1 . The Chinese word“Shanzhai”means a small mountain village, but now it becomes an accepted name for fakes, after “Shanzhai Cell­phones” produced by small workshops in southern China became popular in the mainland market over the past two years. Besides “Shanzhai” electronic products, there are “Shanzhai” movies, “Shanzhai” stars and even a “Shanzhai” Spring Festival Gala, a copy of the 25­year­old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve.

“Shanzhai” has become a culture of its own, meaning anything that imitates something famous. In Chongqing, “Shanzhai” version “Bird’s Nest” and “Water Cube” woven by farmers with bamboo attract wide attention from tourists.Both are copies of the famous Olympic buildings in Beijing.

A literature critic said that taking the “Shanzhai” Gala as an example, when the traditional CCTV program becomes less and less attractive to the audience, the “Shanzhai” version appears timely to attract people. “Although it is often connected with poor techniques and operation, “Shanzhai” culture meets the psychological needs of common people and could be a comfort to their minds,” he said.

To the mainstream(主流)culture, the rise of “Shanzhai” culture is a challenge and a motivation(推动). People believe different kinds of cultures developing together is a perfect way and it is for the public to choose.

2 . Slowly but surely, we’re moving closer and closer to 5G world. From smart-home security to self-driving cars, all the internet-connected devices in your life will be able to talk to each other at lightning-fast speeds with reduced delay, Objectively speaking, the fastest 4G download speeds in the U. S. top out at an average of 19.42 Mbps. But by comparison 5G promises gigabit (千兆) speeds.

“5G is one of those signs, along with artificial intelligence, of this coming data age,” said Steve Koenig, senior director of market research for the Consumer Technology Association. “The self-driving vehicle is a great emblem of this data age, and that is to say, it is a sign of time, because with one single task, driving, you have massive amounts of data coming from the vehicle itself, and a variety of sensors are collecting a lot of information to model its environment as it moves. It’s pulling in data from other vehicles about road conditions down the lane. It could be weather information, but also connected infrastructure (基础设施) construction. There’s lots of data behind that task, which is why we need high speed.

Augmented reality glasses (AR实境眼镜) and virtual headset (虚拟现实耳机) haven’t yet broken the mainstream, but tech companies are joyfully betting that these devices will eventually replace our smartphones. With 5G, that could actually happen. This is notable because companies such as Apple are reportedly developing AR glasses to assist — or perhaps even replace — smartphones.

3 . I once thought that my teenager years were going to be the worst years of my life, because when I was 12 years old, I was a total outsider, was often bullied (欺凌) at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.

But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy I shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received. I realized that the real meaning of my life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.

Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors wrote those books. The kindness they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.

Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.

5 . Lake Forest High School Clubs

1. Environmental Club

Club members are provided opportunities to realize their goals of environmental service. The majority of projects are student-initiated. Last year’s activities included: the LFHS Courtyard Garden upkeep, Bike to School Day with free cocoa and snacks, an “eat local” 100mile dinner, recycling solutions for LFHS, beach cleanup through the Great Lakes Alliance, and Earth Week celebrations.

Meetings: First Friday of the month in Room 5 at 7：00 a.m.

Advisor: Ms Mary Beth Nawor, mnawor@lfschools.net

2. Peer Tutoring

Students volunteer to help fellow students in improving their study and organizational skills. Students tutor LFHS and middle school students on an individually scheduled basis. LFHS tutors must have proficiency (精通) in the academic area in which they wish to tutor, but middle school tutors only need general academic proficiency.

Meetings: All tutoring is done on an individually scheduled basis.

Advisor: Ms Kathy O’Hara, kohara@lfschools.net

3. Young Idea

Young Idea is LFHS’s art and literary magazine. Students of all ages who love writing and art are encouraged to become part of the staff of this award winning magazine. Young Idea encourages all students to submit art and literature works to the magazine, whether they are a part of the staff or not. From September to February, Young Idea meets on Thursdays after school in the Public Room to discuss the pieces that have been submitted to the magazine and provide feedback for the authors.

Meetings: See above explanation.

Advisor: Ms Debbie Zare, dzare@lfschools.net

4. Scout Buddies

Scout Buddies is a friendship club which helps build friendship among individuals with and without disabilities. Club members participate in a variety of social activities both within the school and in the community. Activities include organizing holiday parties in the school, bowling, going to the movies, and eating out in local restaurants.

