Taking the Train in the USA: All You Need to Know - Reading Worksheet 2

Read the second half of the text.

1. Which word signals a change in direction? What kind of change does the author suggest (positive or negative)? How do you know?

2. Look for the dates mentioned in the article and organize them in a mini timeline. What do these dates show about trains in the U.S.?

3. Understanding expressions.
Find the phrase “haven’t come to fruition yet.”  What might this mean? Choose the best explanation in the list below. Look at the sentence before and after for clues.

• The changes are already complete.
• The changes are still in progress, not finished.
• The changes were canceled.

4. Focus on the last two lines.

• Why do you think the journalist asks a question and then answers it?
  
• What effect does it have on the reader?

5. Do you think the author is being realistic, optimistic, or negative about train travel? Justify with one phrase from the text.