Robots are increasingly being developed to think and act like humans. But one common human quality that has been difficult for engineers to recreate in machines is humor.
Most robots are powered by artificial intelligence, or AI. Some have performed better than humans in tests designed to measure machine intelligence.
Computer scientists have also hoped to give robots technical skills to help them recognize, process and react to humor. But these attempts have mostly failed.
Kiki Hempelmann is a computational language expert who studies humor at Texas A&M University. “Artificial intelligence will never get jokes like humans do,” he told the Associated Press. The main problem, Hempelmann says, is that robots completely miss the context of humor.
Tristan Miller is a computer scientist and linguist at Darmstadt University of Technology in Germany. In one research project, he studied more than 10,000 puns(双关语).
Puns are a kind of joke that uses a word with two meanings. For example, you could say, “Balloons do not like pop music.” The word “pop” can be a way of saying popular music; or, “pop” can be the sound a balloon makes when it explodes.
But a robot might not get the joke. Tristan Miller says that is because humor is a kind of creative language that is extremely difficult for computer intelligence to understand.
Despite the difficulties, Darmstadt University’s Miller says there are good reasons to keep trying to teach humor to robots. It could make machines more relatable, especially if they can learn to understand sarcasm(讽刺), he noted. Humans use sarcasm to say one thing but mean another.
But Texas A&M’s Kiki Hempelmann is not sure such attempts are a good idea. “Teaching AI systems humor is dangerous because they may find it where it isn’t, and they may use it where it’s inappropriate,” he said. “Maybe bad AI will start killing people because it thinks it is funny,” he added.
1.Which is difficult for robots to gain according to the passage?
A.Thinking. B.Humor.
C.Intelligence. D.Action.
2.What does Kiki mean by saying robots’ missing the context of humor?
a. They lack creativity and skills.
b. They have no sense of humor at all.
c. They don’t understand the situation.
d. They have no related ideas that make a joke funny.
A.ab B.ac
C.bd D.cd
3.What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.The risk of teaching humor to AI.
B.The necessity of making AI smart.
C.The reason to keep robots humorous.
D.The possibility of robot understanding humor.
4.Which is the best title of the passage?
A.To Be Smarter, Be Humorous.
B.AI can Get Jokes Like Humans.
C.How to Help Robots Learn Humor?
D.Why Robot Humor Mostly Falls Flat.
In emergency medical services (EMS), the treatment of choice for unconscious patients that are breathing is to place them in the recovery position. The idea is to prevent getting stomach contents into the lungs.
The problem with the recovery position is the same as many other first aid treatments: it sounds good in theory but nobody knows if it really works. Positioning someone to prevent them from aspirating(吸入) is absolutely free. Because there's nothing to gain, very few people do research on things like the recovery position.
There is only one study that looked at the effectiveness of different body positions on aspiration. In that study, the recovery position was better if the unconscious person was lying flat on his or her back. However, the best option for protecting the airway—at least according to this study—was to make the patient lying on his or her belly. It turns out that if you are lying flat with your mouth at the lowest point, then the stuff coming out of your stomach won't find its way into your lungs.
Of course, it's not quite that simple. Most of us would hesitate to have our patient lie over completely.
The recovery position is taught in a very precise way. Some first aid textbooks—and more advanced texts as well—have the rescuer put the patient on his or her side with one leg bent and the head resting on an arm. However, the real world isn't like that. Understanding what you need to accomplish is more important than how you do it. Keep stuff out of your patients' lungs. If that means you roll them almost all the way on their bellies, do it. Make sure you are watching their breathing and if they stop, roll them back over and start CPR.
1.Why should unconscious patients be placed in the recovery position?
A.To assist them to recover consciousness.
B.To make them feel comfortable.
C.To keep them from choking.
D.To cure them of their illnesses.
2.Which is the best way to protect the unconscious person in the study?
A.Lying with his or her face up.
B.Bending one leg and having a rest.
C.Lowering his or her head and sitting.
D.Lying on his or her stomach.
3.What does the underlined word “precise” mean in Paragraph 5?
A.Clear and accurate.
B.Perfect and helpful.
C.Valuable and important.
D.Simple and interesting.
4.What does the author mainly tell us in the passage?
A.First aid is necessary for an unconscious patient.
B.A suitable recovery position in first aid is important.
C.Reading books about first aid can help treat some patients.
D.Laying a patient on the ground can help him or her recover.
When she was just 17 years old, Jerry crashed into the back of a truck that was waiting to turn in a left turn lane. The crash is a life-changing one for her. Because of the crash, she’s blind in one eye, lost her sense of smell, lost some of her hearing, lost the ability to create tears, and she cannot fall asleep naturally.
“Initially, I thought I would not be defeated but clearly I was completely wrong. Apart from the medical problems, the hardest part about my life after the car accident was the fact that I was alone.” Jerry said, “Everyone was away at college, I wasn’t. I couldn’t drive, couldn’t go to college. My friends who used to hang around with me were there for me at first, but after a while they stopped coming by.”
