍了個照。
6、開車啦！二等座也能完全伸開腿
開車啦，小哥說，二等座的車廂多少有點像飛機機艙。一側兩個座、另一側三個，不過行李箱比飛機要大。車廂末端還有行李柜。
I did see a train attendant tell one passenger to take their bag down because it was too big.
我的確看到列車員告訴一個乘客把行李拿下來，因為行李實在太大了。
喏，這是小哥的車票，二等座的票價算下來大概81美元，一等座要130美元。
小哥超級滿意二等座的空間，放個包都沒在怕的！
I was very happy with my seat. It was big and comfortable, with lots of legroom. Even with my backpack in front of me, I was able to spread my legs out fully.
我超滿意我的座椅，寬敞又舒服，腿部空間很大，即便身前放了個包都不在話下，還是能完全伸開腿。
7、坐車體驗：超快超穩
小哥說，開車幾分鐘之后，車速就飆到了200千米/時：
At that speed, it's already faster than most trains in the US.
這個速度就已經比美國很多火車要快了。
而不久，就達到了列車的最高速度（top-end speed）307千米/時。然而小哥還是覺得穩得很。
You could definitely feel the higher speed, though it's probably a credit to the engineering that I didn't feel it too much. I only really noticed the speed when I looked out the window and saw the scenery whizzing by.
你絕對可以感受到車速的加快，但我的感覺并不那么明顯，這都歸功于工程師。我只有看窗外景色快速閃過的時候，才會注意到這一點。
8、車上怎么吃？我帶了快餐上車
Rather than cook onsite, they offer prepackaged microwaveable meals. On the train I took, there was no dining car at all. Instead, a train attendant came by with a trolley selling snacks, drinks, and instant noodles.
車上的食物都不是現做的，而是微波加熱的快餐。我坐的車沒有餐車，列車員推著手推車，售賣零食、飲料和方便面。
trolley n. 手推車
而我們的主人公在北京西站買了快餐帶上了車。
雙語君（微信ID：Chinadaily_Mobile）要在這里插一句了，現在高鐵可以訂外賣了。在手機軟件上操作后，到指定站點，列車員就會把外賣送到你手上~
你就可以在大家羨慕的目光中吃著自己喜歡的外賣啦！
雙語君今年五月出游時訂的高鐵外賣
車上的熱水器也很好地方便了泡茶泡面黨：
Every carriage has a hot-water dispenser. Chinese people drink a lot of tea. This came in handy when I took the train back to Beijing and had to eat instant noodles.
每個車廂都有一個開水機，中國人喜歡喝茶，當我坐火車回北京需要泡面的時候，這個開水機就顯得十分方便了。
9、車上服務：沒人抽煙，有西式衛生間
小哥提到，不少中國乘客喜歡下地溜達，但是沒人抽煙：
A lot of people seemed to enjoy killing the time by hanging out in the space between the carriages. People did this in the regular-speed train I took, except they used the space to chain-smoke cigarettes. This didn't happen on the bullet train.
很多人喜歡到兩節列車的連接處消磨時間。在普通火車上，人們也這樣休息，但是他們會在那兒抽煙。高鐵上，乘客不能抽煙。
而西式衛生間也讓他倍感親切……
As for the question you are all wondering: The bathrooms were Western-style and pretty clean. This was not the case when I took a regular-speed train.
回答一個你們都想知道的問題：衛生間有西式的，而且非常干凈。但在一般火車上這一點可能就需要改進。
另外車上座椅下還有插座，小哥開心地用了會兒筆記本電腦。
10、出站：與地鐵無縫連接
愉快的旅途結束！小哥出站，發現列車和地鐵無縫連接，超方便。
When you get off the train, you have to scan your ticket again to leave the station. Like most of China's bullet trains, the Xi'an train platform opens directly into the metro. It makes for a seamless experience.
當你下車之后，你可以直接刷卡出站，和中國很多火車站一樣，西安的火車直接連接地鐵，給人一種無縫連接之感。
好啦！小哥的北京-西安之旅就愉快地結束了，但他還是忍不住感慨兩句，美國在交通運輸方面可能有些落后了。
After riding China's bullet trains back and forth across the country, I couldn't help feel as if the US is being left behind, at least when it comes to transit.
在中國來來回回坐了幾次高鐵之后，我不免感覺到美國似乎落后了，尤其是在交通運輸方面。
他剛開始來中國的時候，都是坐飛機旅行，但后來還是選擇了火車：
But about halfway through the trip, I realized how dead simple and convenient the bullet trains were. I ended up taking four bullet trains in total.
旅途進行到一半，我意識到火車簡直是太方便了。于是后來我全部改成坐火車，坐了四次之多。
（來源：中國日報雙語新聞編輯部）
