Computer scientists have hoped to give robots technical skills to help them recognize, process and react to humor. But these attempts have mostly failed. AI experts say that in many cases, attempts to make robots understand humor end up producing funny results, but not in the way they were supposed to.
Tristan Miller studied more than 10,000 puns in one research project. The pun is a kind of joke that uses a word with two meanings. For example, you could say, “Balloons do not like pop music.” The word “pop” can be a way of saying popular music; or can mean the sound a balloon makes when it explodes. But a robot might not get the joke. Tristan Miller says that is because humor is a kind of creative language that is extremely difficult for computer intelligence to understand.
Allison Bishop is a computer scientist and she also performs stand-up comedy. She explained that machines are trained to look for patterns. Comedy, on the other hand, relies on things that stay close to a pattern, but not completely within it. To be funny, humor should also not be predictable, Bishop said. This is a great challenge for a machine to recognize and understand what is funny.
Bishop says since robots have great difficulty understanding humor, she feels like it gives her better job safety as a comedy performer. It even made her parents happy when her brother decided to become a full-time comedy writer because it meant he wouldn’t be replaced by a machine, she added.
Despite the difficulties, Darmstadt University’s Miller says there are good reasons to keep trying to teach humor to robots. It could make machines more relatable (叙述的), especially if they can learn to understand sarcasm (讽刺), he noted. Humans use sarcasm to say one thing but mean another. But Kiki Hempelmann thinks differently. “Teaching AI systems humor may make them find it where it isn’t, and they may use it where it’s not suitable,” he said. “Maybe bad AI will start killing people because it thinks something is funny,” he added.
1.What does the author most probably want to show in Paragraph 1?
A.Robots’ influence on the scientific development.
B.Robots’ challenges of making sense of humor.
C.Computer scientists’ devotion to technical skills.
D.Computer scientists’ concern about AI’s development.
2.What are examples mentioned in Paragraphs 2 and 3 intended to do?
A.Prove robots do poorly in funny work
B.Explain robots aren’t as intelligent as humans
C.Describe language is complex and changeable
D.Show language can’t be taught in a set pattern
3.What can we infer about teaching AI system humor from the last paragraph?
A.It will make no difference.
B.It may be a double-edged sword.
C.It may help improve humans’ humor.
D.It will attract more computer scientists.
4.Where would the passage most probably come from?
A.Textbook B.Advertisement
C.Science journal D.Entertainment speech
Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules, planning your next move and acting as a team member are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating .
Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination (协调) needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it — some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.
1.What are children expected to learn Through playing hide-and-seek?
A.Be a team leader B.Obey the basic rules
C.Act as a grown-up D.Predict possible danger
2.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably mean ?
A.Games can describe life in an exciting way
B.Games can turn real-life experiences into a play
C.Games can make learning life skills more interesting
D.Games can change people’s views of sporting events
3.According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?
A.It inspires people’s deep love for the country.
B.It proves the exceptional skills of the winners.
C.It helps the country out of natural disasters.
D.It earns the winners fame and fortune.
4.What’s Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation ?
A.Bringing fun to poor kids.
B.Providing soccer balls for children.
C.Giving poor kids a chance for a better life.
D.Attracting soccer players to help poor kids.
Beltana Station —— Stay with a difference
Beltana Station is a fully working sheep and cattle station, and a great place for a holiday with a real difference in Australia. Here the animals are not just to be looked at. They are part of everyday working life at the historic Beltana Station.
What to do
See how a station really works. Join in the daily working life with station workers.
Shearing (剪羊毛) and camp-outs are part of Beltana Station's activities.
Farm animals to see: sheep and cattle. For the kids, depending on the season, there will be animals to feed — lambs and calves.
The station is a joy for painters and photographers. There is a family games room.
Three roads for 4-wheel-drive cars through the station take in such views as Lake Torrens, Mount Deception, relics in Old Beltana town and much more.
Where to live
• the historic 1860s shearers' rooms
• two-room small houses (1860s)
• one small historic country house
Beltana Station is not a resort (度假胜地) hotel. Unlike other places, you can experience real life with real people in Beltana.
1.What would be a proper activity for children at Beltana Station?
A.Camp-outs with station workers. B.Sheep shearing.
C.Driving cattle. D.Feeding lambs.
2.What may people learn when visiting Beltana Station?
A.Skills needed for long walks in mountains.
B.Knowledge of Australian history.
C.What to do in team sports.
D.How to keep pets.
3.What is special about Beltana Station?
A.It is a large wild park. B.It offers real-life work experience.
C.It has seasonal family activities. D.It is a good place for weekend picnics.
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
There’s a big difference between working hard and being a workaholic. Working hard involves being organized, focused, getting a lot of work done, knowing when to stop, and having a life other than work. Workaholics, on the other hand, live entirely for work. They are often disorganized, always find reasons for working more, don’t know how or when to relax, and can’t communicate with family members.
Workaholics, like those who are constantly drunk, suffer from a controlling habit, partly because they are always full of enthusiasm for work, feeling lost without work to do. Besides, they sometimes develop their pattern of behaviour due to the environment they are in. Many companies encourage workaholism by rewarding loyal employees with higher pay and better benefits. Those unwilling to burn the midnight oil are at risk.
According to some psychologists, workaholism can be good for people to some extent. It can fuel a sense of self-worth and achievement. They get paid for it and praised for it, which produces good feelings they may not necessarily be able to obtain in other parts of their lives. Workaholism, though, is a problem that has been around for years. With competition rising these days, people ate under more stress. However, workaholics can’t stand not being active. They find it hard to go on vacation. They’re more comfortable being with fellow workers than with family and friends. Of course there is nothing wrong with their commitment, ambition and energy. But what is wrong is that these things often came in at a high price to their health and the happiness of their families.
To be a healthy person physically and psychologically, one should lead a balanced life. Those little things—reading mystery novels, playing volleyball, spending time with family and friends, playing with the dog, going fishing—means a healthy end. They can be at least as rewarding as work.
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假设你是李华，明年要去英国留学，想通过一家英国留学机构寻找寄宿家庭。请你写一封信给代理人Alex, 说明你的要求，内容包括：
1. 住宿条件；
2.对房东的期待。
注意：1. 词数80左右：
2. 可以适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯。
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阅读下面材料, 在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Over the past decade, China has become the world’s No. 1 consumer in many important aspects 1.(range) from auto to mobile phones. And films too would be added to2. list.
Last year China’s total ticket sales 3.(fall) a bit short of the North American box office, 4. is a healthy showing for China. Since 1994, when Chinese government eased a long-standing ban on all foreign films, the 5.(grow) in China’s box office has translated into huge profits for U.S. studios.
6., there are clear signs that Hollywood’s dominance(支配) of China’s film scene has begun to fade. No fewer than four of the five top movies in China last year were 7.(local) produced. Among them 8.(be) the biggest moneymaker Wolf Warrior 2, which had taken in a record-shattering $84 million by the end of the year. The promotion of China’s film industry may follow that of many other product 9.(category) in the country. With the mature of China’s economy, global players find 10.(they) having a shrinking share of a growing market.