Meetings: Monthly meeting dates vary, but in Room 134.

Advisor: Ms Donna Lovitsch, dlovitsch@lfschools.net

6 . Twenty years ago, the idea of sharing our lives so openly with the world was unheard of. However, for young people today it is considered completely normal to share pictures of their lives and interact (互动) online every day. Fans of social media point out that the world has never been so connected as it has allowed people to make friends, learn about the world and celebrate life.

However, many people have concerns about the effects of this new way of living, particularly around the amount and type of information that is shared so openly. Recently researchers have found that too much time on social media may have some negative (消极的) effects. They measured people’s attitudes and feelings before and after watching social media sites. They found that the more time people spent on social media, the more unhappy they became.

There are a number of reasons for this. When watching social media, people often see photographs and stories showing beautiful holidays, fun parties and fashionable clothes. People seldom post negative stories or bad pictures, so it can be misleading (误导). For those looking at these pictures and comparing them to their own lives, they can end up feelings ad and depressed. They might think their lives are worse in comparison. Even for those people who post positive stories and pictures, they too can feel stressed and worried. The number of “likes” and comments on their posts can make them anxious about their popularity. Of course, there is also the problem of “cyber bullying” where people become victims (受害者) of bullying online when others make negative or cruel comments about them.

The reality is that social media is a part of modern life and it is not going to go away. This research shows us that it is important to find a balance between our online and offline lives. We don’t have to disconnect from the Internet to live a happy life, but we should realise that the pictures we see and stories we read are only part of a bigger picture. If we can do that, we can protect ourselves and enjoy our lives.

8 . The Double Ninth Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. According to tradition, we should celebrate the festival by going mountain climbing. How many people today still keep this tradition?    1    However, they are an important part of Chinese culture, and we must protect and maintain them.

    2    The Dragon Boat Festival, for example, is celebrated in honour of Qu Yuan. By celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival with rice dumplings and dragon boat races, the story of Qu Yuan is passed down from generation to generation. Promoting traditional festivals helps spread knowledge about the past of our country. Moreover, traditional festivals enable us to learn more about fine Chinese values. Many festivals, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, have a family-centred message at their heart.    3    With the celebrations of these festivals, younger generations learn to honour fine Chinese values.

Finally, traditional festivals area source of national pride and help shape (塑造) our national identity. For example, we celebrate the Hanshi Festival and the Lab a Festival with unique customs, and these shared experiences bring us together as a people.    4    

Traditional festivals have been passed down to us from previous generations. It is the duty of every one of us to protect them for generations to come.    5    We may even lose the festivals which belong to us.

9 . Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer. In his twenties, he had been very famous for his skills on the piano, but then he began to lose his hearing. Beethoven thought about giving up, but in the end he continued to write music. He carried on with the composition until his death in 1827. He composed more than 130 musical works, including his Ninth Symphony (交响曲) .

One day in February 1824, his Ninth Symphony was finally completed. Writing the piece had taken several years. A she proudly signed his name at the bottom of the page, Beethoven tried to imagine how people would respond when they heard it for the first time. Before the performance, the backstage atmosphere at a very famous theatre in Austria was anxious. Beethoven was afraid that the performance would be a disaster. After all, what use is a conductor who could not hear his orchestra (管弦乐) — even if he has a talent for music?

The audience didn’t hesitate to applaud (鼓掌) loudly as the famous composer walked out on to the stage. The theatre’s musical director, Michael Umlauf, joined him and together the two men took charge of the orchestra. For more than an hour, Beethoven jumped about in front of the orchestra, waving his arms wildly in the air, and madly turning the pages of his score (乐谱).

As the symphony came to an end, the audience jumped to their feet, clapping, cheering and waving their hats. But Beethoven continued conducting, his head buried in the score. It was not until Caroline Unger, one of the singers, took his arm and turned him to face the audience that the great man realized his symphony was a victory.

Later, Caroline remembered that Beethoven was not the only one who got a surprise. “The audience was shocked as well,” she said with abroad smile. “Most of them had no idea that he lost his hearing. The one person in the room who didn’t hear the symphony — and never would — was the very man who composed it.”