职称英语理工B材料含新增.docx
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职称英语理工B材料含新增
第二十二篇RealWorldRobots
Whenyouthinkofarobot,doyouenvisionashiny,metallicdevicehavingthesamegeneralshapeasahumanbeing,performinghumanlikefunctions,andrespondingtoyourquestionsinamonotonevoiceaccentuatedbyhigh-pitchedtonesandbeeps?
Thisisthewaymanyofusimaginearobot,butintherealworld,arobotisnothumanoidatall.Insteadarobotoftenisavoiceless,box-shapedmachinethatefficientlycarriesoutrepetitiveordangerousfunctionsusuallyperformedbyhumans.Today’srobotismorethananautomaticmachinethatperformsonetaskagainandagain.Amodernrobotisprogrammedwithvaryingdegreesofartificialintelligence—thatis,arobotcontainsacomputerprogramthattellsithowtoperformtasksassociatedwithhumanintelligence,suchasreasoning,drawingconclusions,andlearningfrompastexperience.
Arobotdoesnotpossessahumanshapeforthesimplereasonthatatwo-leggedrobothasgreatdifficultyremainingbalanced.Arobotdoes,however,movefromplacetoplaceonwheelsandaxlesthatrollandrotate.Arobotevenhaslimbsthatswivelandmoveincombinationwithjointsandmotors.Tofinditswayinitssurroundings1,arobotutilizesvariousbuilt-insensors.Antennaeattachedtotherobot’sbasedetectanythingtheybumpinto.Iftherobotstartstoteeterasitmovesonanincline,agyroscopeorapenduluminsideitsensestheverticaldifferential.Todetermineitsdistancefromanobjectandhowquicklyitwillreachtheobject,therobotbouncesbeamsoflaserlightandultrasonicsoundwavesoffobstructionsinitspath2.Theseandothersensorsconstantlyfeedinformationtothecomputer,whichthenanalyzestheinformationandcorrectsoradjuststherobot’sactions.Asscienceandtechnologyadvance,therobottoowillprogressinitsfunctionsanduseofartificial-intelligenceprograms.
词汇:
envisionv.想象,预想
devicen.装置
accentuatev.强调,重读
artificialintelligencen.人工智能
limbn.臂
antennaen.天线
inclinev.倾斜
pendulumn.钟摆
ultrasonicadj.超声的
metallicadj.金属的
monotonen.单调的
humanoidadj.像人的
axlen.轮轴
rotatev.旋转
swiveln.旋转
teeterv.摇晃
gyroscopen.陀螺仪,回转仪
verticaln.直立的
注释:
1.Tofinditswayinitssurroundings...:
为了在周围找到路……
2.therobotbouncesbeamsoflaserlightandultrasonicsoundwavesoffobstructionsinitspath:
机器人发射激光束和超声波,反射到障碍物上(以此来探知路径)。
练习:
1.Anothergoodtitleforthispassagewouldbe
A Robots:
TakingthePlaceofHumans.
B ArtificialIntelligencePrograms.
C Today’sRobotsandHowTheyFunction.
D Modern-DaySensors.
2.Artificialintelligenceis
A theunnaturalwayinwhichrobotsmove.
B avoiceless,box-shapedmachinethatperformsrepetitivetasks.
C sensorssuchasantennaeandagyroscope.
D acomputerprogramthatimitateshumanintellectualprocesses.
3.Thelastparagraphsuggeststhatfuturerobotswillbe
A morehumanlikeinbehaviorandactions.
B morelikeautomaticmachines.
C betterabletomoveoninclines.
D betterequippedwithlaserlightsensors.
4.Thewriterbeginsthepassagebycomparing
A theshapeofahumanbeingwithabox.
B amodemrobotwithafictionalrobot.
C animaginarymachinewithahuman.
D acomputerprogramwithartificialintelligence.
5.Thewordhumanoidmeans
A lackinghumancharacteristics.
B anythinghavingtheappearanceofahumanoid.
C beingvoidorvacant.
D havingahumanformorcharacteristics.
答案与题解:
1.C 从文中得知,文章主要介绍了机器人和它们的运行方式,因此选择C选项。
2.D Artificial是“人工”的意思,intelligence是“智能”的意思。
另外从文中得知,机器人使用artificialintelligence能够进行与人类类似的推理分析等活动,因此可知它是一种类似人类智能的计算机程序。
3.A 最后一段讲机器人的发展方向是更加智能,能够自己判断并修正行为,而不仅仅是完成重复性的工作。
4.B 文章开头的时候作者让读者描述他们脑海中的机器人概念,并随后介绍了实际的机器人是怎样的,因此选择B选项。
5.D 从humanoid的词根human可看出这个词是形容与人类有关的特征。
另外根据文章对这个词的描述可以得出这个词是表示和人类类似的特征,不管是外形上,还是行为方式上。
第十三篇AffectionateAndroids
Computersarenowpowerfulenoughtoallowtheageofhumanoidrobotstodawn.Anditwon’tbelongbeforewewillseerealisticcybercompanions,completewithskin,dexterity,andintelligence.Theywillbeprogrammedtotendtoyoureveryneed.
Willweeverwanttomarryrobots?
ArtificialintelligenceresearcherDavidLevyhaspublishedabookclaiminghuman-robotrelationshipswillbecomepopularinthenextfewdecades.Andifyouwanttogoaheadandtietheknotwithyourspecialelectronicfriend,Levysaidthatsuchmarriageswillbesociallyacceptablebyaround2050.
Willhumansreallybeabletoformdeepemotionalattachmentstomachines?
