6 . 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

7 . As consumers, we are very wasteful. Annually, the world generates 1.3 billion ions of solid waste. This is expected to go up to 2.2 billion by 2025. The developed countries are _________for 44% of waste, and in the U.S. alone, the average person throws away their body weight in rubbish every month.

Traditional wisdom would seem to suggest that companies have no interest in_________the life cycle of their products and reduce the revenue (营收)they would get from selling new goods._________, more and more businesses are thinking about how to reduce consumer waste. This is_________ driven by the rising price of raw materials and metals. Also, both consumers and companies becoming more aware of the need to protect our environment is another force that contributes.

When choosing what products to buy and which brands to buy from, more and more consumers are looking into sustainability, which is_________ just price and performance they were concerned about in the past. In a survey of 54 of the world's leading brands, almost all of them reported that consumers are showing increasing care about environmental lifestyles. At the same time, surveys on consumers in the U.S. and the U.K. show that they also care about _________ energy use and reducing waste.

_________, consumers control what happens to a product. But some companies are starting to realize that placing the burden of recycling entirely on the consumer is not an effective strategy, especially when_________something seems like the easiest and most convenient option.

Some retailers and manufacturers in the clothing, footwear, and electronics industries have launched _________programs, They want io make their customers interested in __________ their products and preventing things that still have value from going to the landfill. By offering services to help expand the longevity of their products, they're promising quality and __________ to consumers, and receiving the__________ gains for being environmentally friendly and socially responsible.

Enormous opportunities also__________e-waste. It is estimated that in 2014 the world produced some 42 million metric tons of e-waste (discarded electrical and electronic equipment and its parts) with North America and Europe accounting for 8 and 12 million metric tons __________. The materials from e-waste include iron, copper, gold, silver, and aluminum-materials that could be reused, resold, recovered, or recycled. Together, the value of these metals is estimated to be about $52 billion. Electronics giants like BestBuy and Samsung have provided e-waste __________programs over the past few years, which aim to refurbish (翻新)old electronic components and parts into new products.

1.

A．forgivable

B．accountable

C．tolerable

D．remarkable

2.

A．altering

B．lengthening

C．obeying

D．upsetting

3.

A．Therefore

B．Somehow

C．Yet

D．Otherwise

4.

A．partly

B．barely

C．precisely

D．exclusively

5.

A．bridged with

B．subjected to

C．opposed to

D．associated with

6.

A．minimizing

B．maintaining

C．stimulating

D．deserting

7.

A．On the contrary

B．Above all

C．For example

D．In most cases

8.

A．modifying

B．wrecking

C．dumping

D．restoring

9.

A．sustainable

B．compulsory

C．economic

D．educational

10.

A．insuring

B．substituting

C．concealing

D．preserving

11.

A．accessibility

B．productivity

C．affordability

D．durability

12.

A．profitable

B．emotional

C．predictable

D．reputational

13.

A．lie in

B．stand for

C．consist of

D．result in

14.

A．respectively

B．dramatically

C．evenly

D．thoroughly

15.

A．take-back.

B．give-away

C．clean-up

D．cut-down

8 . Directions：Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Robotic Exoskeletons

Thanks to robotic exoskeletons, victims of spinal cord（脊髓）injury have a new reason to hope. Robotic exoskeletons, consisting of metal legs, motors, batteries, wiring, a controller and a set of strips work together like the user’s bones, muscles and nerves-outside the body. Fastened into an exoskeleton and supported by sticks, users can direct the machinery to take them where they want to go.

In addition to partly restoring mobility, robotic exoskeletons offer the significant mental and physical health benefits of standing up and moving. Just being able to get up from a wheelchair gives patients a more natural, positive view of the world. It also helps relieve pressure on patients’ skin and reduces the danger of pressure sores. Standing upright strengthens a disabled person’s muscles and bones, improves heart health，and reduces certain other health complications（并发症）. And it may actually result in partial nerve repair, something that can only happen when a patient is able to move.

