high speed train/high-speed railway

[diamondcutter]

This is the official sample composition for the English test of the senior high school entrance exams, Henan province, China, 2018.

What I like about where I live
I live in a small and quiet city in Henan Province. Different from other cities, it has no skyscrapers or endless cars on the streets. People there are seldom late for their work and enjoy a slow and peaceful life. And that is what I like most about my city.

However, my city has her problems. She has no high speed train. I hope she will soon have high speed trains so that I can travel to other cities more easily!

The second paragraph looks strange to me. What about my version as follows?

However, my city has her own problems. For example, there’s no high-speed railway. I hope she will soon have it so that I can travel to other cities more easily!

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

This is the official sample composition for the English test of the senior high school entrance exams, Henan province, China, 2018.

What I like about where I live
I live in a small and quiet city in Henan Province. Different from other cities, it has no skyscrapers or endless cars on the streets. People there are seldom late for their work and enjoy a slow and peaceful life. And that is what I like most about my city.

However, my city has her problems. She has no high speed train. I hope she will soon have high speed trains so that I can travel to other cities more easily!

The second paragraph looks strange to me. What about my version as follows?

However, my city has her own problems. For example, there’s no high-speed railway. I hope she will soon have it so that I can travel to other cities more easily!

Both are fine. Your hyphenated high-speed is better.

In the US, not many people would call a city "her" or "she." But if that's natural where you live, it's fine.

Other than that, why did you change it?

 

[5jj]

In the US, not many people would call a city "her" or "she."

It's the same in the UK.

 

[diamondcutter]

Thanks, Charile Bernstein adn 5jj.

1. She has no high speed train. I think it's better to say she has no high speed trains just like we say he has no brothers or sisters.

2. However, my city has her problems. The writer only mentions one problem. So I think it's appropriate to use for example before he or she introduces the problem.

3. I hope she will soon have high speed trains. I think the writer means a system of transportation, not just a few trains. So I changed that to high-speed railway.

 

[Tarheel]

Perhaps:
We need high-speed rail to connect us to other cities.

Also:
We do not have the traffic problems other cities have.

 

[Tdol]

How about Unlike most other cities...?

 

[diamondcutter]

Thanks, Tarheel and Tdol.

Dear teachers,

Would you please be kind enough to spare a little time to tell me if all the three sentences are acceptable when I mean I can’t take a high-speed train in a city. If they are all OK, could you please tell me which one is the most common.

1. There’s no high-speed train in this city.
2. There’s no high-speed train station in this city.
3. There’s no high-speed railway in this city.

Best wishes.
Diamondcutter

 

[tedmc]

I think 1 and 3, which are about the transport system available, are common and mean the same thing. #2 about train station means something else. It implies that the high-speed train does not stop at the city.

 

[Tarheel]

Thanks, Tarheel and Tdol.

Dear teachers,

Would you please be kind enough to spare a little time to tell me if all the three sentences are acceptable when I mean I can’t take a high-speed train in a city. If they are all OK, could you please tell me which one is the most common.

1. There’s no high-speed train in this city.
2. There’s no high-speed train station in this city.
3. There’s no high-speed railway in this city.

Best wishes.
Diamondcutter

With the second one you seem to be saying that you do indeed have high speed rail, but the train doesn't stop there. Which means you don't have it. (All you can do is watch the trains go by.)

 

[diamondcutter]

I have two more questions about this sentence.
Different from other cities, it has no skyscrapers or endless cars on the streets.

1. Is the use of “different from other cities” correct in this sentence?
2. “It has endless cars on the streets” sounds odd to me. Is the use of "endless cars" correct? What about “It has endless queues of cars on the streets” or “It has countless cars on the streets”?

 

[diamondcutter]

Dear teachers, would you be kind enough to make replies to my questions in #10?

 

[tedmc]

I have two more questions about this sentence.
Different from other cities, it has no skyscrapers or endless cars on the streets.

1. Is the use of “different from other cities” correct in this sentence?
2. “It has endless cars on the streets” sounds odd to me. Is the use of "endless cars" correct? What about “It has endless queues of cars on the streets” or “It has countless cars on the streets”?

1. "Unlike" sounds more natural than "different" especially when it is used at the start of a sentence.

2. I agree with you that "endless cars" is unnatural. I would reword it: "The streets are congested/clogged with vehicles".

I don't like the possessive, "it has" or "she has". To avoid that, I would write: There are no skyscrapers and traffic congestion on the streets.

 

[Tarheel]

Try:

There are no skyscrapers, and we don't have traffic jams.