My Chinese speaking experience

It’s one thing to study and learn a language, but it’s quite another when you finally get to use it.

On the _______ from Venice to Paris, a group of girls my age sat around me. I had caught enough of the conversation to know that they were speaking Chinese, but at first I didn’t feel _______starting a conversation with the stranger next to me. If it didn’t _______ well, I’d be stuck next to them for the rest of the flight.

As the food cart began to make its way down the aisle (过道) _______ us, I finally found my chance. I _______ to the girl to my left and asked, “Will you be having lunch?” in Chinese. She nodded her head, then realizing the language I had _______, and asked me in English, “You speak Chinese?”

I was a bit surprised. I _______ again in Chinese. “A little bit but not very well.” She nodded again and then returned to her magazine, _______ my effort to communicate with her. Perhaps I should have lied and said that I spoke better...

Another time, at a dinner I sat next to a man who I knew spoke Chinese. I told him that I was learning Chinese, but _______ only speak a little and not very well. When ________ me use the language, he suddenly began to speak ________ in Chinese, but all I caught was that he told me that for Chinese people, the ability to speak a little bit is actually a lot. His behaviour was the complete opposite of my earlier ________. I felt somewhat overwhelmed (不知所措). I never quite     ________ the chance to continue or make any further efforts because the conversation returned to ________ as other people joined the table.

All in all, my experience has ________me that I still have a lot of work to do.

New Zealand Cruise (游轮) & Australian Open Tennis

Includes tickets to the Women’s and Men’s Finals at the Australian Open

Number of days: 16 days (Leaving: 31 January 2020)

This holiday serves up the perfect experience for any tennis fan with tickets to the Australian Open, hotel stays in Melbourne and Sydney and a cruise around New Zealand’s coastline.

Discover your itinerary (日程安排)

Dayl-4 Melbourne (Hotel stay & Australian Open)

Melbourne is famous for its markets, where you’ll find everything from local produce to arts and fashion. During your stay, experience all the excitement of the Australian Open, one of the world’s most exciting sports tournaments and 2020’s first Grand Slam (大满贯). With tickets to the Men’s and Women’s Finals, you’ll see the best tennis stars in the world compete for glory in game like no other.

Day 5-8 Sydney (Hotel stay)

Sydney is far more than the Opera House, Harbor Bridge and inviting beaches. Walk along the coastal paths, with rock pools, where you can watch surfers ride the waves.

Day 9-12 At sea

Day 13 Milford Sound (Scenic cruising)

You’ll travel through amazing natural beauty in South West New Zealand, where mountain tops are shown in mirror-smooth waters. In this important wildlife habitat, you could see a Little Blue penguin (企鹅) or two, as you travel past the breathtaking sight.

Day 14 Dunedin

Don’t miss the gardens at Larnach Castle, including the Serpentine Walk, the Alice Lawn and a native plant path; a true dream for plant lovers.

Day 15 Tauranga

As you sail into Tauranga’s scenic harbor, you’ll pass Mount Maunganui, a dead volcano crossed with walking paths and dotted with hot saltwater pools.

Day 16 Auckland

Elephant Transit Home

In both Africa and Asia elephants are being threatened by changes in their natural habitats. People are moving into the elephants’ habitats and endangering their survival. In the country of Sri Lanka, there is one place where elephants are not only protected but also respected. It is called the Elephant Transit Home (ETH).

Set up in 1995, the ETH aims to protect and nurture baby elephants that are found injured or living without their mothers in the wild. Every year about 30 baby elephants in Sri Lanka need help. As many as possible are brought to the ETH. There they are given food, shelter, and medical care. Most importantly, they are given the chance to be with other elephants and become part of a herd (象群).

A day at the ETH begins early in the morning when the baby elephants are given their first feeding of milk. During the day, each baby will drink an average of 13 gallons of milk. Older elephants are fed mostly coconut leaves and other native plants. Then the elephants are allowed to walk around, eating the grass and forming a herd. The cost of caring for the baby elephants is high. The ETH spends about $125,000 each year on powdered milk for the baby elephants.

At the ETH, workers try to reduce human connection with the elephants. They also try to increase bonds (联系) between the elephants. It usually takes three years for a baby elephant to be set free into its natural habitat. The elephants are sent back to the wild together with other orphans with whom they have bonded. This program helps them return to the wild as members of a herd that will communicate with each other and take care of each other.

The ETH is considered one of the best animal protection sites in the world. Not only are the elephants cared for, they are treated with respect. Most importantly, they go back to live in the wild, where they belong.

Antiquities are ancient objects and artworks. Many people visit museums to view antiquities. They enjoy seeing these relics of the ancient world as a way of understanding past cultures and sometimes connecting with their own heritage.

Museums get works to show from many different sources. Sometimes they buy them. Other times they receive donations. Today there are strict guidelines forbidding art that has been stolen from other countries. However, antiquities that have been at museums for many years or even centuries may have arrived there by dishonest means. Now, some countries say that museums have a duty to return these antiquities to their original locations.

Should museums return the antiquities? Experts disagree. Malcolm Bell says yes. Bell is a professor of art at the University of Virginia. He says, “Many antiquities and works of art have special cultural value for a particular community or nation. When these works are taken from their original cultural setting, they lose their context and the culture loses a part of its history.”

According to Bell, a country’s request for the return of an antiquity “usually has a strong legal basis.” “It was exported (出口) illegally, probably also dug out illegally, and is now stolen property (财物).” He called the return of antiquities “an expression of justice”.

James Cuno says not always. Cuno is the president of the J. Paul Getty Trust, an art museum in Los Angeles. Cuno agrees that museums have a legal duty to return illegally exported antiquities. However, he doesn’t support the return of works which were got legally. “Land held today by a given nation-state in the past likely belonged to a different country...even if one wanted to return those stolen works of art, where would one do so? Which among the many countries, cities, and museums that own parts of a work of art should be the home of the returned work?” Cuno believes that museums should collect art from the world’s various cultures. This should be done “through buying or long-term loan (长期租借) and working together with museums and nations around the world.”

This debate is far from over. As a complex question with no easy answer, the issue requires more study.

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Why play games? Because they are fun, of course, and a lot more besides. Following the rules...planning your next move...acting as a team member...these are all “game” ideas that you will run into throughout your life.

Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as hopscotch and hide-and-go-seek. These games are more than a hundred years old, and children all over the world play them.

The games of children’s cultures are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and working together.

Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For example, some Saudi Arabian children live in the desert. They play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination (协调) needed in hunting.

Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. Audience wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it.

Sports are also a unifying event. Football is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play the game--some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a football player from California, has discovered a way to spread hope through football. Iribarne created Futbol 4 Refugees after joining in an international football match. The aim of the group is to provide children living in refugee camps with footballs. Other groups such as Playing for Peace and Right to Play provide opportunities for children who otherwise might never play football or throw a Frisbee.

The next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it. What skills are needed in your favorite game or sport? Do you think these skills will help you in other aspects of your life? But most importantly, the next time you play, have fun.