2 . Gottfried Wilhelm von Liebniz was a philosopher and mathematician in search of a model. In the late 1600s Leibniz decided there was a need for a new, purer arithmetic than our common decimal（十进制）system. He got his inspiration from the 5000-year-old book that is at the heart of Chinese philosophy：the I-Ching, or Book of Changes.

This ancient text was such an influence on Liebniz that he titled his article on the new arithmetic “Explanation of a new arithmetic and the ancient Chinese figure of Fu X”. Fu Xi was the legendary first author of the I-Ching. The arithmetic that Liebniz described was binary（二进制）code, which is used in almost every modern computer, from iPhones to China’s own Tihane-2 supercomputer.

To figure out what Liebniz learned in the I-Ching, we need to understand something that most of us have taken for granted. When we listen to an MP3, look at a digital photo or watch the latest TV drama, we are experiencing a digital representation of reality. That representation is basically just a string of binary signals that are commonly known as 1s and 0s. What Liebniz’s gained from the book was that even the most complex reality could be represented in the binary form as 1s and 0s.

In the philosophy of the I-Ching, reality is not entirely real. It is something more like a dream. This dream of reality arises from the binaries of Yin and Yang, as they play out countless combinations, practically everything in the universe. It’s not surprising then, from the l-Ching’s perspective, that anything in the dream of reality can be represented in a string of 1s and 0s, processed by a computer.

The I-Ching was far more ambitious than the current practical applications of binary code. It is claimed that the I-Ching represents nothing less than the basic situation of human life itself. As a system for predicting the future, the I-Ching might disappoint, but as a way of questioning your own unconscious mind, it can be remarkably useful.

The I-Ching’s teachings also contain warnings about our digital revolution. Binary code, powered by modern computers, has an amazing capacity to represent reality. However, the ancient authors of the I-Ching might have understood its potential-and its dangers-even better than we now do.

So when scientific thinkers ask whether computers can create “virtual realities” or “artificial intelligence”, they are missing the point. Of course, we can create ever deeper and more complex layers of the dream of reality. The real question is, can we wake up from the dream we’ re in already?

1. Which of the following is TRUE about binary codes?

A．They share the same source with the decimal system.

B．They can form numerous combinations.

C．They are documented in the Book of Changes.

D．They are first discovered by Fu Xi.

2. In paragraph 3, the underlined part refers to the fact that ______.

A．media products are digitally represented using 1s and 0s.

B．TV dramas and digital photos are not worth seeing.

C．Reality is made more complex by binary codes.

D．Licbniz’s model is hardly understandable.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Computers’ ability to represent reality is quite limited.

B．Human life is now in grave danger according to the I-Ching.

C．We have yet to understand the complete teachings of the I-Ching.

D．The I-Ching is perfectly accurate in predicting the future.

4. Which of the following is the best title?

A．The Ancient Book of Wisdom at the Heart of Every Computer

B．The Supercomputer that Employs Ancient Chinese Culture

C．The Father of Binary Code, Gottfried Wilhelm Liebniz

D．The Origin of Eastern and Western Philosophy

3 . As the effects of climate change become more disastrous, well-known research institutions and government agencies are focusing new money and attention on an idea: artificially cooling the planet, in the hopes of buying humanity more time to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

That strategy, called solar climate intervention (干预) or solar geoengineering, involves reflecting more of the sun’s energy back into space — abruptly reducing global temperatures in a way that imitates the effects of ash clouds flowing out from the volcanic eruptions. The idea has been considered as a dangerous and fancied solution, one that would encourage people to keep burning fossil fuels while exposing the planet to unexpected and potentially threatening side effects, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters.

But. as global warming continues, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters, some researchers and policy experts say that concerns about geoengineering should be outweighed by the imperative to better understand it, in case the consequence of climate change become so terrible that the world can’t wait for better solutions.

One way to cool the earth is by injecting aerosols (气溶胶) into the upper layer of the atmosphere. where those particles reflect sunlight away from the earth. That process works, according to Douglas MacMartin, a researcher at Cornell University.

