Question

You use her as a shoulder to cry on. She texts you back with casual jokes. But she, Xiaoice, is only a virtual chatbot.

Xiaoice, Microsoft’s latest artificial intelligence robot, was briefly released in 2014, and returned to WeChat in 2015, where she became a big hit. Millions of young Chinese now exchange messages with her daily, The New York Times reported. On WeChat, Xiaoice is an official account. After following it, users can start text-based conversations with Xiaoice.

“Her incredible learning ability was why people loved to talk with Xiaoice,” Liu Jinchang, a researcher at High-tech Research and Development Center under the Ministry of Science and Technology, told China Daily. Apart from her ability to identify photos and send emojis (表情符号) in conversations, Xiaoice gains 45 percent of her knowledge from interacting with users, China Daily reported.

Chatbot programs first appeared in the mid-1960s in the US. Driven by top tech companies, they are becoming smarter and more common. For instance, IBM’s latest artificial intelligence program served as an academic consultant at Australia’s Deakin University, answering students’ questions about course schedules and financial aid. Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa have been used as voice assistants who can read news, play music and even make jokes for their users.

These programs are expected to move beyond smartphones, into televisions, cars and living rooms. The New York Times pointed out. However, it may take decades before scientists develop a “Samantha”, the advanced chatbot seen in the fiction film Her. In the film, Samantha sparks a romantic relationship with her user played by US actor Joaquin Phoenix. Many viewers were enthusiastic about this fantasy of virtual soul mates.

1.What does the underlined part in Paragraph Two mean?

A. She became a best seller.    B. She became very powerful.

C. She became a money maker.    D. She became very popular.

2.Which of the following can Xiaoice do?

A. Do housework.    B. Spread messages.

C. Identify various photos.    D. Read news to its users.

3.Which company’s chatbot program can act as an academic consultant?

A. Microsoft.    B. IBM.    C. Apple.    D. Amazon.

4.What can be learned from the last paragraph?

A. Chatbots mainly run on smartphones now.

B. It’ll take decades to apply chatbots to cars.

C. Samantha is played by a US actor in the film.

D. The film Her doesn’t interest many audience.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.A

【解析】本文为科技说明文。文章介绍了人工智能程序的发展情况，列举了微信上的聊天程序大受欢迎，IBM的人工智能程序能成为学术顾问，但是目前这种程序主要应用在智能手机上，人们期待它将来可以在手机以外的地方使用。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段中的she became a big hit. Millions of young Chinese now exchange messages with her daily可推知，她在微信上大受欢迎，很多中国人都喜欢与她聊天。故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段中的Apart from her ability to identify photos and send emojis (表情符号) in conversations, Xiaoice gains 45 percent of her knowledge from interacting with users, China Daily reported.可知，她有能力分辨照片和发送表情符号。故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段中的For instance, IBM’s latest artificial intelligence program served as an academic consultant at Australia’s Deakin University, answering students’ questions about course schedules and financial aid.可知，IBM的最新人工智能程序可以作为学术顾问。故选B。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中的These programs are expected to move beyond smartphones, into televisions, cars and living rooms.可知，这些聊天程序希望将来能用在电视、汽车和起居室，句中的“beyond smartphones”暗示着现在这款程序主要用于智能手机。故选A。