For years now, the world’s fastest trains, operating in Japan and France, have been stuck at a (36)

For years now, the world’s fastest trains, operating in Japan and France, have been stuck at a (36) operating speed of around three hundred kilometers an hour—in fact the latest Japanese bullet trains travel a bit slower than their (37) , the emphasis of the designers being more on (38) and economy. Now JR East, the country’s largest railway company, has (39) a much faster train, capable of (40) speeds of around three hundred and sixty kilometers an hour. The new train, which has been (41) in a dazzling color, looks very similar to the (42) models already running on Japan’s high-speed railways, except for one unusual feature—extra (43) brakes in the form of cat’s ears that rise from the roof of the carriages—this, a response to the derailment (出轨) of a bullet train after an earthquake last year. (44) . Strictly speaking it isn’t the world’s fastest—that honor goes to magnetically-levitated trains which literally float above the track on an enormous magnetic field—and yes, (45) . But only one maglev network is in operation today—a German system, built in Shanghai— and it only covers the thirty kilometers from the airport to the city. (46) .

This passage is discussing advancements in high-speed rail technology. To complete the sentences, here are some possible options for the missing words:

(36) maximum
(37) predecessors
(38) comfort
(39) developed
(40) reaching
(41) painted
(42) existing
(43) safety
(44) However,
(45) they are still in the experimental phase
(46) Therefore, high-speed trains remain a more practical solution for long-distance travel.

This completes the context about Japan's efforts to improve bullet trains' speeds and safety features while noting the limitations of maglev technology. Let me know if you'd like to tweak any of these or dive into more detail on any part!