“We know with 100% certainty that we can cool the planet,” he said in an interview. What’s still unclear, he added, is what happens next. Temperature, MacMartin said, is an indicator for a lot of climate effects. “What does it do to the strength of hurricanes?” he asked, “What does it do to agriculture production? What does it do to the risk of forest fires?”

Another institution funded by the National Science Foundation will analyze hundreds of simulations of aerosol injection, testing the effects on weather extremes around the world. One goal of the research is to look for a sweet spot: the amount of artificial cooling that can reduce extreme weather events without causing broader changes in regional rainfall patterns or similar impacts.

1. Why do researchers and government agencies work on cooling the earth?

A．To prevent natural disasters.	B．To win more time to reduce gas emissions.
C．To imitate volcanic eruptions.	D．To encourage more people to bur fossil fuels.

2. What are researchers worried about in terms of global warming?

A．More volcanoes will throw out.

B．More solar energy will go into space.

C．More disasters will endanger the future of the world.

D．People will keep burning fossil fuels to keep warm.

3. What can be inferred from Douglas’ words in an interview?

A．He thinks more research remains to be done.

B．He is optimistic about the effect of cooling the earth.

C．He is concerned about the reduction in agriculture production.

D．He disapproves of the practice of solar climate intervention.

4. What does the underlined words “sweet spot” in the last paragraph mean?

A．The rainfall pattern of a region.

B．The modest drop in temperature.

C．The number of extreme weather events.

D．The injection amount of aerosol.

4 . Old Problem, New Approaches

While clean energy is increasingly used in our daily life, global warming will continue for some decades after CO2 emissions peak. So even if emissions were to begin to decrease today, we would still face the challenge of adapting to climate change. Here I will stress some smarter and more creative examples of climate adaptation.

When it comes to adaptation, it is important to understand that climate change is a process. We are therefore not talking about adapting to a new standard, but to a constantly shifting set of conditions. This is why, in part at least, the US National Climate Assessment says that, “There is no ‘one-size fits all’ adaptation.” Nevertheless, there are some actions that offer much and carry little risk or cost.

Around the world, people are adapting in surprising ways, especially in some poor countries. Floods have become more damaging in Bangladesh in recent decades. Mohammed Rezwan saw opportunity where others saw only disaster. His not-for-profit organization runs 100 river boats that serve as floating libraries, schools, and health clinics, and are equipped with solar panels and other communicating facilities. Rezwan is creating floating connectivity（连体） to replace flooded roads and highways. But he is also working at a far more fundamental level: his staff show people how to make floating gardens and fish ponds prevent starvation during the wet season.

Elsewhere in Asia even more astonishing actions are being taken. Chewang Norphel lives in a mountainous region in India, where he is known as the Ice Man. The loss of glaciers there due to global warming represents an enormous threat to agriculture. Without the glaciers, water will arrive in the rivers at times when it can damage crops. Norphel’s inspiration came from seeing the waste of water over winter, when it was not needed. He directed the wasted water into shallow basins where it froze, and was stored until the spring. His fields of ice supply perfectly timed irrigation(灌溉) water. Having created nine such ice reserves, Norphel calculates that he has stored about 200, 000m³of water. Climate change is a continuing process, so Norphel’s ice reserves will not last forever. Warming will overtake them. But he is providing a few years during which the farmers will, perhaps, be able to find other means of adapting.

Increasing Earth’s reflectiveness can cool the planet. In southern Spain the sudden increase of greenhouses (which reflect light back to space) has changed the warming trend locally, and actually cooled the region. While Spain as a whole is heating up quickly, temperatures near the greenhouses have decreased. This example should act as an inspiration for all cities. By painting buildings white, cities may slow down the warming process.

In Peru, local farmers around a mountain with a glacier that has already fallen victim to climate change have begun painting the entire mountain peak white in the hope that the added reflectiveness will restore the life-giving ice. The outcome is still far from clear. But the World Bank has included the project on its list of "100 ideas to save the planet”.

More ordinary forms of adaptation are happening everywhere. A friend of mine owns an area of land in western Victoria. Over five generations the land has been too wet for cropping. But during the past decade declining rainfall has allowed him to plant highly profitable crops. Farmers in many countries are also adapting like this—either by growing new produce, or by growing the same things differently. This is common sense. But some suggestions for adapting are not. When the polluting industries argue that we’ve lost the battle to control carbon pollution and have no choice but to adapt, it’s a nonsense designed to make the case for business as usual.

