Program fools humans
Have you ever been so bored that you started a conversation with a “chatbot (聊天机器人)”? You probably discovered quickly that it wasn't much fun, because the things it says hardly ever make any sense and chatting with it doesn't provide the same kind of back-and-forth as a human conversation.
That might have made you wonder: will a computer ever be able to talk like a human?
That day is certainly getting closer now. A computer program named “Eugene Goostman” has successfully passed the Turing test – by fooling people into thinking it was a 13-year-old boy, reported AFP on June 9.
While you may have never heard of the Turing test, it means a lot in the world of artificial (人工的) intelligence.
According to USA Today, the test was first invented in 1950 by Alan Turing, a British computer expert best known for his code-breaking work during World War II. In his test, a group of human judges take turns having keyboard conversations for five minutes with two subjects – a human and a piece of computer software. If up to 30 percent of the judges fail to tell the two apart, the program is considered to have passed the test.
“If a machine is indistinguishable (无法区分的) from a human, then it could be said to be ‘thinking’,” wrote Turing in his paper Computing, Machinery & Intelligence back in 1950.
No computer had ever passed the Turing test before. But this time, Eugene Goostman, developed by two Russian scientists to simulate (模拟) a 13-year-old boy, managed to convince 33 percent of judges that it was human.
Machines are close to “reaching the milestone of communicating with us in a way that we are comfortable with”, Professor Kevin Warwick of the University of Reading, UK, told The Telegraph. “This brings closer the time in which robots start to play an active role in our daily lives.”
Some people feel a bit disturbed by the news. They worry that computers will outsmart humans in the near future and take over the world. But Warwick said that it is unlikely that this will happen any time soon. After all, computers have only just learned to have a five-minute conversation, while we humans can do so much more than that.
1.What is the main purpose of the article?
A. To inform us about the disadvantages of talking with a “chatbot”.
B. To introduce the background and significance of the Turing Test.
C. To explain how the computer program “Eugene Goostman” works.
D. To report on a recent breakthrough in the world of artificial intelligence.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE about the Turing Test according to the article?
A. Several computer programs have successfully passed the test since it was introduced.
B. A program that is believed to have passed the test must fool at least half of the judges.
C. The Turing Test is used as a way to determine whether machines can think.
D. Machines that have passed the test can communicate with us freely.
3.What is Warwick's attitude toward the invention of Eugene Goostman?
A. He expects it to play a more active role in our daily lives.
B. He is optimistic about humans' control of computers in the coming years.
C. He is concerned that computers might one day get the better of humans.
D. He feels uncomfortable communicating with machines like Eugene Goostman.
Transport Guide
The Brisbane City Council (BCC) is responsible for bus and ferry services within the city limits and suburbs. Most buses will either arrive at the city or an interchange where connecting buses can be caught. BCC buses operate from 5:30 am to 11:00 pm Monday to Thursday and 5:30 am to 12:00 am on Fridays. On weekends and public holidays buses operate less frequently. Pre-paid bus tickets can be purchased from the QUT (Queensland University of Technology) bookshop, the campus news agency, most other news agencies and general stores, and any BCC Customer Service Centre. Short-term students at QUT cannot use their ID cards to gain a discount fare on BCC public transport. You will need to buy an adult ticket to travel. Bus fares are dependent on the number of zones you have to travel. There are several types of tickets:
Zone | Cost(AUD) | |||||
Single | Daily | Off-peak Daily | Ten-trip Saver | Weekly | Monthly | |
1 | 2.50 | 4.20 | 3.50 | 16.80 | 16.80 | 67.20 |
2 | 2.90 | 5.00 | 4.10 | 20.00 | 20.00 | 80.00 |
3 | 3.30 | 5.80 | 4.70 | 23.20 | 23.20 | 92.80 |
Single: one way ticket to reach your destination, including transfers within 2 hours.
Daily: unlimited travel within the zones.
Off-peak Daily: discounted unlimited travel between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm and after 7:00 pm Monday to Friday, and all day on weekends and public holidays.
Weekly: unlimited travel within the zones for one week from the date of issue.
Monthly: unlimited travel within the zones for one calendar month from the date of issue.
Ten-trip Saver: 10 trips at any time within the zones on buses and ferries only.
Transport routes, timetables and fare information are available from: Public Transport Information Centre, 69 Ann Street (corner of George St), Brisbane City.
Phone 131230 (Transport Information Service)
1.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A.buses are scheduled as usual on weekends and public holidays
B.regular students at QUT need to buy adult tickets.
C.Pre-paid tickets can be bought from the Public Transport Information Centre
D.Ten-trip Savers can be used at off-peak time
2.An exchange student staying at QUT for five days has to travel between zones every day. What type of ticket would be probably buy?
A.Single. B.Weekly.
C.Off-peak Daily. D.Ten-trip Saver.
For thousands of years, people have known that the best way to understand a concept is to explain it to others. “While we teach, we _______, ”said Roman philosopher Seneca. Now scientists are bringing this ancient _______ up-to-date. They’re _______ why teaching is such a fruitful way to learn.
Researchers have found that students who teach others work harder to _______ the material, and apply it more _______. Student teachers score higher on tests than pupils who’re learning only for themselves. But how can children, _______ learning themselves, teach others? One answer: They can teach younger kids. Some studies have found that first-born children are more _______ than their later-born siblings(兄弟姐妹). This _______ their higher IQs result from the time they spend teaching their siblings.
Now educators are experimenting with ways to _______ this model to schoolwork. They engage college undergraduates to teach computer science to high school students, who then ________ instruct middle school students on the ________. But the most cutting-edge tool is the “teachable agent”—a computerized character who learns, tries, makes mistakes and asks questions just like a real-world ________. Computer scientists have ________ an animated(动画的) figure called Betty’s Brain, who has been “taught” about science by middle school student. Student teachers are motivated to help Betty ________ certain materials. While preparing to teach, they organize their knowledge and ________ their understanding. And as they explain the information to it, they identify problems in their own ________.
Feedback from the teachable agent ________ improves the teachers’ learning. The agents’ questions drive student teachers to think and explain the materials in different ________, and watching the agent solve problems allows them emotions one experiences into action. ________, it’s the emotions one experiences in teaching that help learning. Student teachers feel ________ when their teachable agents fail, but happy when these pupils succeed as they gain pride and satisfaction from someone else’s achievement.
1.A.learn B.doubt C.grow D.practice
2.A.tale B.lesson C.wisdom D.riddle
3.A.valuing B.proving C.questioning D.assuming
4.A.prepare B.preserve C.exchange D.understand
5.A.officially B.effectively C.fluently D.carefully
6.A.still B.even C.though D.once
7.A.curious B.energetic C.independent D.academic
8.A.approves B.witnesses C.suggests D.reviews
9.A.add B.apply C.offer D.show
10.A.as well B.at once C.in turn D.of course
11.A.topic B.event C.schedule D.experiment
12.A.teacher B.parent C.sibling D.pupil
13.A.created B.tended C.invited D.reserved
14.A.arrange B.mark C.master D.link
15.A.keep B.improve C.drop D.reach
16.A.thinking B.reading C.inspiration D.guidance
17.A.shortly B.hardly C.rather D.further
18.A.ways B.cases C.places D.orders
19.A.In all B.After all C.Above all D.For all
20.A.satisfied B.sick C.pleased D.upset
—How is Peter getting along with his new work?
—________. You know, he is always the lucky dog.
A.Just so so. B.Search me.
C.You'd better ask him yourself. D.Never better.
From his ______ expression, we can tell that he was not aware of the topic we were discussing.
A.amazed B.puzzled C.amazing D.puzzling
James has just arrived, but I didn’t know he _______ until yesterday.
A.will come B.was coming C.had come D.came