As promising as this technology is, however, it is no simple cure-all for paralysis（瘫痪）or its complications. The motion is not accurate compared with natural walking, and exoskeletons are not easy to use, especially on surfaces that are not smooth. They are very expensive, costing about US$100000. Health insurance plans and government programs may not cover the cost of buying one.

Nevertheless, robotic exoskeletons，and access to them, will continue to improve. As with much modern technology, robotic exoskeletons will likely become more capable and easy to use, even as their cost goes down. Governments and insurers may increasingly see that the health benefits of these walking machines outweigh the costs, making it easier to fund them. Perhaps the day will come when nearly everyone paralyzed by spinal cord injury will be able to “walk” again.

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9 . Directions：After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than.

A. vacant   B. raised   C. acknowledges   D. quoted   E. alerts   F. colonial G. housed   H. former   I. recommendations   J. requests   K. reviews

Museums Rethink What to Do with Their African Art Collections

Recently, a discussion is happening in museums around the world over the volume of African art in their collections. Officials in Germany and the Netherlands have announced plans to return art and artifacts（文物）taken from Africa during the    1    period. And more museum staff are meeting on the topic across Europe.

According to the most commonly    2    figures from UNESCO（United Nations Educational, Scientifie and Cultural Organization）, 90% to 95%of sub-Saharan cultural artifacts are    3    outside Africa. Many were taken by force long ago and ended up in museums across Europe and North America.

At the Africa Museum in Belgium, director Guido Gryseels says 85 percent of the-museum’s collection comes from the Congo-the site of Belgium’s    4    colony in Central Africa. For decades, Congolese leaders have asked for these objects to be returned. Most of their    5    , and those by African countries to other museums, have been refused.

But recent events in Europe have    6    the possibility of returns at a much larger scale. In addition to the plans announced in Germany, last year France conducted a study of how much African art French museums are holding and made    7    about what to do with it.

The study recommended the return of a wide range of objects taken by force. The suggestion got mixed    8    in France, where there are at least 90000 African items in museums.

In France, some people have suggested returns could leave shelves    9    in French museums. Cecile Fromont, a French historian of Central African art, says that’s not going to happen. One way of thinking about it, she says, is that more African art can go on display.

However, Guido Gryseels of the Africa Museum in Belgium    10    that attitudes are changing. He says he’s in discussion with the Congo to return works.

10 . Directions：Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Whatever happened to the fight of carbon capture?

Debates have been going on around the subject of carbon capture. Scientists, especially engineers and geologists, have strongly criticized green groups who claimed that carbon capture and storage (CCS) schemes are costly mistakes.

The scientists insisted that such schemes are vital weapons in the battle against global heating. They also wan that failure to set up ways to trap and store carbon would make it impossible to meet the emissions target by 2050.“CCS is going to be the only effective way in the short term to prevent our steel industry, cement manufacture and many other processes from continuing to pour emissions into the atmosphere,” said Professor Stuart Haszeldine, of Edinburgh University. “If we are to have any hope of keeping global temperature increases down below 2 degrees Celsius, we desperately need to develop ways to capture and store carbon dioxide.”

Green groups claimed CCS would not make “a meaningful contribution to 2050 climate targets”. They say CCS was not a reliable way to decarbonize the energy system and that CCS has a “history of over-promising and under-delivering”. Instead, they urged the construction of more renewable energy plants to be given priority.

But the claims were dismissed by engineers and geologists, “These claims are quite unfair” said Michael Stephenson, director at the British Geological Survey. “The technology behind carbon capture and storage is fully mature. It offers us a genuine solution to some of the problems we face in trying to deal with global warming.”

A government spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said, “We are committed to meeting our climate change targets in a way that is affordable and provides secure energy to families and businesses. We are considering the role that CCS could play in decarbonization of the UK. But we also need to take government spending into account. CCS had better come down in cost.”

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