Human beings will continue to adapt to the changing climate in both ordinary and astonishing ways. But the most sensible form of adaptation is surely to adapt our energy systems to emit less carbon pollution. After all, if we adapt in that way, we may avoid the need to change in so many others.

1. The underlined part in Paragraph 2 implies____ .

A．adaptation is an ever-changing process	B．the cost of adaptation varies with time
C．global warming affects adaptation forms	D．adaptation to climate change is challenging

2. What is special with regard to Rezwan’s project?

A．The project receives government support.

B．Different organizations work with each other.

C．His organization makes the best of a bad situation.

D．The project connects flooded roads and highways.

3. What did the Ice Man do to reduce the effect of global warming?

A．Storing ice for future use.	B．Protecting the glaciers from melting.
C．Changing the irrigation time.	D．Postponing the melting of the glaciers.

4. What’s the author’s preferred solution to global warming?

A．Setting up a new standard.	B．Reducing carbon emission.
C．Adapting to climate change.	D．Monitoring polluting industries.

5 . In a new blog post for the International Monetary Fund, four researchers presented their findings from a working paper that examines the current relationship between finance and tech as well as its potential future.

Gazing into their crystal ball, the researchers see the possibility of using the data from your browsing, search, and purchase history to create a more accurate mechanism for determining the credit rating of an individual or business. They believe that this approach could result in greater lending to borrowers who would potentially be denied by traditional financial institutions.

At its heart, the paper is trying to wrestle with the dawning notion that the institutional banking system is facing a serious threat from tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Apple. The researchers identify two key areas in which this is true: Tech companies have greater access to soft-information, and messaging platforms can take the place of the physical locations that banks rely on for meeting with customers.

The concept of using your web history to inform credit ratings is framed around the notion that lenders rely on hard-data that might hide the worthiness of a borrower or paint an unnecessarily bad picture during hard times. Citing soft-data points like "the type of browser and hardware used to access the internet, the history of online searches and purchases" that could be included in evaluating a borrower, the researchers believe that when a lender has a closer relationship with the potential client's history, they might be more willing to cut them some slack.

"Banks tend to cushion credit terms for their long-term customers during downturns," the paper's authors write. This is because they have a history and relationship with the customer.

The researchers acknowledge that there will be privacy and policy concerns related to including this kind of soft-data in credit analysis. Getting the soft-data points would probably require companies like Facebook and Apple to loosen up their standards on linking unencrypted information with individual accounts. How they might share information with other institutions would be its own can of worms.

1. What is the approach put forward by the researchers?

A．Replacing banks with soft information.	B．Lending money by predicting the future.
C．Determining credit ratings by web history.	D．Facing the threat posed by high-tech companies.

2. Why do they advocate the new way of rating the borrower’s credit?

A．Traditional finance refuse to lend money.

B．The new approach helps reduce burden on banks.

C．The type of hardware misleads the lender’s judgement.

D．Soft information better reflects the truth than hard data.

3. Which is the closest in meaning with the underlined phrase in Paragraph 4?

A．Be less strict.

B．Share interests.

C．Forgive others’ fault.

D．Cut a piece of bread.

4. What do the researchers worry about?

A．Banks will break up with customers.

B．High tech companies will be in a mess.

C．Sharing information may cause problems of privacy.

D．Competition between tech companies will be more fierce.

6 . NOT that long ago, the world wondered whether clean energy could survive without government support. Now the question is how far it can spread. The number of electric vehicles, which was about 1 million in 2015, last year reached 2 million. In electricity generation, too, trend is with the greens. In the first half of this year wind, solar and hydro generated a record 35% of Germany's power.

Greater success is breeding greater ambition. California is proposing to reach 60% renewable energy by 2030. 176 countries have clean-energy goals. Hawaii, America's most oil-dependent state, has promised to be 100% renewable by the middle of the century and so have 48 poor countries vulnerable to climate change. This week the number of multinationals making a commitment to running their operations on 100% renewable energy rose to 100.

But not every target is helpful. To see why, consider that goal of 100% renewable energy. It makes solving climate change seem easy. In fact, though wind and solar can generate the whole country's electricity some day, renewables still account for less than 8% of the world's total power output. Moreover, cleaning up electricity is only part of the battle. Even though gas-fired heating and cooking can be at least as big a source of greenhouse-gas emissions, renewable heating gets little attention. Transport policy is unpredictable, too. Carmakers may hit their goal of annual sales of 10 million electric vehicles in a decade, but battery-powered road transport, shipping and aviation are dreams. A much-quoted claim that America could rely on wind, solar and hydro alone for its electricity has recently been bitterly criticized by a group of respected academics.

Most importantly, a 100% renewables target confuses means with ends. The priority for the planet is to stop net emissions（净排放量）of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. Putting too much emphasis on wind, solar and other renewables may block off better carbon-reduction paths. New technologies, such as "direct air capture" systems designed to separate carbon dioxide from the air, may in time prove vital. Likewise, greater energy efficiency could reduce emissions by even more than using renewables would.

1. Why is Germany mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the topic.

B．To compare with the USA.

C．To prove the possibility of the 100% renewables target.

D．To provide a successful example of producing clean energy.

2. What picture is described in the beginning of the passage?

A．A tough fight against climate change.

B．A promising future of clean energy.

C．A huge market of electric vehicles.

D．A fierce competition between countries.

3. Why is every target not realistic according to Paragraph 3?

A．Car makers cannot produce enough batteries.

B．Use of traditional energies causes air pollution.

C．Wind and solar energy will never meet the needs of a country.

D．New energy doesn't receive its due attention in every aspect of society.

4. Which of the following does the writer probably agree with?

A．New energy plays a minor role in reality.

B．Energy efficiency is prior to using renewables.

C．Mxiing up means with purposes matters most.

D．The target of 100 renewables is too high to reach.

7 . Many people have their breakfast with a glass of milk. Right now, cows, buffalos, goats and sheep provide most of the world’s milk. But soon, people could get milk from roaches (蟑螂).

That isn’t as crazy as it might sound. New research shows this “milk” is super-nutritious. What’s more, some scientists have already found milk from a lot of insects.

In 2004, Subra Rama started studying milk crystals found inside the roach. At the time, he was teaching biochemistry at the University of Iowa City.

To learn more about the milk crystal from roaches, the scientists used X-rays to look at the atoms in it. The data revealed the chemical secret of the roach crystal. They showed that roach milk is a “complete food”. It contains sugar with a fatty acid stuck to it. Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats. The protein in the milk is also full of essential amino (氨基的) acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Since our bodies can’t produce the “essential” ones, we need to get them from our food. And so do baby roaches.

Barbara Stay, a biologist at Iowa University, also worked on the new study. She says the new data show that the roach milk is “three times more nutritious than cow’s milk and four times more nutritious than buffalo’s milk”.

Rama would like to see roach milk turned into a protein supplement to feed hungry people. But not everyone is confident that it can be done.

Marcel Dicke studies insects as a potential source of human food at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Dicke says this is a “sound study”. However, in his opinion, “Extracting (提取) milk from roaches can only likely be done in a destructive way with only small quantities”. That means you’d have to raise and kill many bugs to get very little milk.

1. What is the opinion of the scientists about milk in Paragraph 2?

A．Many insects are sources of milk.

B．Milk is an important part of breakfast.

C．Milk from insects is the most nutritious.

D．Milk from insects is well accepted now.

2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “sound”?

A．Useless.

B．Disappointing.

C．Good.

D．Expensive.

3. According to Marcel Dicke, extracting insect milk on a large scale is ________.

A．simple

B．challenging

C．safe

D．necessary

4. What should be the best title for the text?

A．Roach milk is in our plate

B．Roach milk could be produced industrially

C．A probable new super food — Roach milk

D．Roach milk will be widely used soon

8 . Light and bright, cheap and cheerful: IKEA's 400-plus outlets （专营店）in 49 countries all run on the same central principle. Customers do as much of the work as possible, in the belief they are having fun and saving money. You drive to a distant warehouse built on cheap out-of-town land. Inside, you enter a maze （迷宫）---no shortcuts allowed—where every twist reveals new furniture.

