Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed new artificial intelligence (AI) software to recognize and follow up the faces of individual chimpanzees (黑猩猩) in the wild. The new software will allow researcher and wildlife conservationists to greatly cut back on time spent analyzing videos, according to the new paper published today in Science Advances.
“For species like chimpanzees, which have complex social lives and live for many years, getting photos of their behavior from short-term field research can only tell us so much.” says Dan Sehofield, researcher and DPhil student at Oxford University’s Primate Models Lab, School of Anthropology. “By taking advantage of the power of machine learning to unlock large video files, it makes it possible to measure behavior over the long term.”
The computers model was trained using over 10 million images (影像) from Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute (PRI) video files of wild chimpanzees in Guinea, West Africa. The new software is the first to continuously track and recognize individuals in a wide range of posed, performing with high accuracy in difficult conditions such as low lighting and poor image quality.
“Access to this large video file has allowed us to use the newest deep neural networks to train models at a scale that was previously not possible,” says Arsha Nagrani, co-author of the study and DPhil student at the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. “Additionally, our new software differs from previous primate face recognition software in that it can be applied to raw videos with limited manual intervention (人工干预) or pre-processing, saving hours of time.”
The technology has potential for many uses, such as monitoring species for conservation. Although the present application focused on chimpanzees, the software provided could be applied to other species, and help drive the adoption of AI systems to solve a range of problems in the wildlife sciences.
1.What’s the purpose of developing the new software?
A.To save wildlife researchers’ time spent in the wild.
B.To keep track of wildlife conservationists’ behavior.
C.To protect chimpanzees and help them to live longer.
D.To recognize and track the faces of wild chimpanzees.
2.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A.Getting photos. B.Analyzing videos.
C.The new AI software. D.A powerful machine.
3.What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?
A.The unique advantages of the new software.
B.Some limitations of using the new software.
C.The working principles of the new software.
D.Controversial attitudes to the new software.
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.The new software has a quite bright future.
B.The application of the technology can be tough.
C.Technology is the final goal of scientific research.
D.AI systems are widely used in the wildlife sciences.
It’s not every day that you see pigeons(鸽子)with cowboy hats on their tiny heads walking or flying around, unless you live in Las Vegas, where cowboy-hat-wearing pigeons are actually a thing people have been constantly taking about these days.
It all started on December 5, when a Las Vegas citizen named Bobby Lee noticed two funny-looking birds walking near a dustbin. The pigeons drew his attention because they were wearing tiny cowboy hats — one red and one grey — so he took out his smartphone and started filming them. Later, he uploaded the video online, where is quickly spread. The next day, everyone was talking about Las Vegas’ cowboy-hat-wearing pigeons, and Lee was getting phone calls from agencies trying to license his video.
It was only a matter of time before news outlets picked up the story and reported on the mysterious pigeon cowboys spotted around Las Vegas. The only link anyone could think of was the Wrangler National Rodeo Finals that were taking place in town at the time, but the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, which organized the event, denied any involvement.
While some netizens just found the idea cute and jumped at the opportunity to catch the pigeons on camera if they spotted them around Vegas, others expressed concern about the birds’ well-being. They even mentioned animal cruelty.
Hillman, the founder of local pigeon rescue Lofty Hopes, said that her organization was trying to track down the birds and remove their hats, but trapping them with food has proven very difficult so far. That’s because the two known cowboy-hat-wearing pigeons have become very popular around Las Vegas, and people are constantly throwing them much food.
“When you see them today, you could see some loose feathers in the glue around the hat, and it’s surely a concern,” Hillman said, adding that she believed the hats had been glued on with a strong adhesive (粘合剂).
1.What has been a hot topic in Las Vegas recently?
A.The return of cowboy hats. B.Pigeons approaching people.
C.Pigeons wearing cowboy hats. D.The hobby of watching pigeons.
2.What made Bobby Lee film the two pigeons with his smartphone?
A.Their unusual decorations. B.Their unique feather colors.
C.Their great popularity online. D.Their strange way of walking.
3.What was netizens’ attitude towards the pigeon cowboys?
A.They went too far about them. B.They thought nothing of them.
C.They showed little interest in them. D.They had a mixed response to them.
4.Why is it hard to trap the two pigeons with food?
A.Because they are rather particular about food.
B.Because they always have abundant food to eat.
C.Because they are smart enough not to be tricked.
D.Because they are well protected by pigeon watchers.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science
Founded in 1909, the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) has always been one of the most heavily attended museums in the United States. It houses a variety of permanent exhibit areas that examine astronomy, space science, Native American culture, energy, chemistry, gems and minerals, seashells, Texas wildlife and much more. In addition, the museum frequently presents traveling exhibitions on a variety of topics. The Museum is a major science learning center with over a half million school children visiting it annually, including every fourth grade and seventh grade class in the Houston Independent School District.
Crowds
The Museum can be quite crowded on weekends and weekday mornings, due to the hundreds of thousands of students that visit HMNS each year. Please call 713-639-4629 to inquire about the crowds that are anticipated during your intended visit.
Opening Hours
Monday-Sunday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (last entry at 4:30 p.m.)
It’s closed on New Year’s Day and Christmas Day.
PLEASE NOTE: Average museum visit takes 2 hours or more.
Pricing
Adult Ticket: $25 (ages 12 and up)
Child Ticket: $16 (ages 3-11)
Children aged 2 and under: FREE
College Students with ID: $16
Seniors (62+): $16
Groups (10+): $10
Please Note
Flash photography is ONLY allowed in the Grand Hall and the rainforest of the Coekrell Butterfly Center. Selfie sticks (自拍杆), tripods and camera stands are not allowed anywhere in HMNS. Photography is not allowed in certain exhibitions. Please check for signs by the exhibit entrance for more information or ask a museum employee.
1.When can people enter HMNS for a visit?
A.At 8:30 a.m. on June 1st. B.At 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 3rd.
C.At 14:40 p.m. on Oct. 15th. D.At 10:00. a.m. on Dec.25th.
2.How much should Tom and his two sons aged 8 and 13 pay in all to HMNS?
A.$66. B.$57.
C.$41. D.$30.
3.What can be known about HMNS from the text?
A.It has a history of less than a century.
B.Visitors aren’t allowed to take photos inside.
C.It has the largest number of visitors of all American museums.
D.People who enjoy quiet have better visit it on weekday afternoon.
根据括号内的提示完成以下句子翻译。
1.认识了这么多新朋友，我感到非常幸运。(不定式)
2.这个发现很重要，因为它有助于更多地了解亚历山大大帝(Alexander the Great)对世界的影响。(in that)
3.汤姆仍然对生活满怀希望，如同十年前一样。(as 引导方式状语从句)
4.庞贝城(Pompeii)旁边有座平静的火山，它最终摧毁了整个城市。(倒装句)
5.当我从公共汽车上下车时，发现钱包不见了。(宾语补足语)
根据句意和首字母提示填空，每空一词。
1.U ______ for him, Jack had his leg broken on the first day of this May Day holiday so he missed all the fun.
2.Since the outbreak of COVID-19, millions of Indian workers have f ______ from big cities to their hometowns.
3.Before the volcanic e ______ of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii was a busy city with lots of temples, workshops, restaurants and theatres.
4.English, Chinese, French,Russian, Spanish and Arabic are the o ______ languages of the United Nations.
5.U ______ Pompeii, which was buried overnight, the ancient Chinese city Loulan was gradually covered over by sandstorms.
6.I have been so o ______ with my work that I haven’t had time for social activities.
7.Chicago, a busy port on the Great Lakes, is the largest industrial and ______ (商业的)center of the area.
8.From the analysis of many successful cases in job hunting, we can draw a ______ ( 结论)that first impressions count.
9.When asked why she had green fingers, Mrs.Black explained she learned about gardening just by ______ (试验)and error.
10.Due to the coronavirus emergency, a Japanese city cut down about 800,000 tulips(郁金香) to discourage people from ______ (涌入)to admire them.
课内语法填空：根据所学语法知识，用适当语法结构填空，完成下列句子。
1.You'd better speak slower so that you can make yourself ______.(understand)
2.Pigeons have a wonderful sense of direction, which is why people in ancient times got them ______ (carry) messages.
3.Millions of Britons listened to the inspiring speech by Queen Elizabeth II, ______ wisdom offered hope to them under lockdown.
4.The boy dived into the water and after ______ seemed to be a long time, he came up again.
5.The director was advised to give the task to ______ had a strong sense of responsibility.
6.______ remains to be seen when students can attend school without wearing face masks.
7.______ is known to all, the Pearl Harbour attack led to the US entering the Second World War.
8.The teacher, as well as some students ______ (be) going to visit the city museum tomorrow.
9.Generally speaking, the old ______ (be) able to give us good advice due to their experience and wisdom.
10.It was at the age of fifteen ______ Louis Braille created a system with patterns of six raised dots representing each letter.
