Question

    Endless queues and long waits at the ticket inspection desks at China’s major train stations were signature of the Spring Festival travel rush before this year. Every year, as the country’s biggest national holiday unfolded a huge flow of travelers would leave staff at the check-in desks facing a dilemma.

But with the installment (安装) of artificial intelligence (AI) in dozens of train stations this year, including a facial recognition system which is able to process passenger identification within five seconds and therefore speed up the waiting process, busy scenes started to become something of the past.

When a passenger approaches the camera inside the facial recognition system at the station, it scans his face and then quickly compares it with the photograph shown on his identification card in real time. If the information matches, the barrier gates will open and allow the passenger to go through.

Such use of facial recognition technology is in line with discussions heard at the recent two sessions meeting, a key annual political event, which focused on the widespread application of a security network named Tianwang (“Sky Net” in English) currently being used by China’s public security department.

The network, according to reports by the People Daily, has the potential to recognize the facial features of anyone in the world and match them on the spot with photographs on a database of criminal suspects. In fact, it can analyze photographic identity so quickly that it can scan every single Chinese face on the planet in just one second, and it would only take two seconds to scan every face in the world, with an accuracy rate of up to 99.8 percent.

Those are just two examples that highlight the development of Chinese visual AI technology, which industry insiders predict could contribute to powerful growth in the global technology sector this year.

1.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the first paragraph?

A. To introduce the following topic of the passage.

B. To describe the Spring Festival.

C. To inform readers of the development of China.

D. To explain the dilemma of the staff.

2.What’s the solution to the Spring Festival travel rush?

A. Using artificial intelligence.

B. Opening more barrier gates.

C. Limiting the number of passengers.

D. Increasing more staff at the check-in desks.

3.What can we know about facial recognition technology?

A. Its application leads to a heated discussion.

B. Its application is useless to policemen.

C. Its operating speed is not yet high enough.

D. Its accuracy rate is very high.

4.What’s the author’s attitude towards Chinese visual AI technology?

A. Depressed. B. Positive.

C. Doubtful. D. Indifferent.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.D

4.B

【解析】

本文为说明文。随着人工智能(AI)在数十个火车站的安装，包括面部识别系统，能够在5秒内处理乘客身份识别，从而加快等待过程，春运和国庆等长假期间车站繁忙的场景开始成为过去。

1.写作意图题。第一段描述了以往春运和国庆假期期间各大车站大量拥堵场面，为进一步提出本文的话题—人工智能，尤其是面部识别系统的安装，大大加快了人员流动速度，从而解决了拥堵问题—做铺垫，故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段But with the installment (安装) of artificial intelligence (AI) in dozens of train stations this year, …and therefore speed up the waiting process…可知，由于采用人工智能，解决了春运拥堵问题，故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据倒数第二段In fact, it can analyze photographic identity so quickly that it can scan every single Chinese face on the planet in just one second, and it would only take two seconds to scan every face in the world, with an accuracy rate of up to 99.8 percent.可知它可以快速分析照片的身份，它可以在一秒钟内扫描地球上的每一张中国人的脸，而扫描世界上的每一张脸只需要两秒钟，准确率高达99.8%，它的准确率很高，故选D。

4.作者态度题。通读全文，作者通过突显中国视觉人工智能技术发展的两个例子，和最后一段…which industry insiders predict could contribute to powerful growth in the global technology sector this year.可知，作者对中国视觉人工智能技术持有积极态度，故选B。