Journey to Asia in 2018

Follow the Silk Route

Though they were ruled by Russia for more than 100 years, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have remained far more connected to their earlier histories. This 11-day journey, with guidance from Times-selected experts, will take you deep into the heart of these Silk Road nations.

Journey 11 days

Time Apr. 15, May 20 and Sept. 23, 2018

Travelers 20

Costs $ 6,495

Saudi Arabia and the Emirates: The Past and Future of Oil

Oil transformed the Arabian Peninsula, bringing wealth to the traditional area as well as problems with the Western nations that needed it. Learn more on this journey accompanied by New York Times - selected experts. Explore the conservatism（保守主义）that existed in Saudi Arabia, and then see the modern architectural city Abu Dhabi.

Journey 10 days

Time Oct. 23 and Nov. 6, 2018

Travelers 24

Costs $11.695

Seventy Years of the State of Israel

In 2018, Israel will observe its 70th anniversary as a nation. But its history goes back more than 5,000 years, and even now, its future promises many difficulties. On this nine-day journey, travel with experts from the New York Times, a leader in its even-handed coverage of Israel, Palestinians and the Middle East. Enjoy extraordinary opportunities to hear from opinion makers, scholars, grassroots activists and media experts.

Journey 9 days

Time Mar. 18 and Oct. 7, 2018

Travelers 25

Costs $6,995

Kashmir: The Religious Melting Pot of India

One of the most populous nations on earth. India also has some of the most varied religions on earth. On this 13-day journey: explore this nation’s colorful religious history, from Delhi to Kashmir, with expert guidance and unparalleled access to remote areas.

Journey 13 days

Time Mar. 24, Apr. 14 and Oct. 6, 2018

Travelers 20

Costs $7,895

I was a shy girl. I didn’t even like to answer the telephone for fear I’d have to talk to somebody I didn’t know. I enjoyed the loneliness of exploring nature. However, at school I had to spend all day in the company of others. My escape was reading. I spent a lot of time studying and was rewarded with good grades. My only failure was Spanish—I’d get all As on my written work and tests, but Ds and Fs on the spoken part.

Eventually I went to college. During my third year of college, I had enough of being shy and determined to change my outlook and behavior. One day while at school, I noticed an advertisement for positions on the local classical music radio station. I had grown up listening to classical music, and I could easily pronounce names such as Tchaikovsky, Albinoni, and Chopin.

I had absolutely no background in radio, and absolutely no hope of getting the job. The idea of talking to thousands of listeners in “radio land” terrified me. However, I luckily survived the interview. I was given brief descriptions of symphonies（交响乐）and a public service announcement to read, and a list of composers’ names to pronounce. It wasn’t hard for me. I left the recording session（录音时段）with a sense of relief and a sense of accomplishment. About two weeks later I actually landed the job. It was a challenging job, but I grew to enjoy it greatly. I began to feel comfortable talking to people.

Although I now spend many hours each week talking with people, I’m still basically a quiet person. Perhaps it is my soft voice and my quiet nature that helps draw people out as they respond to my questions as I interview them. My former shyness is a fortune, as I can relate to people who feel discomfortable when they talk to newspaper reporters. I still enjoy moments of loneliness and the peace found in nature. But I’m also glad I decided to make a change in my life that has opened many doors and opportunities that I never knew existed.

“He is the best choice for goodwill ambassador.” Indian movie fans in China say.

Indian actor Aamir Khan has got his major celebrity status in China. Aamir Khan was in China last week to promote his latest Hindi film Secret Superstar. During his weeklong stay, first in Shanghai and then in Beijing, the Indian actor also found out that he has become a major celebrity in a country where Hollywood’s reach has been traditionally limited.

Some local analysts compare his star status in China to that of Hollywood actors Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio. Others wonder if Khan is an activist actor. Still others describe him as a feminist（女权主义者）. The Chinese media seem to have called him Mishu, or Uncle Aamir. The surprising rise in popularity of the 52-year-old Bollywood star is owing to his striking movies. At more than 1 million, Khan has the most followers as an Indian on Sina Weibo, the country’s Twitter-like platform.

Secret Superstar had made more than 400 million yuan（$63 million）earlier this week. The story of a teenage Muslim girl’s fight against ugly patriarchy（父权制）to realize her dreams was released in China on Jan 19.

Last year, his film Dangal, inspired by the real journey of an Indian wrestler through a conservative landscape to turn his daughters into world-class athletes, had made nearly 1.3 billion yuan.

In 2011, Khan’s work first got major attention from Chinese moviegoers with Three Idiots, which was released in India much earlier. A statement on India’s orthodox education system, similar to that of China, the Hindi film went along with the local audience. Film critics and fans alike recommended it to their friends.

Some film critics say the education systems, gender discrimination（性别歧视）and domestic violence（家庭暴力）that Secret Superstar shows are among similarities of social issues in India and China. A series of “masterpieces” have made Khan an effective brand in China, in addition to his movie marketing and film devotion.

We’ve all experienced the feeling that comes when your phone makes a sound to tell you that its battery level is low. It often comes at the worst times — when you’re out on a trip and don’t have a charger(充电器), or when you’re expecting an important phone call.

Indeed, this feeling is so common that South Korean electronics manufacturer LG has given it a name: low battery anxiety(低电量焦虑).

