Question

    Ever called a movie theater to find out showtime? Or called a customer service center for help? Chances are you didn't speak to a human being. You probably gave commands to an Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) system. These types of systems are efficient money-saving tools that allow companies to address many customer concerns with minimum human intervention.

The technology for such a system has advanced greatly since its appearance in the 1950s. One significant recent achievement is the launching of virtual personal assistants (VPAs) on mobile phones. The most well-known of these is Apple’s iPhone VPA, Siri. If you tell Siri that you want to schedule lunch with a friend, “she” can set the appointment on your phone in seconds. The VPA can also hold a basic “conversation” with a sense of humor. However, it can only be set off when the human user speaks certain key phrases or words.

While the potential for communication between a human and a machine may seem exciting, this possibility concerns some people. Some experts worry about people’s attachment to these machines and fear that the art of successful human-to-human conversation will be undeveloped in younger generations. They worry that people won’t be able to display the right emotion or tone in conversations because they haven’t been practicing those skills. Others fear that machines will take over functions that were traditionally performed by humans, such as customer service.

Another concern often associated with the development of new technology is the invasion of privacy. When people use certain speech recognition applications, they leave behind an audio track of their speech. When you ask a VPA for directions, your speech is often sent and saved to a remote server for processing. This digital information may lead to data mining, or the collection of large quantities of personal data.

For now, however, the continuing evolution of ASR software is thrilling to behold. Asking for and acquiring information from an automated source has never been easier. Leading companies in the speech recognition world will make human communication with machines as seamless as possible - in other words, just like communicating with another human.

1.What can we say about Apple’s Siri?

A.It’s a helpful VPA. B.It first appeared in the 1950s.

C.It’s the most advanced ASR system. D.It has the same sense of humor as humans.

2.What are Paragraphs 3 and 4 mainly about?

A.The broad definition of ASR. B.Potential problems with ASR.

C.The fast development of ASR. D.Movements against using ASR.

3.What is the author's attitude towards the future of ASR?

A.Worried. B.Doubtful. C.Hopeful. D.Indifferent.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A.Talking to Technology B.The Application of Siri

C.The Art of Conversation D.VPAs on Mobile Phones

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。文章在开头提到了ASR（Automated Speech Recognition） 自动语音识别的概念，进而在下文的论述中提到了该技术在使用中存在的问题和未来的前景。

1.

细节理解题。根据题干关键词Apple’s Siri定位到文章第二段第三句The most well-known of these is Apple’s iPhone VPA, Siri. 其中最著名的是苹果虚拟助理Siri，根据下一句If you tell Siri that you want to schedule lunch with a friend, “she” can set the appointment on your phone in seconds. 如果你告诉 Siri 你想和朋友一起吃午饭，她可以在几秒钟内在你手机上设置约会时间。由此可得出，Siri对手机使用者的帮助意义。选项A“这是一个很有用的VPA”符合题意。故选A项。

2.

主旨大意题。第三段首句为本段的主题句While the potential for communication between a human and a machine may seem exciting, this possibility concerns some people. 虽然人类和机器之间的交流的可能性看起来令人兴奋，但这种可能性使一些人担忧。本段接下来讲的就是一些人机交流出现的问题；第四段第一句：Another concern often associated with the development of new technology is the invasion of privacy. 另一个担忧的问题是与新技术发展相关的对隐私的侵犯。可知，第四段同样解释的是人机交互交流之间的问题。所以两段可以作为同一个话题来讲述，即讲述人机相互交流之间的问题。选项B“ASR的潜在问题”符合题意。故选B项。

3.

推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句For now, however, the continuing evolution of ASR software is thrilling to behold. 然而，眼下 ASR 软件的持续进化令人兴奋。可以看出，尽管上文提到了ASR的使用中存在的问题，但其未来的发展是光明的。由此可知，作者对ASR未来充满希望，选项C符合题意。故选C项。

4.

主旨大意题。文章在开头提到了ASR（Automated Speech Recognition） 自动语音识别的概念，进而在下文的论述中提到了该技术在使用中存在的问题和未来的前景。选项A“和技术对话”充分说明了文章的重点，适合作文章题目。故选A项。