Our Nation's Development and Achievements
FoundationThrough high-speed rail, the Belt and Road, the Greater Bay Area and the BeiDou navigation system, the nation links closely with the world and changes our daily lives.
- Through reform and opening-up, the nation is the world's second largest economy.
- Its high-speed rail is the world's longest; Hong Kong to Guangzhou takes about an hour.
- The Belt and Road links Asia, Europe and Africa.
文體小知識：說明文介紹國家的新發展。這一篇講高鐵、「一帶一路」、大灣區和北斗導航，看看國家怎樣連繫世界、改變生活。
§Text Passage
1After more than forty years of reform and opening-up, the nation's economy has soared to become the world's second largest. Cities brim with towers, villages have taken on new looks, people's lives have greatly improved, and poverty relief has scored remarkable success. This development rests on hard-working people, sound policies, and rapid progress in science and technology.
2Among scientific achievements, the closest to daily life is high-speed rail. The nation's high-speed network is the world's longest, trains reaching 350 kilometres per hour — Beijing to Shanghai takes about four and a half hours. From Hong Kong West Kowloon station, trains run straight to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other mainland cities, taking about an hour to Guangzhou, so families travel, work and tour between the two far more easily.
3In 2013 the nation proposed the Belt and Road Initiative: the belt is the overland Silk Road Economic Belt, and the road is the twenty-first-century Maritime Silk Road. Working with countries along the routes, the nation builds railways, ports and power stations, promoting trade and human exchange. Carrying on the ancient Silk Road's spirit of connectivity, it binds Asia, Europe and Africa ever closer.
4The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area covers nine mainland cities — Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing — plus the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao. Crowded and dynamic, its cities complement one another: Shenzhen excels in innovation and technology, Hong Kong is an international financial centre, Guangzhou has deep manufacturing roots — together building a world-class city cluster.
5There are many more achievements: the BeiDou navigation system, with dozens of satellites, serves the whole globe — fishing boats, aircraft and phone maps all use it; mobile payment is everywhere — a scan of the phone pays for breakfast or a bus ride; the space station is in operation and lunar probes keep succeeding. These achievements improve people's lives and bind the nation ever closer to the world.
1Summary 重點摘要
Through high-speed rail, the Belt and Road, the Greater Bay Area and the BeiDou navigation system, the nation links closely with the world and changes our daily lives.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
The policy of economic reform and opening begun in 1978.
Railways with trains over 300 km/h; the nation's network is the world's longest.
The initiative for the nation and partner countries to build trade and infrastructure together.
The development area of nine Guangdong cities plus Hong Kong and Macao.
The nation's own satellite positioning system, serving the whole world.
Paying by scanning with a phone — quick and convenient.
A station in space where astronauts live and work for long periods.
Places linked up in transport, trade and communication, flowing freely.
A group of neighbouring cities developing and cooperating together.
A man-made craft orbiting the Earth, used for communication and navigation.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Know the nation's economic developmentSince reform and opening-up began in 1978, the economy has grown fast; the nation is now the world's second largest economy. Cities have gained factories, towers and infrastructure; villages have won bridges and roads; incomes have risen and hundreds of millions have escaped poverty. A strong economy lets the nation invest in technology and education — high-speed rail, spaceflight and satellite navigation — which in turn drive the economy, in a virtuous cycle.
- Step 2: Know the high-speed rail networkThe national high-speed network runs over forty thousand kilometres, the world's longest, linking most major cities. Electric trains reach 350 kilometres per hour, smooth and punctual. Hong Kong West Kowloon station joins the national network: about an hour to Guangzhou and about a day to Beijing. For us, visiting relatives and travelling is easier; for the economy, goods, talent and money move faster and cities cooperate more closely.
- Step 3: Know the Belt and RoadThe Belt and Road is an international cooperation initiative proposed in 2013. The belt is the overland Silk Road Economic Belt running west through Central Asia to Europe; the road is the twenty-first-century Maritime Silk Road through the South China Sea and Indian Ocean to Africa and Europe. Together with partner countries the nation builds railways, roads, ports and power plants, promoting smooth trade and cultural exchange. Where ancient caravans carried silk and porcelain, today trains and cargo ships carry goods, linking Asia, Europe and Africa.
- Step 4: Know the Greater Bay AreaThe Greater Bay Area comprises nine mainland cities — Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing — plus Hong Kong and Macao, home to over eighty million people and a vast economy. Each city has its strength: Hong Kong leads in finance and professional services, Shenzhen in innovation and technology, Guangzhou in commerce and manufacturing, Dongguan and Foshan in industry. With high-speed rail and sea bridges, a one-hour living circle has formed, giving Hong Kong students many more choices for study, internship and work.
- Step 5: Know the BeiDou Navigation Satellite SystemBeiDou is the nation's home-grown positioning system, made of dozens of satellites and completed for global service in 2020. It tells where you are, which way you face and how fast you move: fishing boats locate themselves at sea, and aircraft, lorries and phone maps all rely on it. Once such technology was held by only a few countries; with BeiDou finished, the nation's transport, farming and disaster relief are better assured, and the world gains one more option.
- Step 6: See how technology changes lifeThe nation's technology is beside us: in mainland cities, a scan of the phone pays for breakfast or a bus ride, without even small change; online orders arrive the next day; video calls let us talk face to face with faraway family. Further afield, astronauts work long-term aboard the space station, and lunar probes have brought back moon soil. These are not distant headlines but inventions improving billions of lives — and careers we may join one day.
- Step 7: Think about the nation's development and yourselfThe nation's achievements came from generations who studied hard and strove. Today, learning languages, mathematics and science well in the classroom, and building problem-solving and creative skills, is how we prepare ourselves. Hong Kong is part of the nation, and the Greater Bay Area offers young people a broad stage: technology, finance, healthcare and culture all hold opportunities. Care about national development, study hard, and whatever trade you join, you can serve both the nation and Hong Kong.
5Worked example Example
Example: Tung's family takes the high-speed train from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Guangzhou to visit grandmother — the ride takes only about an hour. Name the national achievements they may meet on this journey.
- The train itself: gliding at over 300 km/h, it represents the nation's world-leading high-speed rail technology.
- Border arrangements: at West Kowloon, Hong Kong and mainland departure and arrival formalities are completed in one place.
- Arriving in Guangzhou: the family can pay for breakfast and tickets with mobile payment — technology woven into life.
- Bay Area links: Hong Kong and Guangzhou are both Greater Bay Area cities, an hour apart, cooperating closely.
- Navigation: when they take a taxi or find their way, the phone map's positioning comes from the BeiDou satellite system.
- Answer: The journey meets many national achievements: high-speed trains above 300 km/h, one-stop clearance at West Kowloon, mobile payment in Guangzhou, the Bay Area's one-hour living circle, and BeiDou positioning behind the phone map. Technology makes travel between Hong Kong and the mainland easy and life better.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1In which year was the Belt and Road Initiative proposed?
Q2The Greater Bay Area covers Hong Kong, Macao and how many mainland cities?
Q3What is the nation's satellite navigation system called?
Q4How long is the high-speed train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou?
Q5Name one popular tech payment method on the mainland.
8Recap Recap
- Through reform and opening-up, the nation is the world's second largest economy.
- Its high-speed rail is the world's longest; Hong Kong to Guangzhou takes about an hour.
- The Belt and Road links Asia, Europe and Africa.
- The Bay Area: nine cities plus Hong Kong and Macao, complementary and developing together.
- BeiDou navigation and mobile payment — technology changes daily life.