According to a survey of 2,000 US adults conducted by the company last year, 90 percent of respondents said that they panic if their battery level reaches 20 percent or lower. And last month, UK telecommunications service provider found that around 15. 5 million Britons live in “constant fear” of their mobile phones running out of power, according to a survey by the company.

“The problem is not about being unable to make calls, but is rooted in the fact that smartphones are now where we store digital memories,” noted the Daily Mail, However, battery worries don’t just affect smartphone lovers. Many owners of electric vehicles also suffer from so-called “range anxiety”. This refers to the concern that the vehicle may not make it to its destination before the power runs out. Meanwhile, it isn’t just low power that people worry about. A study carried out by South Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University and China’s City University of Hong Kong found that many of us also worry about not having constant access to our phone.

This condition is known as homophobia, short for “ no mobile phone phobia(恐惧症)”. Symptoms include feeling uncomfortable when access to one’s phone isn’t possible, being unable to turn off your phone, and constantly topping up the battery to make sure it never dies.

So, why do so many people treat their smartphone with such importance? The reason may be that they keep us connected to the people around us, and if we’re unable to use our phone, we feel like we’re cut off from our social life.

With products with bigger batteries being released all the time-such as Xiaomi’s Mi Max smartphone range or Tesla’s Model S cars-battery anxiety may hopefully soon be a thing of the past.

Nowadays, many people do not read for pleasure. The internet and television have become most people’s main form of entertainment, and reading is becoming a thing of the past.     36     And there are ways to make it even more enjoyable, whether you do it frequently or just for assignments.

Indentify what kind of reading you want to enjoy.

Believe it or not, people enjoy different kinds of reading. Some people do research, some people read to learn how to do things, and some people read in order to enjoy stories or poetry.     37    

Realize that there are countless types of reading materials.

For example, if you want to read stories, keep in mind that there are many types, like romantic novels, creative nonfiction, etc. Don’t decide you don’t like reading just because you don’t like one particular kind of books.     38     But in the end, You’ll slowly develop an interest in reading.

Try listening to music.

    39     Soft music is generally received better, but any type will do. It depends on what you like.

    40    

Find a place that is quiet, well-lit, and comfortable. You can even make a reading corner in your room.

Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous scientists in this century. The disabled writer of A Brief History of Time, was on his second journey to China in Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province. His first ____ was over ten years ago. The great theoretical scientist has been invited to ____ a mathematics research institute at Zhejiang University, Metropolis Newspaper reported. ____ Sunday evening, he made his appearance at a press conference ____ at Shangri-La hotel, Hangzhou. Hawking ____ at about 5: 00 pm with his wife. The elderly man answered a total of nine ____ with the help of his ____. “I find the real universe much more ____ than the one in the film Star Wars,” Hawking joked. “I ____ young people to study theoretical physics first ____ they are interested in it.   But the talented man ____ has produced such rich work suffers from ____ motor neuron disease（运动神经元病）. He is one of the 350,000 sufferers in the world. The disease ____ over 100,000 people every year. “I like life and I love life, my family ,and music give me the ____ happiness,” smiled Hawking, who can ____ move two fingers.

In the speech, Hawking said he was ____ to write a new edition of A Brief History of Time ____ young children. “A Brief History of Time is my first book for ____ people. But I later found that I could write it in a ____ way,” he answered. “So I decided to rewrite it ____ all people can read it easily.” Unfortunately, he left us forever on March 14 this year. We remember his words “My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.”

When you are thirsty, you can drink some green tea. It tastes good and it’s very healthy. The Chinese     61    (know) about the benefits of green tea since ancient times and they use     62    to treat everything from headaches to depression. They have     63    (actual) been using green tea as a medicine for over 4, 000 years.

Nowadays, there is scientific evidence of the health benefits of green tea. According to one study     64    (publish) in a cancer research journal, drinking green tea     65    (reduce) the risk of some types of cancer in Chinese men and women     66    nearly sixty percent. USA researchers have also found that green tea may prevent the     67    (grow) of cancer cells. There is also new evidence     68    green tea can help to destroy bacteria in our bodies. It is especially effective at getting rid of the bacteria on your     69    (tooth) and keep them healthy!

As the Chinese proverb goes, it is     70    (good) to go without food for three days, than without tea for one. So you should definitely try a cup of green tea.

71. 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Mobile payment is very popular in China, that has made people’s daily life more and more convenience. Most people are used to pay by scanning QR codes. By mobile payment, you can pay easy wherever you go. You can buy breakfast on the street and pay by scanning with you smart phone. However, in the subway station, you scan with your smart phone buy your ticket. Mobile payment is popular to most Chinese people, allowing us to say goodbye to wallets and bank cards. So it has greatly been changed people’s lives in China. It seemed that China is really leading in some ways and is also sweeping other nations.

72. 第二届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛将于2019年在中国举办。组委会向社会征集志愿者。假设你是新华中学学生李华，请按上面的要求给组委会写一封应聘信。

要求：1. 有礼、热情；2. 熟悉中国传统文化；3. 讲流利的英语口语。

生词：“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛 the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

注意：1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 开头语和结束语已为你写好。

Dear Sir or Madam,

Thank you for reading my letter.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua