2 . One side effect of globalization and the related phenomenon of greatly increased mobility (流动性) is that the traditional definition of “foreigner” has passed its “best-before date”.

Is a European who has lived in China longer than in his home country, becoming fluent in the language and knowing the culture well in the process, still a foreigner in China, or has he become more of a foreigner in his own hometown? What about a Beijinger who had her schooling in Canada and then lived and worked there for another 20 years while raising a family who has no intention of returning to China? Does she think and act like a foreigner? What do we mean by this label (标签)?

When I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, the faces I would see during a walk through a local shopping mall back in the 1960s and 1970s included almost none of Asian descent (血统). Today the local malls are full of Asian faces, and a glance at the ranks of top-scoring students in local schools reveals lots of Asian surnames.

To some extent, this is no great surprise in the American context, because America is a land of immigrants, and a cultural melting pot. Apart from the native American Indians, Americans are (or were), in some way, all foreigners anyway. Absorbing a large number of immigrants is an established pattern in American history.

In most places, the traditional foreigners were people who didn’t speak or read the local languages well and were unfamiliar with local customs and lifestyles. But, nowadays, a foreigner walking down the street may have better SAT scores than you, or a higher degree from a better university.

The traditional role models are getting mixed up, and it looks like this is just the beginning of a new chapter. Today, the whole thing has totally changed. It’s not about where people are from or what color their skins are. It’s about who they are, what values and skills they bring, and how they think.

4 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

5 . If a traditional sport bores you, it’s time to try something new! Cycling, but outdoors on city roads; surfing, but on the land; playing frisbee (飞盘), but with a group of people... New sports have been refreshing our minds, bringing more joy to physical exercise.

National fitness has been part of the national strategy for many years, aiming to improve people’s overall physical health. With great attention paid in support of national fitness, new sports begin to develop. According to a study by Houlang Research Institute which attracted more than 1,200 young people to participate, more than 93 percent of people born after 2000are interested in urban (城市的) sports.

Why do young people favor new sports? Houlang’s report claims that apart from keeping fit as a type of exercise, many young people pick them up to socialize—allowing them to build up their social circles. “Players tend to have online group chats announcing their usual activities and simply sharing their lives. The new sports are also suitable for taking photos and are less limited by venues (场地),” the CEO of a tourism website in China told China News Service. Gathered together through social media, people can enjoy new sports at many places in the city, from parks to spacious sidewalks.

Qianjiang Evening News also comments that the new sport are easier for new players to start, unlike other traditional sports, such as soccer and basketball, which usually require strict and complex rules. Thus, the new sports are less competitive but could bring more fun. According to a website, people may opt for sports that are less challenging and can take place at local venues.

Urban sports have unlocked new lifestyles in China and prove that more people arc exposed to and willing to enjoy sports, according to China News Service.

According to a recent survey, violence (暴力) did happen in schools. Students showed their fear and parents and teachers were also     1     (annoy) at it. Experts hope     2     whole society should pay more attention to the mental health of     3     (teenager).

The topic of school violence is     4     (particular) hot now, and it calls for our great concern. We should try our best     5     (stop) violence happening at school because more and more students     6     personal safety could not be guaranteed (保证) would drop out of school. In fact, violence can     7     (learn). Children learn violent     8     (behave) from adults or from what they see on television or on the Internet.

If I meet with school violence, I will not answer violence with violence, for it will lead     9     more fighting. I will tell my teachers and parents about it. I think they will help medeal with it well and protect me from the bad guys.

All in all, we students should be responsible for     10     (we) and keep away from violence.

7 . You might think people all over the United States have Wi­Fi — wireless Internet service — and mobile phones. But there is no such service in Green Bank, West Virginia, a tiny town four hours from the US capital, Washington D. C. Fewer than 150 people live in Green Bank, which has two churches, an elementary school and a public library. It is also home to the largest radio telescope in the world.

There is a ban (禁令) on Wi­Fi in Green Bank, along with anything else that can create electromagnetic (电磁的) waves. Officials say the waves could disturb the signals (信号) the telescope receives.

For many Americans, a visit to Green Bank is a little like returning to the 1950s. To get there, you must read road signs because there is no GPS service in the town. People can connect with the Internet through telephones, but wireless service is not allowed.

The observatory (天文台) is one of the largest employers in the area. The National Science Foundation (NSF) spends about $8.2 million a year to operate the observatory, telescope and educational center.

Jonah Bauserman is a technician. If he supposes there is a signal that is not allowed in the zone, he drives to the house where the signal is coming from and checks it. But once a week, when the device is cleaned, some banned devices are allowed near it.

People in the town respect the work of the scientists. And they say they are happy to live without Wi­Fi and mobile phones. “You know, instead of sitting here with our phones and other devices we’re out fishing, hunting and going to each other’s houses.” Everyone knows each other and communication is almost always face to face.

9 . In the coming era of budget cuts to education, remote learning could become a common thing.

The appeal to those in charge of education budgets to trade teachers for technology is so strong that they tend to ignore the disadvantages of remote learning. School facilities are expensive to build and maintain, and teachers are expensive to employ. It’s true that online classes do not require buildings and each class can host hundreds of people, which can result in greater savings, but moving away from a traditional classroom in which a living, breathing human being teaches and interacts with students daily would be a disaster.

Physically attending school has hidden benefits: interacting with peers and communicating with teachers are important skills to cultivate（培养）in young people. Moreover, schools are more than simple places of traditional learning. They are also places that provide meals, places where students receive mental help and other support.

Those policy-makers are often fascinated by the latest technology in education and its potential to transform education overnight. But online education does not allow a teacher to keep a struggling student after class and offer help. Educational videos may deliver academic content, but they are unable to make eye contact or assess a student’s level of engagement. Distance education will never match the personal teaching in a traditional classroom. In their first 18 years of life. American children spend only 9% of their time in school. Yet teachers are expected to prepare them to be responsible citizens, cultivate their social skills, encourage successful time management, and improve their capacity to compete in a competitive job market. Given these expectations, schools should not become permanently “remote”.

The power of the classroom is rooted in the qualities of the people gathered in the same place, at the same time, including their nature, empathy, devotion and so on. Technology, no matter how advanced, should simply be a tool of a good teacher.