2 . Earthquake rescue robots have experienced their final tests in Beijing. Their designers say with these robots, rescuers will be able to save lives during an earthquake. This robot looking like a helicopter, is called the detector-bot. It’s about 4 meters long, and it took about 4 years to develop the model. Its main functions (作用) are to collect information from the air, and send goods of up to 30 kilos, to people trapped by an earthquake.

This robot has a high definition 360 degree panoramic (全景) camera. It can work day and night and will also be able to send the latest pictures from the quake area.

Dr. Qi Juntong, Chinese Academy of Science, said, “The most important feature of this robot is that it doesn’t need a distant control. We just set the destination (目的地) information on it, and then it takes off, and lands by itself. It flies as high as 3,000 meters, and as fast as 100 kilometers per hour.”

This robot has a different function — it can change as the environment changes. Its main job is to search for any signs of life in places where human rescuers are unable to go.

As well as a detector (探测器) that finds victims and detects poisonous gas, a camera is placed in the 40 centimeter long robot, which can work in the dark.

Another use for the rescuers is the supply part, with its 10 meter long pipe. People who are trapped in the ruins, will be able to get supplies including oxygen and liquids.

Experts have said that the robots will enter production, and serve as part of the national earth-quake rescue team as soon as next year.

1. According to the passage, this robot________.

A．is carried by the helicopter	B．weighs about 30 kilos
C．is a machine with a length of 10 meters	D．hasn’t been put into production so far

2. The underlined word “which” in paragraph 6 refers to________.

A．a camera

B．a robot

C．a rescuer

D．a detector

3. Which of the following is true of the robot?

A．It is designed to prevent the earthquake.	B．It is unable to send goods.
C．It can take and send pictures even in the dark.	D．It can be used to take in poisonous gas.

4. The text is mainly about _________.

A．what the robot looks like	B．an introduction to the robot
C．how the robot is made	D．information about earthquakes

3 . Great Barrier Reef Choking on Pollutants

Attempts to protect the Great Barrier Reef are failing. A report released Monday by the government in Australia says water quality in the Great Barrier Reef is far below what it should be. It showed that pollution have decreased, but not enough to reach environmental targets.

Sediment (沉淀物) and chemicals can weaken coral, hurting its ability to feed and grow. Coral are live animals that take root in the ocean floor, but they are not plants. Reefs are the hard skeletons (骨架) left at the bottom of the sea by small marine creatures called polyps (珊瑚虫). The polyps then form the larger structure of a reef. Corals also are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the entire planet. They can make a home for invertebrates, crustaceans, fish, and sea snakes.

Steve Miles is Queensland’s environment minister. He says the research shows the Reef needs more protection. “Over that five-year period, we did see some progress towards our targets. Sediment is down 12 percent and pesticides (杀虫剂) loads are down 30 percent. But what is most disturbing is that these results are far from our targets. Progress towards these targets flat-lined in the period 2013-2014. If one of my kids came home with a report card like this, I would be a bit disappointed. There is more bad news here than good news. ” said Steve Miles.

The report also found that fewer than one-third of Queensland’s sugar plantations used techniques to reduce the use of pesticides. Only 28 percent of land managers managed their land properly. They had reduced harmful water run off to protect the health of the Reef. The official target is a 90 percent reduction in pesticide use within three years.

Scientists at the University of Queensland and the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences published their findings Wednesday, July 18 in the journal Science Advances. It found between 1992 and 2010, the recovery rate dropped by an average of 84 percent. But there is hope. The study also found some corals can recover quickly if “acute and chronic stressors” are lessened.

Meanwhile, the Australian government released its updated reef protection plan Friday. It clearly states global temperatures must be stopped from rising in order to save the world’s largest living structure.

1. What does the underlined word “They” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Diverse ecosystems.	B．Sediment and chemicals.
C．Reefs and corals.	D．Small sea creatures.

2. What can be learned from what Steve Miles said?

A．He is satisfied with the protection of the Reef.

B．He thinks that the Reef needs more protection.

C．He feels angry with what his children did.

D．He is very happy about the Reef progress protection.

3. What does the underlined word “flat-lined” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Not increase significantly.	B．Disappear.
C．Speed up.	D．Miss the chance.

4. The report found the majority of land managers in Queensland   ________.

A．were tough to deal with	B．failed to manage their land properly
C．reduced the amount of harmful water	D．were eager to quit pesticide soon

5. Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?

A．A news report.	B．A science fiction.
C．A book review.	D．A guide book.

4 . Journalism (新闻业) is a fast-paced industry, requiring reporters to get the facts about newsworthy events and to write about them before a deadline (截止日期). It takes some skills to do this. At the same time, news reporters must follow strict requirements and have a deep understanding of news writing.

Know what you’re going to write about. Newsworthy events can happen anytime and anywhere. So reporters need to develop a good nose for news.

Get all the facts and look at the details. Be sure to look at a story from different angle (角度). Even if you are covering a popular story or topic that others are writing about, look for an angle that will make this one yours.

Check facts to avoid mistakes. Sources may also make mistakes and some may even deceive you. It’s wise to get in touch with other sources. In a shooting incident, for example, getting the facts from the police and from both the criminal (罪犯) and victim isn’t enough. You should also interview other witnesses who may give more information about the incident. Interviewing people and getting a firsthand source on your topic can be valuable.

Start writing the news. When it comes to the body of the article, the main information should be given in the leading statement. It is often a short one, including the basics of what happened, where and when it took place, who was involved and why it’s newsworthy. These details are the main point that informs the reader. Other information about the story follows. This form allows editors to cut off the last paragraphs if there’re space limits.

Check your article for mistakes. If time permits, leave the article for a moment and then read through it again with a fresh eye. Newspaper publications usually have someone check for mistakes but keep in mind that you’re the first line of defense. Grammar mistakes are embarrassing (令人尴尬的), and some mistakes may result in a lawsuit(诉讼).

1. What can we learn about journalism from the first paragraph?

A．It is developing fast.	B．It is very challenging.
C．It is very interesting.	D．It is popular worldwide.

2. What does the underlined word “deceive” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Warn.	B．Assist.
C．Interest.	D．Cheat.

3. What should a good news article be like according to Paragraph 5?

A．It begins with a summary.	B．It ends with a happy ending.
C．It has enough smart questions.	D．It gives opinions about the event.

4. How can a reporter avoid getting embarrassed by his news report?

A．By choosing a proper topic.	B．By checking it for grammar mistakes.
C．By filling it with enough details.	D．By removing boring facts from it.

5 . At 12, my father decided to take me on a trip to France. I had never been out of the country before, so I was very excited. My aunt, my father and I went around with my father showing us all the unbelievable sites in Paris. None of us spoke much French but we loved the city.

We had taken the subway all over the city and were congratulating ourselves on our mastering what is honestly an excellent subway design that is pretty easy to follow. We decided visit Versailles by train. We chatted happily along the way until my father realized we were into the French countryside and no one around spoke English.

We reached the end of the line and felt afraid when everyone finally left the train. An old man and his grandchild noticed us and came to help. He spoke no English, so in broken French we tried to explain. When he finally understood, this great man settled his grandson and showed us to the correct train and then boarded with us.

Later we knew the truth that there was a train transfer (转乘) and he didn't want us to miss it.

This kind man rode a train for an hour and a half out of his way to make sure that three Americans got where they wanted to be. He refused to let us pay for his ticket. He did it all with a gentle smile and patted our hands gently at the stop. Then in his quiet way, he boarded the train to return the way he had come.

What impressed me most was the man and his kindness during the amazing trip. Some Americans think the French are rude for some reason, but I always try to persuade them to change their minds with this very story.

1. What happened to the author and his family on the train?

A．They missed their stop.

B．They lost their packages.

C．They couldn't find the right line.

D．They argued over the nest destination.

2. How did the man help the author and his family?

A．By paying for their train tickets.

B．By showing them the returning way.

C．By inviting them to travel together.

D．By leading them to their place.

3. Which of the following can best describe the last paragraph?

A．Travelling enriches one's life.

B．Being kind is a good manner.

C．Seeing is believing.

D．Helping others brings great pleasure.

6 . A four-year-old girl sees three biscuits divided between a stuffed crocodile and a teddy bear. The crocodile gets two; the bear one. “Is that fair?” asks the experimenter. The girl judges that it is not. “How about now?” asks the experimenter, breaking the bear’s single biscuit in half. The girl cheers up: “Oh yes, now it’s fair. They both have two.” Strangely, children feel very strongly about fairness, even when they hardly understand it.

Adults care about fairness too---but how much? One way to find out is by using the ultimatum（最后通牒）game, created by economist Werner Guth. Jack is given a pile of money and proposes how it should be divided with Jill. Jill can accept Jack’s “ultimatum”, otherwise the deal is off, and neither gets anything.

Suppose Jack and Jill don’t care about fairness, just about accumulating cash. Then Jack can offer Jill as little as he likes and Jill will still accept. After all, a little money is more than no money. But imagine, instead, that Jack and Jill both care only about fairness and that the fairest outcome is equality. Then Jack would offer Jill half the money; and Jill wouldn’t accept otherwise.

What happens when we ask people to play this game for real? It turns out that people value fairness a lot. Anyone offered less than 20-30% of the money is likely to reject it. Receiving an unfair offers makes us feel sick. Happily, most offers are pretty equitable; indeed, by far the most common is a 50-50 split.

But children, and adults, also care about a very different sort of （un）fairness, namely cheating. Think how many games of snakes and ladders have ended in arguments when one child “accidentally” miscounts her moves and another child objects. But this sense of fairness isn’t about equality of outcome: games inevitably have winners and losers. Here, fairness is about playing by the rules.

Both fairness-as-equality and fairness-as-no-cheating matter. Which is more important: equality or no-cheating? I think the answer is neither. The national lottery（彩票）, like other lotteries, certainly doesn’t make the world more equal: a few people get rich and most people get nothing. Nevertheless, we hope, it is fair---but what does this mean? The fairness-as-no-cheating viewpoint has a ready answer: a lottery is fair if it is conducted according to the “rules”. But which rules? None of us has the slightest idea, I suspect. Suppose that buried in the small print at lottery HQ is a rule that forbids people with a particular surname （let’s say, Moriarty）. So a Ms Moriarty could buy a ticket each week for years without any chance of success.

How would she react if she found out? Surely with anger: how dare the organizers let her play, week after week, without mentioning that she couldn’t possibly win! She’d reasonably feel unfairly treated because ___________________.

To protest（抗议）against unfairness, then, is to make an accusation of bad faith. From this viewpoint, an equal split between the crocodile and the bear seems fair because （normally, at least）, it is the only split they would both agree to. But were the girl to learn that the crocodile doesn’t like biscuits or that the bear isn’t hungry, I suspect she’d think it perfectly fair for one toy to take the whole. Inequality of biscuits （or anything else） isn’t necessarily unfair, if both parties are happy. And the unfairness of cheating comes from the same source: we’d never accept that someone else can unilaterally（单方面地）violate agreements that we have all signed up to.

So perhaps the four-year-old’s intuitions（直觉）about fairness is the beginnings of an understanding of negotiation. With a sense of fairness, people will have to make us acceptable offers（or we’ll reject their ultimatums） and stick by the（reasonable）rules, or we’ll be on the warpath. So a sense of fairness is crucial to effective negotiation; and negotiation, over toys, treats etc, is part of life.

1. From Paragraph 2 to 4, we can conclude______.

A．a 30-70 split is acceptable to the majority

B．fairness means as much to adults as to children

C．something is better than nothing after all

D．people will sacrifice money to avoid unfairness

2. Which of the following does fairness-as-no-cheating apply to?

A．divisions of housework	B．favoritism between children
C．banned drugs in sport	D．schooling opportunities

3. Which of the following best fits in the blank in Paragraph7?

A．the lottery didn’t follow the rules	B．she was cheated out of the money
C．the lottery wasn’t equal at all	D．she would never have agreed to those rules

4. The chief factor in preventing unfairness is to ______.

A．establish rules	B．observe agreements
C．strengthen morality	D．understand negotiation

7 . New research suggests that dogs might be able to help save diseased citrus trees.

A group of scientists trained dogs to use their sense of smell to detect a crop disease called citrus-greening. The disease has affected orange, lemon and grapefruit trees in the American states of Florida, California and Texas.

The dogs can detect the disease weeks to years before it appears on tree leaves and roots, the researchers report. A study on their findings was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The report says using dogs is also faster, less costly and more exact than having people collect hundreds of leaves for lab analysis.

Timothy Gottwald is a researcher with the U. S. Department of Agriculture and a co-writer of the study. He told The Associated Press, “This technology is thousands of years old-the dog’s nose. We’ve just trained dogs to hunt new prey.”

Citrus-greening is caused by a bacteria (细菌) that is spread by a tiny insect that feeds on the leaves and stems of citrus trees. Once a tree is infected (感染), there is no cure. The disease has also hurt citrus crops in Central and South America and Asia. In one experiment involving grapefruit trees in Texas, trained dogs were correct 95 percent of the time in telling the difference between newly infected trees and healthy ones. “The earlier you detect a disease, the better chance you have at stopping an epidemic (流行病) by removing infected trees,” Gottwald said.

Matteo Garbelotto studies plants at the University of California, Berkeley. He says the new research shows that dogs can detect an infection well before current methods. Garbelotto has been involved in similar research but had no part in the new study.

Laura Sims is a plant scientist with Louisiana Tech University. She praised the steps taken to find out if the dogs were detecting the bacteria itself or a plant’s reaction to an infection. To do that, the researchers infected different kinds of unrelated plants with the bacteria in a laboratory. The dogs were still able to pick out the infected plants.

Gottwald said, “You’ve seen dogs working in airports, detecting drugs and explosives. Maybe soon you will see them working on more farms. ”

1. According to the research, trained dogs can ________.

A．help infected trees recover from diseases	B．recognize a crop disease in its early stage
C．cause fruit trees to grow faster than usual	D．reduce the cost of planting some fruit trees

2. What does the underlined part “new prey” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Infected plants.

B．Fruit trees.

C．Tiny insects.

D．Favourite foods.

3. Why did the researchers do experiments on unrelated plants?

A．To further prove the findings.	B．To explore the plant diseases.
C．To present different opinions.	D．To discover a plant’s reactions.

4. How does Gottwald feel about the future use of this new method?

A．Doubtful.

B．Positive.

C．Indifferent.

D．Curious.

8 . 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.

9 . 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.

10 . A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading（扩大） quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely falling below 16°C. Rainforests have a great influence on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate.

Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect（反射）more heat into the atmosphere, warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns，potentially（潜 在地） causing certain natural disasters all over the world.

In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources ： land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example, a lot of carbon dioxide in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.

There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, when people cut down trees, generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply. Rainforests are often called the world's drugstore. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than 1% of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking（减 少）rainforests.

1. Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they______.

A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere

B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world

C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than 16°C

D．absorb（吸收） the heat from the sun, reducing the effect of heat from the sun on the earth

2. What does the underlined word “this” in the third paragraph refer to?

A．We will lose much more than we can gain.	B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests.
C．People have a strong desire for resources.	D．Much carbon dioxide （二氧化碳）comes from burning rainforests.

3. It can be inferred from the text that______.

A．we can get enough resources without rainforests

B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests

C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land

D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns

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

A．How to Save Rainforests?	B．How to Protect Nature?
C．Rainforests and the Environment.	D．Rainforests and Medical Development.