Flickering lights are annoying but they may have an advantage. Visible light communication (VLC) uses rapid pluses of light to transmit information wirelessly. Now it may be ready to compete with conventional Wi-fi.

In a recent TED talk, Harald Hasas from the University of Edinburge,UK demonstrated one VLC prototype(原型），“Li-Fi", transmitting a video from a store-bought LED lamp to a solar cell to a laptop. “Li-Fi is essentially the same as Wi-Fi,except for a small difference- we use LED lights around us to transmit the data wirelessly as opposed to using radio," Haas says.

Once established, VLC could solve some major communication problems. In 2009, the US Federal Communications Commission(FCC) warned of spectrum (波谱）crisis: because our mobile devices are so data- hungry we will soon run out of radio-frequency bandwidth.Li-Fi could free up bandwidth, especially as much of the infrastructure is already in place."There are around14 billion light bulbs worldwide, they just need to replaced with LED ones that transmit data", says Haas.

The idea of transmitting data through the visible light spectrum is not new.Alexander Graham Bell transmitted sound via a beam of sunlight in 1880 using a photo phone, a sort of solar-powered wireless telephone. In the past several decades, a number of researchers have looked at using visible light to transmit data.

But what Haas seized on is the use of simple LED light bulbs for data transmission. LED bulbs are controlled by a driver, which can rapidly di the light or turn it on or off. Therefore, Haas figured, data could be encoded in subtle shifts of the light’s brightness. Eventually, he creaded a working transmitter and receiver system with an IKEA lamp and a solar panel.

Li-Fi stands to be much faster than Wi-Fi. According to Haas research, Li-Fi can achieve data density 1000 times greater than Wi-Fi,because Li-Fi signals are contained in a small area, as opposed to the more diffuse (分散的)，radio signals.The system wouldn’t mean having to keep your lights on all the time either, Haas says---bulbs could be dimmed to such a point that they appear off, but still transmit data.

Now, Haas’ team hopes that Li-Fi could make its way into homes in a few years. The system can easily network any device with an LED light—an electric kettle, an oven. Eventually, this could bring about the Internet of Things era much faster. Haas also sees Li-Fi as a way to bring internet to remote location, using hilltop transmitters and rooftop solar panels. LED streetlights could even be used to form a network of outdoor Li-Fi, making it possible to stay connected when walking around the city.

But some sound a cautious note about VLC’s future. It becomes less powerful , for example,when light is blocked, wheather due to fog or other conditions.

1.By saying "There are around14 billion light bulbs worldwide”Haas intended to tell us that ______________

A. mobile devices will consume more data

B. radio-frequency bandwidth needs to be freed up.

C. VLC might solve the spectum crisis.

D. the world has a complete lighting infrastructure.

2.The underlined phrased “seized on“ in the passage is closet in meaning to “_____________”

A distinguished B. exploited C. created D. figured

3.We can learn from the passage that ________________________

A. Li-Fi can’t work outdoors.

B Li-Fi can work with LED lights off.

C. Li-Fi can be used with all household appliances.

D. Li-Fi needs improving to next diverse need.

“There’s no point in talking with you: you don’t understand me. You don’t even know me.” A teen spits these words at a parent, who is hurt and annoyed. How can her own child say these things? She’s worked hard getting to know him, learning to read his feelings from his voice and gestures. How can her own child now say to her, “You don’t know who I really am”?

Nothing shakes a parent’s confidence as much as the starting of a child’s adolescence. The communication that has flowed easily through words, glance and touch becomes a minefield(雷区)

Recent discoveries that the human brain undergoes specific and dramatic development during adolescence offer new “explanations” of teen behavior, particularly of the impulsiveness(冲动) of teenagers. During this development, there may be too many synapses(神经元突触) for the brain to work efficiently, the mental capacities of decision-making, judgment and control are not mature until the age of twenty-four.