Compared with the prices of other outlets, IKEA's are much lower. You load up your trolley （手 推车）with impulse buys—a clock, storage boxes, tools and more chairs than you will ever use. You drag cardboard boxes, cupboards and tables into your car and reward yourself for your economy and good taste. Then you drive home and put your prizes together. You are satisfied with the bargains. IKEA is satisfied with your money.

The company's name was a do-it-yourself job, too. IKEA stands for Ingvar Kamprad, from Elmtaryd―his family's farm—in Agunnaryd. That village is in the Smaland region of southern Sweden. Mr Kamprad founded IKEA aged 17. Well before that, he spotted a principle which would make him one of the richest men in the world that customers like buying goods at wholesale prices （批发价）.First he bought matches in large quantities and sold them by the box. Aged ten, he sold pens in the similar way.

Setbacks inspired him. Facing a price war against his low-cost mail-order furniture business, he defeated competitors by opening a showroom. Dealers tried to crush Mr Kamprad and banned him from their trade fairs. He slipped in, hiding in a friend's car. When they tried to threaten his suppliers, he relied on his own workers, and secretly sold his production to communist Poland. Decades later, east Europeans freed from the planned economy drove hundreds of miles to newly opened outlets in Moscow and Warsaw.

His self-discipline was world-famous. As a child, he removed the "off' button from his alarm clock to stop himself oversleeping. He rarely took a first-class seat. The wine didn't get you there any earlier, he sniffed; having lots of money was no reason to waste it. He bought his clothes in second-hand markets, and for years drove an elderly Volvo until he had to sell it on safety grounds. He had his hair cut in poor countries to save money. Visitors admired the views, but were surprised that his house was so shabby. He worked well into his eighties.

His diligence and simple way of life set a good example to his 194,000 "co-workers". But he was not mean. The point of cutting costs was to make goods affordable, not to compromise quality. He urged his staff to reflect constantly on ways of saving money, time and space. An improved design that allows easier piling means shipping less air—and more profit.

Culture was more important than strategy. He disliked ''exaggerated （夸张的）planning", along with financial markets and banks. Better to make mistakes and learn from them. And use time wisely: "You can do so much in ten minutes. But ten minutes once gone are gone for good." This did not apply to customers. The longer they stayed, the better.

Mr Kamprad's impact on modern life can be compared with that of Henry Ford and the mass-produced motor car. Furniture used to be expensive, dark and heavy. For many people, decorating a home could cost many months' salary. IKEA made furniture not just affordable and functional, but fun. The mission was civilizational, he felt, changing how people lived and thought.

His approach drew some fire. The company values struck some as unpleasant. At IKEA's Corporate Culture Centre, lots of pictures of Mr Kamprad with his mottos can be seen everywhere. What's worse, some parts of the supply chain seemed to have serious problems to overcome.

1. What can we learn about IKEA in Paragraph 1?

A．IKEA prefers rural areas for its location.

B．IKEA has 400 outlets throughout the world.

C．IKEA likes to store new furniture in a maze.

D．IKEA provides a lot of work for its customers.

2. The underlined two sentences in Paragraph 2 imply that .

A．IKEA tricks you into spending more money

B．you may buy bargains with impulse in IKEA

C．both you and IKEA are pleased with the deal

D．both you and IKEA are happy with the bargain

3. What can be inferred from paragraph 5 and 6 about Mr. Kamprad?

A．He never overslept due to his alarm clock being set.

B．He was against drinking but for sniffing at the wine.

C．He sold the old Volvo with the purpose of saving money.

D．He didn't give up the quality of furniture for more profit.

4. Which of the following has nothing to do with Mr. Kamprad's success in business?

A．The pictures and mottos of Mr. Kamprad.

B．The setbacks Mr. Kamprad experienced.

C．Mr. Kamprad's principles of management.

D．Mr. Kamprad's self-discipline and diligence.

9 . When Emma first announced about a month ago that she wanted to cut off all her hair, I cried. Not in front of her, of course. In front of her ,1 asked why and then told her to find a picture on the Internet that she could show to a hairdresser.

And then I went to the shower and cried. I cried not because she wanted to cut her long hair, but because she wanted to “cut it all off like a boy”. For some reason，that was the straw (稻草)that broke the dam.

Emma hasn’t worn dresses since she was two. She hates them. Now, at ten, she’s usually wearing mesh(网状）shorts and a packers T-shirt or jersey(运动衫)一or something old and stained and acquired for free. When she’s “dressing up” she wears skinny jeans and a plaid(格子图案的)button-down with her black and green Converse high-tops.

I admit her fashion sense has always made me a little sad. When I found out I was having a girl, I ran home and painted the nursery two shades of pink while fantasies of girls’ weekends and shopping trips were dancing in my head .I’d teach her how to do her hair and paint her nails. I couldn’t wait to start the journey with my very own mini-me. But it turns out you don’t give birth to dolls, and instead of a mini-me. I got a completely separate and independent human being with ideas and dreams of her own. And yes, that made me a little sad.

It also makes me extremely proud, although I’ve fought hard against the label tomboy(假小子). I’ve always been in the pride of my daughter’s strong sense of self and amazed at how early it developed. 6tShe9s been refusing dresses since before she could speak!”

1. What was the writer’s straw that broke the dam?

A．Her daughter refused to find a picture on the Internet.

B．She had to pretend to be happy before her daughter.

C．Her daughter wanted to cut off all the long hair like a boy.

D．Her daughter wanted to try a different hair style.

2. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 3?

A．Emma’s hating of dresses.	B．Emma’s present dressing style.
C．Emma’s spending on clothes.	D．Emma’s changing tastes on fashions.

3. How does the writer feel about Emma’s fashion sense?

A．Sorrowful.

B．Angry.

C．Happy.

D．Proud.

4. Which can best describe Emma’s character?

A．A girl that is not respectful of her parents.

B．A girl that is lost in the ever changing time.

C．A girl that is badly affected by her parents.

D．A girl with a strong personality and sense of self.

10 . Are you preparing for a big test? If so, you may want to play some basketball in between hitting the books. Doctors are starting to find more and more information that suggests a connection between exercise and brain development. Judy Cameron, a scientist at Oregon Health and Oregon Health and Science University, studies brain development. According to her research, it seems that exercise can make blood vessels(管), including those in the brain, stronger and more fully developed. Dr. Cameron claims this allows people who exercise to concentrate better. As she says, "While we already know that exercise is good for the heart, exercise can really cause physical changes in the brain."

The effects of exercise on brain development can even be seen in babies. Babies who do activities that require a lot of movement and physical activity show greater brain development than babies who are less physically active. With babies, even a little movement can show big results. Margaret Barnes, a pediatrician(儿科医生), believes in the importance of exercise. She thinks that many learning disabilities that children have in elementary school or high school can be traced back to a lack of movement as babies. "Babies need movement that stimulates their five senses. They need to establish a connection between motion and memory. In this way, as they get older, children will begin to associate physical activity with higher learning," says Margaret.

Older people can beef up their brains as well. Scientists from 11 universities studied a group of seniors ranging in age from seventy to seventy-nine. Their study showed a short-term memory increase of up to 40 percent after exercising just three hours a week. The exercise does not have to be very difficult, but it does have to increase the heart rate. Also, just like the motion for infants (婴儿), exercise for older people should involve some complexity. Learning some new skills or motions, such as with yoga or tai-chi, helps to open up memory paths in the brain that may not have been used for a long time.

For most people, any type of physical activity that increases the heart rate is helpful. The main goal is to increase the brain's flow of blood. And your brain can benefit from as little as three hours of exercise a week.

1. What is the best title of this passage?

A．How to exercise

B．How exercise helps the brain

C．How to get good scores on a test

D．How the brain can change

2. According to the reading, what is the connection between exercise and brain development?

A．Exercise makes us stupid.

B．The brain needs special mental exercise.

C．The more exercise, the bigger the brain.

D．Physical exercise helps us think better.

3. The mini amount of excises required to gain any benefit is ________.

A．three hours per week

B．40hours per week

C．three hours per day

D．40hours per month.

4. Why does the author think that yoga is fit for seniors?

A．It is easy to learn.

B．It can be done in groups.

C．It does not increase the heart rate.

D．It includes learning new motions.