Mark: Jingjing, did you hear about all the new subway lines that are being built?

马克：京晶，你听说了所有在建的新地铁线路了吗？

Jingjing: I haven't been living under a rock, Mark. Anyway, I've been seeing all the construction. There are some lines I haven't even been on yet.

京晶：我又不是活在石头里（消息如此闭塞，不关心时事）。对了，我都看见施工好久了。有几条线我都没坐过。

Mark: Yeah, I know. It's really impressive.

京晶：可不是吗。真是太牛了。

Jingjing: When I came to Beijing, there were just two subway lines—the line 1 and the line 2.

京晶：我来北京的时候，那会儿只有两条地铁线—1号线和2号线。

Mark: You and I have lived in the city the same number of years then. When I arrived, construction on the line 13 was just getting under way.

马克：我们在这个城市住的时间差不多长。我来的时候，13号线正在修建中。

Jingjing: Hey, I found a news article on my phone. It says Beijing will have 630km of urban rail lines by the end of 2018.

京晶：看，我在手机上找到了一篇新的文章。说北京在2018年底以前将会建成630公里的城市轨道线。

Mark: Does that include railways that connect to other cities?

马克：这包括连接其他城市的铁路线吗？

Jingjing: Nope, that's just for people travelling within the city and to the suburbs.

京晶：不包括呢。仅是从城市到郊区的线路。

Mark: Wow, that's a huge network. Wait, if there'll be 630km a year from now, how much new rail are we seeing built in 2018?

马克：哇哦，真是一个巨大的交通网络了。等会儿，如果一年之后会达到630公里，那2018年我们能见到几条新增线路呢？

Jingjing: This article doesn't say. Hold on a sec. Oh, here's one that says Beijing has 608.2km of track in service as of the new year. There are two projects set to kick off this coming year, for 12.6km.

京晶：这篇文章没说。稍等，这里有一篇说到新年伊始，北京现有的运营轨道里程已达到608.2公里，还有两个项目即将启动，长约12.6公里。

Mark: That adds up to 630. I like living in a big city without having to own a car. 

马克：加上这数就是630了。我喜欢这种住在一个大城市里不需要买个车的感觉。

Jingjing: Yeah, the article says the construction of subways and above-ground commuter railways is aimed at reducing traffic here.

京晶：是啊。文章说地铁以及地上交通轨道的修建都是为了减少交通拥堵。

Mark: That's a tough thing to do, with such a dense population. 

马克：这么稠密的人口，（要做到）可真不是件容易事，

Jingjing: Let's hope Beijing continues to become cleaner, more energy efficient, and more liveable.

京晶：让我们希望北京继续变得更清洁，更节能，更宜居吧！

Mark: That sounds like a good plan for the coming year.

马克：这听上去是个2018年的不错的计划。

Jingjing: Yes. I think, if people have to take their elderly relatives somewhere, haul a bunch of stuff or take care of a baby, a car is necessary. Ideally, most people's needs would be met by public transportation.

京晶：是的，在我看来，如果人们需要带年长的亲友出行，搬运货物，或者照顾婴儿，那么车就是必须。理想地说，公共交通完全可以满足大部分人的出行需求。

Mark: I couldn't agree more.

马克：完全认同。

New words: 习语短语

been living under a rock 消息闭塞的 不关心新闻时事的

stay ignorant of a major news event

kick off 启动

begin a business or project (not just planning)

dense population 人口密集

lots of people living in one area

haul a bunch of stuff 搬运大量的物品

carry a large amount of something

Dialogue 2

Jingjing: Hey, Mark, here's another article about bike lanes being added to roads in Beijing.

京晶：嗨，马克，这里还有另一篇文章关于北京正在进行自行车道治理。

Mark: Beijing is pretty good about bike safety. I feel like I could ride a bike from point A to point B anywhere in the city—even if it's from Shuangjing to Shangdi.

马克：北京在自行车安全方面做得挺好的。我感觉我可以骑着车从城市的任意A点到B点——即使是从双井到上地。

Jingjing: That'd be a long ride.

京晶：这骑行距离不短

Mark: It'd be a workout, and would take a couple three hours. But I'd be pretty confident about making my way along tree-lined streets and getting there safely.

马克：这是很好的运动，花几个小时吧。但是我很自信我可以沿着一路有树的街骑行，然后安全到达目的地。

Jingjing: I hope more and more people choose bikes as a way to commute and get about town.

京晶：我希望有更多人们选择自行车上下班和在城市活动。

Mark: Right, bikes can help make a huge metropolis, like Beijing, feel more like a town.

马克：是的，自行车能让一个超级大都市，比如北京这样的，有一种城镇的感觉。

Jingjing: Yep. The article says Beijing will improve on 900km of bike lanes.

京晶：没错。文章说北京要整治900公里的自行车道。

Mark: That's a good amount of road that will become better for bikes. Hey, I saw an article some months ago about a bike highway project. It was just an idea, but it sounded really cool.

马克：这么大量的车道以后对自行车出行更有利了。对了，我几个月前看过一篇文章关于自行车高速公路计划。这还只是一个设想，听上去很酷。

Jingjing: That'd be a pretty big commitment to green transportation. The article I have is talking about getting the ratio up to 73%—so that nearly three quarters of our transportation is green.

京晶：那将是对绿色出行的一个很大的承诺了。我这儿的文章说要把比例提升至73%，这样的话，近四分之三的交通都将是绿色的了。

Mark: That's a pretty big priority. I'm always glad to brag to folks I know in America about steps China is taking toward a greener tomorrow.

马克：真是当务之急了。我总是很开心地向我美国的朋友们夸赞北京在为未来变得更绿色而采取的种种措施。

New words: 习语短语

Point A to point B 旅途的起始点

one place and another, the beginning and end of a trip/commute

a couple three 非常大概的估计，数个，几个

a very loose estimate, especially of time: It'll take a couple three years to finish writing the book. (2 or 3, possibly 6)

get about town 在城市四处走访

go to different parts of a city, doing errands or visiting friends, or just wandering

bike highway 自行车高速

a special roadway just for bikes, allowing people to ride quickly in some of the lanes without having to stop at intersections or watch out for cars

green transportation 绿色出行

ways of commuting/travelling that do not cause pollution