An old explanation is that anger hormones account for the apparently unreasonable moodiness(情绪化) of teens. Though hormones do play a role in human feelings, the real task of adolescence, and the real cause of the unrest, is the uncertainty of teenagers about who they are, alongside their eagerness to establish a sense of identity.

This involves self-questioning, self-discovery and self-development across a range of issues, including sex, faith, intellect and relationships. A sense of who we are is not a mere luxury; without it we feel worthless. A teen often looks upon his or her friends sa models: “ I don’t know who I am, but I know who he is, I’ll be like him,” is the underlying thought. Parents also become such mirrors: teens want that mirror to reflect back to them the vividness and clarity they themselves do not feel.

Arguments with parents can often be understood in this context. While those common teenager-parent quarrels, which explode every few days, are often over small things such as homework, housework, and respect; a teenager’s real focus is on a parent’s recognition of his maturity and capability and human value. “ No, you can’t go out tonight,” implies that a parent you got your keys?” or “Do you have enough money for the bus?” are questions that can be easily accepted if asked by a concerned friend, but awaken a teen’s own doubts if asked by a parent. Feeling the need to distinguish himself from the kid who can’t remember to take his lunch, his keys or his money, he blames the parent for reminding him of the child-self still living within him. What my research shows is that quarreling witj your teen doesn’t necessarily mean you have a bad relationship. The quality of teenager-parent relationship has several measures.

1.According to the text, teenagers_____________.

A. can fully understand their parents’ feelings

B. need guidance in every aspect of their life

C. may experience a huge mental change

D. know themselves better than their parents do

2.What do we learn from the text?

A. Parents hate talking to their children because they can’t understand them.

B. The brains of teenagers work more efficiently because of the synapses.

C. Hormones are the real causes of unrest and moodiness in teens.

D. What teens really care about is being recognized by their parents.

3.What is implied in the last paragraph?

A. Quarrels between children and parents often involve serious issues.

B. A parent should not ask a child about money.

C. A child wants respect, especially from his or her parents.

D. Quarrels are a sign of a bad relationship.

4.What will probably be written in the following paragraph?

A. Other ways of assessing teenager-parent relationship.

B. The anger and sadness of parents about their teens.

C. How important the friends of teenagers are.

D. When children become mentally mature.

The Toltec---as they were now called ---began to know great abundance and enjoy the

generous gifts of the land, as had been foretold by Quetzalcoatl.

“He has great powers.He has made us rich.We have not known hunger since he arrived.Where he places his eyes and hands,everything is abundance and beauty.”

They were happy, they were proud. At that time they all still worked at the jobs Quetzalcoatl assigned to them.

Tula grew. People came from far away to admire its growth. Many asked permission to settle down and enjoy its abundance,which was distributed according to the needs of the people.

Topiltzin was in charge of distributing the riches,under the orders of Quetzalcoatl, so that no one would want. They were all content because they all had more than they had ever had. Many worked.They were busy all day.

Quetzalcoatl had spent six years among the Toltecs. The house for the heart of the people was almost finished and the granaries full when he decided.

“There is prosperity(繁荣)and abundance in all the land.Let us extend it beyond the mountains.We shall go to the land of the Chichimecs.It is time to take my mission to them. I shall make them better,I shall make them live together,I shall gather them in towns,I shall teach them to till the land and to build their homes."

"Let us leave them in their land as they are now ,"Topiltzin argued,"They are savages(野蛮人);their life is violent and disorderly.They move freely,like the wind in the mountains and the plains,with nothing to keep them.Leave them where they are.There is much that we must do in our own land.

"I do not belong to this land alone.They are all my brothers,I am to give all of them, I shall look for them. I shall take the gods of Tula to them,"Quetzalcoatl said.

"Think carefully about what we shall do.You do not know them.They do not understand words. They are like savage animals,like jaguars," Topiltzin insisted.

"I shall go,"said Quetzalcoatl."My life must be accomplished.This time you will not accompany me because you do not have the will to go.I shall leave soon with some of my followers."

"Do not go with so few people! I shall accompany you with skillful warriors who are used

to killing Chichimecs and avoiding their traps." Topiltzin insisted.

"I am not going there with violence. I shall go to them as I came here,to take them the gifts of life and the doctrine of sin and redemption(原罪与救赎)."

"You have not spoken of sin and redemption for a long time," Tattle remarked. He had been listening attentively to the dialogue,and was then close to seventeen years of age."You have not come near the Tree you planted in the square in a long time.The Tree has no shoots,it has not grown,it looks sad and lonely."

"During this time,Tattle,I have often thought of it.There was confusion in my spirit.Now the Tree orders me to spread good in other lands,to make other brothers happy. It will soon have shoots."

1.This reading passages is most probably an account of _________________.

A. history B.politics

C. a contemporary life D. a myth or legend

2..From the passage, which of the following statements in Not true?

A. The city of Tula owed its growth to Quetzalcoatl

B. Quetzalcoatl believed he had been entrusted with a sacred mission

C. the followers will persuade him not to go to the land of the Chichimecs

D. Quetzalcoatl's Tree was a symbol for him and the Toltecs

3.Accroding to the passage, the prosperity of Tula________________.

A. was due to Toltecs's godlike behavior

B. occurred prior to Quetzalcoatl's appearance

C. was a relatively recent development

D. was yet to be established

4.When Tattle refers to Quetzalcoatl's Tree, saying that the Tre is ”sad and lonely“，he means that __________________.

A. the Tree is near its death

B. Quetzalcoatl has forgotten the Tree's significance

C. the Toltecs have ignored the Tree

D. there should have been celebrations around the Tree

5.The "shoots" mentioned in the last paragraph refer to ____.

A. the spread of Quetzalcoatl's beliefs to other areas

B. the Tree's growing roots and branches yet to develop

C. the Toltecs outlying settlements

D. the "savage animals, like jaguars"

任务型阅读,请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。

注意：每空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

Everybody loves self-improvement. That’s why we’re such enthusiastic consumers of “top 10” lists of things to do to be a more productive, promotable, mindful— you name it—leader. But these lists seldom work. What if we didn’t think of self-improvement as work? What if we thought of it as play—specifically, as playing with our sense of self?

Traditionally, people work on themselves, committed to doing everything in their power to change their leadership style. You set your goals and objectives, you are mindful of your time, and seek efficient solutions. You’re not going to deviate(偏离) from the straight and narrow. You focus on what you should do, especially as others see it, as opposed to what you want to do. It’s all very serious and not whole of fun. There is one right answer. Success or failure is the outcome. We judge ourselves.

In contrast, no matter what you’re up to, when you’re in “play” mode, your primary drivers are enjoyment and discovery instead of goals and objectives. You’re curious. You lose track of time. Like in all forms if play, the journey becomes more important than a pre-set destination.

Much research shows how play develops creativity and innovation. Play with your own idea of yourself is similar to playing with future possibilities. So, we stop evaluating today’s self against unachievable ideal of leadership that doesn’t really exist. We also stop trying to will ourselves to “commit” to becoming something we are not even sure we want to be—what we call the “feared self”, which is composed of images negative role models. And, we shift direction from submitting to what other people want us to be to becoming more self-authoring. As a result, when you play, you’re more creative and more open to what you might learn about yourself.

Unfortunately, we don’t often get —or give ourselves—permission to play with our sense of self. In life, we equate playfulness with the person who dips into a great variety of possibilities, never committing to any. We find inconsistency distasteful, so we exclude options that seem too far off from today’s “authentic self”, without ever giving them a try. This kills the discontinuous growth that only comes when we surprise ourselves.

Psychoanalyst Adam Phillips once said, “people tend to play only with serious things—madness, disaster, other people.” Playing with your self is a serious effort because who we might become is not knowable or predictable at the start. That’s why it’s as dangerous as it is necessary for growth.

读写任务

How many times have you heard the expression that most people spend more time planning their vacation than they do planning their lives. I would expand that expression by adding that most people spend more time "thinking" about their vacation than they do thinking about what's important in their life.

While rest and relaxation are a must in living a balanced life, it's now what we were created to do. After all, the Master Creator took his R&R (Rest and Recreation) on the seventh day, only after six days of "definitely directed thought."

Wallace D. Wattles, wrote "There is no labor from which most people shrink as they do from that of sustained and continuous thought; it is the hardest work in the world." And yet it is the first and primary labor of achievement.

What is your life's purpose or your personal mission statement? Is it written down? Do you review it and think about it often? Is your life organized around your purpose and a set of goals that support that purpose?

Without purpose and goals --- definitely directed thought --- you are like the proverbial "shop without a rudder(舵)." There is power in your purpose and in your goals. It is the power that takes you over obstacles, the fuel that pushes you toward the life you expect.

【写作内容】

1. 用约30个单词写出上文概要；

2. 用约120词发表你的观点，内容包括：

（1） 你如何规划中学以后的人生？为什么？

（2） 为了实现你的目标，你将如何行动？

【写作要求】

1. 写作过程中不能直接引用原文句子；

2. 作文中不能狐仙真是姓名和学校名称；

3. 不必写标题

【评分标准】

内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。

Every Wednesday, I go to Cantata Adult Life Services, a local retirement community in Brookfield, Illinois, US, with my classmates to do community service.

After my very first visit to Cantata, my life changed forever. That may sound a bit dramatic, but volunteering with the elderly has changed my views on life.

Our visits last about an hour, and we bring 25-30 students every time. We play board games and cards with the residents while we’re there.

You can watch all the movies and TV shows you want about “life back then”, but nothing compares to talking to the people who were actually there. Just hearing their stories has touched me in a way I never thought possible.

Whether it was talking to 98-year-old “Hurricane Hilda” about her glory days as a roller skater or chatting with Lou about the times she danced with a famous actor, I was completely attracted by every single memory the residents wanted to share with me.

Even the residents who don’t have amazing memories make the experience satisfying . I remember visiting Mrs Robinson. She couldn’t recall much about her past, but she told me she’d never forget how kind I was just to listen to her “rambling (漫谈)”. It made me realize that it’s the little things that make life worth living. That’s something I won’t forget anytime soon.

If there’s one thing I’ve realized in my three years of visiting Cantata, it’s that presence – just being there – means more than anything to many of the residents. And despite how busy our lives are, there’s always time to make someone’s day.

For me, it feels great to be a source of happiness, a smile on a bad day or a listening ear for old memories. And at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

It’s easy to feel like you don’t have anything in common with the elderly – especially when you’re a teenager. But that’s not true at all.

I hate to be overly clichéd (陈词滥调的) here, but age really is just a number. As young adults, it’s important for us to realize this sooner rather than later. We can learn a lot from the elderly, and they can often benefit from teenagers too.

1.What do the volunteers do according to the passage?

A. They share everything with the residents.

B. They play board games and cards with the residents.

C. They watch the residents play games.

D. They buy gifts for the residents.

2.According to the writer, what is the most important thing that volunteers can do for the elderly?

A. Playing with them. B. Benefiting from them.

C. Helping them. D. Being there with them.

3. What does the writer want to tell us by writing this passage ?

A. We don’t have anything in common with the elderly.

B. Age is just a number.

C. It is important to help the elderly.

D. Young adults and the elderly can benefit from each other.

A very close friend phoned me this weekend and asked a specific question about earning a few extra dollars each month online. For the benefit of keeping her name and details secret, I will call her Annie in this article. You see Annie suffers from a severe form of inaction syndrome; she is full of great ideas that never materialize into cash and she is having a problem finding the link that will achieve this.

Somebody once said that knowledge is power, yet we constantly find from readers of our website that they have knowledge to burn and still do not have power. Just look at the academics in universities all around the world; they have so much knowledge that they should control the wealth of the world. In truth they work for peanuts and very few of them ever achieve the power of independence. So knowledge certainly isn’t power. Therefore, we should change that “wise” statement to:“Power is the ability to use knowledge to your own benefit.”

That paragraph was inserted because Annie is a typical academic—strong on talk and plans but a little weaker on actions. In the period of a twenty-minute conversation, she expounded（阐述）a whole list of plans and ideas to make the extra few hundred dollars each month she was seeking. Any one of her many ideas was a potential money maker, but she had taken action on none of them. At one time she said, “I’m lost as to what to do next.”

That was my cue（提示）to get involved. “Take action,” I advised.

All that is wrong is that Annie was inactive without knowing it. In five minutes we drew up a plan of action and agreed to talk again in a month to review progress. When we finished the conversation, she sounded much happier and more motivated than when we started. Annie just needs a little nudge into beneficial action.

1.What’s the problem with Annie?

A. She has too many great ideas.

B. She never puts her ideas into practice.

C. She suffers from a strange illness.

D. She knows little about making money online.

2.What is the most important according to the author?

A. The ability to use one’s knowledge.

B. The ability to acquire knowledge.

C. A great deal of knowledge.

D. A good understanding of oneself.

3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. Annie will succeed in later life.

B. Annie is going towards success.

C. Annie doesn’t realize her problems.

D. Annie talks too much in daily life.

4.The underlined word “nudge” in the last paragraph probably means________.

A. push B. advice C. training D. Power

While astronauts in space get to do many exciting things, they miss out on ordinary things that we all take for granted-being able to walk on firm ground, hanging out with family and digging into a slice of hot steaming pizza. Though not much can be done about the first two things, there may soon be a solution to the third one, thanks to this cool 3-D pizza printer!

About a year ago, NASA offered $125,000 to Anjan Contractor, a 3-D technology expert, to build a device（设备）that would allow astronauts to make pizza on demand. The mechanical engineer promised that his invention would produce pies in large quantities that looked, tasted and even smelled like pizza made in common ovens.

Late last year, the engineer presented a video of his first prototype（原型）that begins by creating a single slice of dough（面团）that is cooked and printed at the same time. Then comes the tomato “sauce” —a mix of tomato powder, oil and water and finally, a protein slice that resembles cheese. While the video doesn’t show the baking process, the inventor says that once the pizza is printed, it can be ready to be consumed in 7 seconds.

While the pie in the video looks delicious enough to attract any pizza lover, Anjan Contractor is far from ready for astronauts. That’s because he still has to find a solution to make the food container in the printer last for 30 years. Though that may sound unrealistic, actually it is not.

Anjan Contractor believes that the only way that is possible is that the water is removed from all the ingredients（配料）and then they are reduced to the powder form. This, as you can imagine, will not be so easy. But, while the printer may not be ready for space, it certainly looks ready enough for people on earth. Hopefully, NASA and Contractor will consider selling it to those not fortunate enough to go to Mars!

1.Why does the author mention the things that astronauts in space cannot do?

A．To ask us not to take common things for granted.

B．To show they live a difficult life there.

C．To show their life is boring in space.

D．To introduce the topic of the text.

2.NASA offered $125,000 to Anjan Contractor mainly to __________.

A．create some new type of 3-D printer

B．attract more companies to work for NASA

C．help astronauts in space enjoy fresh pizza one day

D．produce pizza in large quantities to earn great profits

3.The biggest challenge that Anjan Contractor is faced with now is probably that __________.

A．he has no money left to go on with his research

B．the pizza doesn’t seem appetizing to pizza lovers

C．he has no way to make pizza that can last for thirty years

D．he cannot make the food container last for decades

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

A．NASA is trying its best to help astronauts eat better

B．Astronauts may soon be able to enjoy steaming hot pizza

C．NASA is working on making pizza for common people

D．A 3-D pizza printer has been used to make pizza

A Korean wave is sweeping across China, with many Chinese women worshiping South Korean actors Kin Soo-hyun and Lee Min-ho as demigods(偶像). Chinese netizens（网民）always have different opinions. Over South Korean TV dramas, but there is no doubt that programs from the neighboring country are now enjoying a new round of popularity in China, And a big part of the credit for that goes to You Who Came From The Star, the South Korean TV series which is on the air now.

You Who Came From The Star and The Heirs (继承者们) have been subjects of hot online discussions throughout Asia. Besides, the book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, read by the hero You Who Came From The Star was a hard-to-get item on Amazon for a while.

The two TV programs have several common elements：a tall, handsome, and rich hero who loves the heroine blindly and always protects her, and an equally handsome man madly in love with the same woman. Both programs describe the purity of love, which is expressed through a kiss or a warm hug. Perhaps that’s the secret of their success; perhaps people still like Cinderella-type stories.

The widening wealth gap is a matter of social concern both in South Korea and China, and the challenges that young people face in their hope for a better life might have caused many ordinary girls to dream of marrying rich, caring men. This is precisely what the popular South Korean TV drams describe. In fact, South Korean TV dramas are tailored to meet the market’s demands.

Many netizens even said at an earlier time that South Korean TV dramas had become popular because of their stereotyped (模式化的) themes: traffic accidents, cancer and other incurable diseases. But all that has changed with the success of You Who Came From The Star and The Heirs, which Chinese directors can use as examples, as well as inspiration, to improve their productions.

1.What is the main reason for a new round of popularity in China?

A. The dramas are from the neighboring country North Korea.

B. Most of the Chinese netizens have voted for them.

C. The actors in the dramas are all gods.

D. It is because of You Who Came From The Star.

2.Which is NOT included in the elements for the success of South Korean dramas?

A. Charming pure love stories.

B. A tender kiss and a warm hug.

C. Handsome and rich heroes.

D. The heroine’s blind love with the rich.

3. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 means that they are designed to _______.

A. develop in a large scale

B. be measured to a certain size

C. meet popular taste purposely

D. be shown in a big market

4.The main purpose of stereotyped themes in South Korean dramas is to________.

A. present an idea B. attract TV viewers

C. make them colorful D. arouse some challenges

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中的两项为多余选项。

Mountain biking is a great way to explore the outdoors, stay in shape, or just have fun. 1. Even though it’s dangerous, if you ride with caution, it can be enjoyed by the entire family.

Mountain biking can best be characterized into three different styles - downhill, free riding, and cross country. Even though the different styles are similar in some ways, they still require different skills. 2.

You can find groups that have mountain bike rides and competitions. You can look on the Internet or even in a local paper and see exactly what’s available in your area. 3. Like all other sports, it takes time and practice. Those just beginning will have to get past the bumps and bruises from falling off the bike.

The bike you select is more of a personal choice, and a big determining factor on the type of riding you will be doing. Bikes come in all styles, shapes, and prices, which will make selecting one for yourself very difficult indeed. 4. A great mountain biker will become one with his or her own bike. When buying, make sure you check for comfort, how it fits.

5. Anytime you are riding, you should wear a helmet, along with knee and elbow pads. If you are following a group or riding in the woods you should strongly consider a pair of goggles(护目镜) as well. Safety should be your top priority and never taken lightly anytime you are mountain biking.

A. You may be able to find groups for the more advanced riders as well as beginners.

B. Racing down the side of a mountain is a lot of fun indeed, although it can also be quite dangerous.

C. Mountain bike riding on unpaved roads can be very dangerous, as mentioned earlier.

D. To buy a bike for mountain biking, you should mainly consider how much the bike costs you.

E. It takes practice to succeed for a great mountain biker.

F. Before you buy a bike, always ask to try it out first.

G. The style that youpick will determine the type of bike you get.