Itwill,infact,berelativelyeasytoformthesestrongattachmentsbecausethehumanmindlovestoanthropomorphize:
togivehumanattributestoothercreatures—evenobjects.
Forexample,researchersinSanDiegorecentlyputasmallhumanoidrobotinwithatoddlerplaygroupforseveralmonths.Thebotkneweachchildbecauseitwasprogrammedwithfaceandvoicerecognition,anditgiggledwhentickled.Thechildrenendeduptreatingitasafellowtoddler.Whenitlaydownbecauseitsbatterieswereflat,thekidsevencovereditwithablanket.
Inafewdecades,whenhumanoidrobotswithplasticskinlookandfeelveryreal,willpeoplewanttoformrelationshipswiththem?
Whatifthebotscouldholdaconversation?
Andbeprogrammedtobetheperfectcompanions—soulmates,even?
Maybeyourgenerationcouldresist,buteventuallytherewillbeagenerationofpeoplewhogrowupwithhumanoidrobotsasanormalpartoflife.Andlikethosetoddlersintheexperiment,theywillbeveryacceptingofthem.
Thenextquestion,then,iswhetherthereisanythingwrongwithhavinganemotionalrelationshipwithamachine.Eventodaytherearepeoplewhoformdeepattachmentstotheirpetsandusethemassubstitutesforfriendsorevenchildren.Fewconsiderthatunethical.
Butasophisticatedrobotwillprobablybeevenmoreattractive.Forthosewhoalwaysseemtoendupmarryingthewrongmanorwoman,aroboticMr.orMs.Rightcouldbemightytempting.Asthefatherofartificialintelligence,MarvinMinsky,putitwhenaskedabouttheethicsoflonelyolderpeopleformingcloserelationshipswithrobots:
“Ifarobothadallthevirtuesofapersonandwassmarterandmoreunderstanding,whywouldtheelderlybothertalkingtoothergrumpyoldpeople?
”
Arobotcouldbeprogrammedtobeasdumborsmart,asindependentorsubservient,asanownerdesired.Andthat’sthebigdisadvantage.Havingtheperfectrobotpartnerwilldamagetheabilitytoformequallydeephuman-humanrelationships.Peoplewillalwaysseemimperfectincomparison.Whenyou’rebehavingbadly,agoodfriendwilltellyou.However,fewownerswillprogramtheirrobotstopointouttheirflaws.
Peopleinrelationshipshavetolearntoadapttoeachother:
toenjoytheircommoninterestsandtodealwiththeirdifferences.Itmakesusricher,stronger,andwiser.Arobotcompanionwillbeperfectatthestart.However,therewillbenothingtomovetherelationshiptogrowtogreaterheights.
LighteningStrikes
ThreeyearsagoaboltoflightningallbutdestroyedLynMiller’shouseinAberdeen—withhertwochildreninside.“Therewasahugerainstorm,”shesays,recallingtheterrifyingexperience.“MybrotherandIwereoutsidedesperatelyworkingtostopfloodwaterfromcominginthehouse.SuddenlyIwasthrowntothegroundbyanenormousbang.____1____Thedoorwasblockedbyrubble,butweforcedourwayinandfoundthechildren,thankfullyunharmed.LaterIwastoldtobestruckbylightningisachanceinamillion.”Infact,it’scalculatedatonechancein600,000.Evenso,DrMarkKeysofAERTechnology,anorganisationthatmonitorstheeffectsoflightning,thinksyoushouldbesensible.“Iwouldn’tgooutinastorm—butthenI’mquiteacarefulperson.”Headvisesanyonewhoisunluckyenoughtobecaughtinastormtogetdownonthegroundandcurlupintoaball,makingyourselfassmallaspossible.
Lightningisoneofnature’smostawesomedisplaysofsheerpower.____2____250yearsago,BenjaminFranklin,theAmericanscientistandstatesman,provedthatlightningisaformofelectricity,butscientistsstilllackacompleteunderstandingofhowitworks.
____3____Positiveelectricalchargesstreamingupwardsfromtreesorchurchspiresmayglowandmakeabuzzingnoise,andpeople’shaircanstandonend.Andifyoufearlightning,you’llbegladtoknowthatacompanyinAmericahasmanufacturedahand-heldlightningdetectorwhichcandetectitupto70kmsaway,soundawarningtoneandmonitorthestorm’sapproach.
NancyWilderwasplayinggolfataclubinSurreywhenshewashitbyaboltoflightning.MrsWilder’sheartstoppedbeating,butshewasresuscitatedand,afterafewdaysinhospital,whereshewastreatedforbumstoherhead,handsandfeet,shewaspronouncedfitagain.Sincethattime,shehasbeenastrictlyfairweathergolfer1.____4____Thebestplacetobeisinsideacar!
ThelargestnumberofpeopletobestruckbylightningatonetimewasinSeptember1995when17playersonafootballpitchwerehitsimultaneously.Themostextraordinaryaspectofthestrikewasthefactthat11ofthevictims—sevenadultsandfourchildren—hadburnpatternsoftinyholesat3centimetreintervalsoneachtoeandaroundthesolesoftheirfeet.
HaroldDeal,aretiredelectricianfromSouthCarolina,USA,wasstruckbylightning26yearsago.Hewasapparentlyunhurt,butitlateremergedthatthestrikehaddamagedthepartofthebrainwhichcontrolsthesensationoftemperature.____5____
Animalsarevictimsoflightningtoo2.Hundredsofcowsandsheeparekilledeveryyear,largelybecausetheygoundertrees.InEastAngliain1918,504sheepwerekilledinstantaneouslybythesameboltoflightningthathitthegroundandtravelledthroughtheentireflock.Lightningisalsoresponsibleforstartingmoret