Titanic II Could Sail as Soon as 2022

    If you thought the long-delayed project to launch a full-size copy of the ill-fated Royal Mail Ship Titanic was sunk in the water—think again. Just like Celine Dion sang back in 1997, the travel project will "go on and on."

    Australian businessman and politician Clive Palmer, who is behind the {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, announced in September that work on the ship had started again. The idea was first floated in 2012. It is said that the new ship will be a(n) {#blank#}2{#/blank#} copy of the infamous ship, which sank in 1912 following a crash with an iceberg (冰山).

    To avoid a(n) {#blank#}3{#/blank#} disaster, Titanic II will apparently be equipped with plenty of life boats, modern navigation (导航) and radar equipment. The first voyage, however, will take passengers from Dubai to New York, reports CruiseArabia, with the first sailing {#blank#}4{#/blank#} to take place in 2022. Blue Star Line says the nine-decked ship will be home to 835 cabins, and 2,435 passengers will be {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. You'll be able to buy first-, second- and third-class tickets—just like in the original.

    Meanwhile tourists with plenty of money might soon have the chance to dive to the {#blank#}6{#/blank#} of the original Titanic. American company OceanGate has planned diving trips for 2019, costing $105,129 per person.

    Of course, the original Titanic voyage ended in {#blank#}7{#/blank#}, with over 1,500 people losing their lives. For many, voyages to the original ship are in bad taste. Steve Sims, founder of The Bluefish, said earlier in 2018 that he doesn't see diving to the original one as {#blank#}8{#/blank#}.

    Realistically, it's {#blank#}9{#/blank#} whether Titanic II will ever see the light of day—or whether the diving tours will happen soon. But one thing is for certain, more than 100 years after the Titanic's first and only voyage, global interest in this ship shows no {#blank#}10{#/blank#} of slowing down.

    Chen Lei studied art history and the early {#blank#}1{#/blank#} of China in a university. He was able to recognize the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} of different cultural relics from former times, especially the Tang and Song dynasties. One day he was looking in a second-hand furniture shop when he saw an {#blank#}3{#/blank#} object among the many different vases and {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It was a mirror {#blank#}5{#/blank#} in the Song Dynasty and {#blank#}6{#/blank#} in the {#blank#}7{#/blank#} style of that time. He recognized that it was a {#blank#}8{#/blank#} cultural relic, but at a price he could afford, so he bought it at once. Later he gave it to his local museum. The people there were very happy and without {#blank#}9{#/blank#} consider it one of the treasures of their collection. To them, it was {#blank#}10{#/blank#} much more than Chen Lei paid.

    The earth was just {#blank#}1{#/blank#} cloud of dust after the "Big Bang". The earth exploded loudly with fire and rock. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} were in time to produce many things，which were to make the earth's atmosphere. As the earth cooled down，water began to appear on{#blank#}3{#/blank#}surface. It allowed the earth to dissolve {#blank#}4{#/blank#} gases. Then life began to develop.

    Small plants multiplied and filled the first oceans and seas with oxygen. This encouraged the development of early shellfish and fish. Land animals such {#blank#}5{#/blank#}insects, reptiles and dinosaurs appeared after green plants appeared. Small clever animals spread all {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the earth. They {#blank#}7{#/blank#} putting too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which prevents heat from {#blank#}8{#/blank#} from the earth into space. Whether life will continue on the earth for millions of years to come will depend {#blank#}9{#/blank#} whether this problem {#blank#}10{#/blank#} be solved.

The Floating School

    Life on the islands can feel a bit isolated due to a lack of electricity and internet connectivity.

    Although some of the islands have primary schools, most young people must travel to the larger islands or to the mainland to attend high school. Schools on the islands follow the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} curriculum (课程). They don't teach subjects such as maritime skills, swimming or local fishing traditions, and so the curriculum isn't always {#blank#}2{#/blank#} with students' everyday life.

    So, we {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the Floating School after winning funding through a US State Department grant competition called Seeds for the Future. Before we started the school, we spoke with young people, community leaders and teachers on the islands to find out the topics young people are most interested in. We also learned about the various {#blank#}4{#/blank#} of students and young people who don't go to school. Thus, we {#blank#}5{#/blank#} our own non-formal educational programme that fits with the context of life on the islands. For example, those working in fishing have responsibility {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the marine life, so we teach environmental protection and discourage destructive fishing practices.

    The Floating School is a wooden boat that can {#blank#}7{#/blank#} up to twenty people and it goes to the students, not the other way around -- we use it to transport educational materials, tools, and teachers to young people living on the islands. Our teachers are local young {#blank#}8{#/blank#}— so far we have had journalists, photographers, computer engineers and musicians — and students who want to {#blank#}9{#/blank#} their skills.

    At first, many of the young people thought the Floating School would be the same as their schools on the islands. They had thought of the teachers to be {#blank#}10{#/blank#}. But our students learn through art, media and literature. They don't have to wear uniforms or shoes, and the teachers treat the students as equals, without judging them. This means our students can be themselves.