前几天，美国小哥哈里森·雅各布（Harrison Jacobs）来北京西站坐了次高铁。
第一次坐高铁的他有点兴奋，一路拍照，超开心地写了个游记发表在商业内幕网上（Business Insider）：
我坐了次中国高铁，从纽约到芝加哥的路程只要4.5小时，这体现了美国实际多么落后
这位小哥说，在中国旅行，仿佛是一场未来之旅。而这种未来感最明显的体现之处便是高铁了。
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.
在中国旅游仿佛是一场未来之旅。城市一望无边，每年都有新的高楼、立交桥和未来主义的城市地标拔地而起。
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.
而这种感觉最明显的体现就是中国的高铁网络。中国高铁网络共1.55万英里，目前世界规模最大。并且仍在持续增长。
这位小哥对高铁的印象非常好，表示在中国坐高铁，速度基本都能媲美飞机，毕竟坐飞机更麻烦……
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.
乘坐中国高铁，你几乎可以去中国的任何地方。最近在中国坐飞机的一次经历表明，如果算上过安检和登机的时间，高铁速度可以跟乘坐飞机相媲美。
话不多说，上游记！
他的路线是从北京到西安，路程是746英里，高铁和其他出行方式的时间差多少呢？小哥做了个对比：
飞机 2小时+
汽车 11小时
普通火车 11.5-17.5小时
高铁 4.5小时
而在美国，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.
如果你在美国坐高铁走相似的距离，比较接近的是从纽约到芝加哥的712英里，你需要从华盛顿换乘，全程花22小时。而且这是美国铁路公司的阿西乐特快，目前美国速度最快的火车，速度最高可达214千米/时。
1、到站：提前一个多小时，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点的车，提前一个多小时来到北京西站。西站建于1996年，2000年扩建，北京西站是亚洲第二大车站，客运量每天40万人。我到时车站人很多。
2、取票：要是有电子票就好了
小哥在网上订了票，到站后从英语服务的取票口取票。但他给这个取票系统提了点意见：
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.
如果让我说中国的高铁系统有什么需要改进的，那就是把纸质车票换成电子票。现在中国对手机和二维码如此痴迷，相信这一天的到来不会太晚。
ditch vt. 丢弃
3、安检：让人挺安心
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.
进站的时候，你需要出示车票和护照（身份证），把包通过X光机器，然后过金属探测器。这些检查是在入口完成的，最近世界各地交通枢纽的恐袭事件，这让人颇为安心。
4、候车：我不能像大家一样“佛系”候车
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.
北京西站已经建了20多年了，和其他站比起来略显老旧。但进站之后却十分容易走。直接把票上的数字比对站台号就可以出发了。
小哥说，现在中国不少火车站都像飞机场一样有未来感，他po了一张西安火车站的图片：
小哥说，车上都是对号入座的，不少人都不争不抢，也不在检票口排队，而是安静地坐在边上“佛系候车”。不过第一次坐车的小哥却有些按捺不住：
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.
很多人都是安静地坐在旁边等。高铁和飞机一样都是对号入座的，所以可能不用着急。但因为第一次坐，我还是比较担心。
worrywart n. 自寻烦恼的人；杞人忧天者
5、刷票进站：中国人刷身份证就能进站啦？！
小哥说，如果你是中国人，直接刷个身份证就进站了！
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，就可以刷票进站了，如果你是中国人，直接刷身份证就行！因为中国身份证与铁路系统是相连的。
小哥说，他很喜欢下台阶进站的感觉，看着站内所有井然有序的高铁列车（rows of sleek "bullet trains"），感觉很棒：
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车，在一个小城市的列车月台上，碰巧一辆列车全速开过，飞驰的列车带动的气流差点把我掀翻在地。
小哥终于找到了自己的4号车厢，开心地拍了个照。
6、开车啦！二等座也能完全伸开腿
开车啦，小哥说，二等座的车厢多少有点像飞机机舱。一侧两个座、另一侧三个，不过行李箱比飞机要大。车厢末端还有行李柜。
I did see a train attendant tell one passenger to take their bag down because it was too big.
我的确看到列车员告诉一个乘客把行李拿下来，因为行李实在太大了。
喏，这是小哥的车票，二等座的票价算下来大概81美元，一等座要130美元。
小哥超级满意二等座的空间，放个包都没在怕的！
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.
我超满意我的座椅，宽敞又舒服，腿部空间很大，即便身前放了个包都不在话下，还是能完全伸开腿。
7、坐车体验：超快超稳
小哥说，开车几分钟之后，车速就飙到了200千米/时：
At that speed, it's already faster than most trains in the US.
这个速度就已经比美国很多火车要快了。
而不久，就达到了列车的最高速度（top-end speed）307千米/时。然而小哥还是觉得稳得很。
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.
你绝对可以感受到车速的加快，但我的感觉并不那么明显，这都归功于工程师。我只有看窗外景色快速闪过的时候，才会注意到这一点。
8、车上怎么吃？我带了快餐上车
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.
车上的食物都不是现做的，而是微波加热的快餐。我坐的车没有餐车，列车员推着手推车，售卖零食、饮料和方便面。
trolley n. 手推车
而我们的主人公在北京西站买了快餐带上了车。
双语君（微信ID：Chinadaily_Mobile）要在这里插一句了，现在高铁可以订外卖了。在手机软件上操作后，到指定站点，列车员就会把外卖送到你手上~
你就可以在大家羡慕的目光中吃着自己喜欢的外卖啦！
双语君今年五月出游时订的高铁外卖
车上的热水器也很好地方便了泡茶泡面党：
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.
每个车厢都有一个开水机，中国人喜欢喝茶，当我坐火车回北京需要泡面的时候，这个开水机就显得十分方便了。
9、车上服务：没人抽烟，有西式卫生间
小哥提到，不少中国乘客喜欢下地溜达，但是没人抽烟：
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.
很多人喜欢到两节列车的连接处消磨时间。在普通火车上，人们也这样休息，但是他们会在那儿抽烟。高铁上，乘客不能抽烟。
而西式卫生间也让他倍感亲切……
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.
回答一个你们都想知道的问题：卫生间有西式的，而且非常干净。但在一般火车上这一点可能就需要改进。
另外车上座椅下还有插座，小哥开心地用了会儿笔记本电脑。
10、出站：与地铁无缝连接
愉快的旅途结束！小哥出站，发现列车和地铁无缝连接，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.
当你下车之后，你可以直接刷卡出站，和中国很多火车站一样，西安的火车直接连接地铁，给人一种无缝连接之感。
好啦！小哥的北京-西安之旅就愉快地结束了，但他还是忍不住感慨两句，美国在交通运输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.
在中国来来回回坐了几次高铁之后，我不免感觉到美国似乎落后了，尤其是在交通运输方面。
他刚开始来中国的时候，都是坐飞机旅行，但后来还是选择了火车：
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.
旅途进行到一半，我意识到火车简直是太方便了。于是后来我全部改成坐火车，坐了四次之多。
（来源：中国日报双语新闻编辑部）