“I looked up on her Facebook page, and she said on there: Can anybody please hang out with me today? I don’t have any friends.” recalled Jerry’ s mother, Ketty.
In time, Jerry and her mother teamed up with the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to make a video. They want to get the point across that texting while driving can have life-transforming consequences.
In the video Jerry appealed to drivers not to text while driving. She admitted she was checking and sending messages via her phone when she crashed her car into the back of the truck.
“Don’t text your loved ones when you know they’re driving,” said Jerry’s mother. “It can change their lives forever.”
“If you get a text, don’t look at it,” Jerry said. “It’s not worth it.”
1.What happened to Jerry when she was 17 years old?
A.She lost all her friends.
B.She couldn’t cry naturally.
C.She suffered a traffic accident.
D.She was waiting to turn left.
2.What was Jerry’s hardest part in her life after 17?
A.Having no chance to attend college.
B.Having no ability to live on.
C.Having unsolved medical problems.
D.Being alone without friends around her.
3.Why did Jerry regret texting while driving?
A.Because it caused her a life-changing result.
B.Because she couldn’t see the message clearly.
C.Because she was afraid to miss the message.
D.Because she couldn’t send the message quickly.
4.The purpose of making the video was to .
A.warn people not to use phones while driving
B.call on people to help accident victims
C.ask teens to be careful while riding
D.expose the truth of the car crash
A long layover(滞留)can be absolutely annoying. What are you supposed to do if you've got six, eight, or 12 hours to kill before your next flight? Most of the time, your options are to eat an overpriced meal, or to browse an overpriced bookstore. Well, you might have more choices than you think. These are the airports with the world's coolest activities you'd never expect.
Munich Airport (MUC), Munich: Brewery(酿酒厂)tours
Where else but in Germany would you find not only a lively beer garden at an airport but also the actual brewery that supplies it? Airbräu is home to an award-winning lineup of cold ones and even offers brewery tours if you've got the time.
Los Angeles International (LAX), Los Angeles: Canine Friends
You're already anxious enough at the airport, and a long layover is bound to make it worse. Sounds like you need to take advantage of the therapy dogs at the Pets Unstressing Passengers program (PUP for short).
Incheon International (ICN), Seoul: Ice-Skating Rink
There's tons of stuff to do at Incheon International, including catching a movie or checking out a cultural museum. But what really sets it apart is the free ice-skating rink and ice forest, which opens seasonally. Don't worry: inline skating(直排轮滑) is available year-round.
Hong Kong International (HKG), Hong Kong: Golf Simulator(模拟器)
Hong Kong Airport used to be home to a real nine-hole golf course, but it was closed in 2015 due to an expansion of the airport hotel. Still, while you're waiting for your flight, you can borrow some clubs and hit the Golfzon simulator located in Terminal 2. It's probably better for air traffic control this way.
1.If your flight from Munich to Hongkong is delayed, you may choose to________
A.walk a therapy dog
B.hit the Golfzon simulator
C.visit a beer garden
D.enjoy the beer festival
2.What makes Incheon International better than others?
A.Visiting a cultural museum .
B.Going skating as you like.
C.Watching an interesting movie.
D.Wandering in the ice forest year-round.
3.What’s the purpose of the passage?
A.To show must-see tourist attractions.
B.To inform tourists of the airport facilities.
C.To introduce interesting layover activities.
D.To tell passengers unique airports worldwide.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
The darkness was gathering as she wobbled(颤颤巍巍)in high heels (高跟鞋) along the side of the highway. The car had come to an unexpected stop, and like a normal teenager she did the only thing she could think of..get out and walk.
It was cold and late, and home was far away. This could be a long night. If only someone would stop and offer her a ride. She prayed for help and dragged herself forward.
The lights of a truck shone from behind as it approached. "Maybe he will stop," she hoped. The brake lights flashed on as it stopped. Next moment, the car door opened. A wordless invitation was extended and she understood. Without hesitation, the girl climbed up into the seat and closed the door. Slowly the truck pulled back onto the road and disappeared into the night, never to be seen again.
I woke up in a cold sweat, frightened. Was it a dream or was it a vision? It was unbelievably real, and the girl was my daughter! I jumped from my bed and ran to her room. Her bed was empty.
I stood in horror trying to think why she hadn't come home. As the mental fog began to lift, I remembered she was visiting her friend that evening. Perhaps she stayed there for the night. It was 1:30 a.m., but I raced to the phone and dialed a number.
"Hello?" The voice was heavy with sleep.
"Hey. Sorry to wake you. Becki didn't come home tonight and I was wondering if she stayed at your place."
"No, she left here a few hours ago. She should have been home at least by midnight!" The voice on the other end began to reflect my own panic.
Over the next forty-five minutes I alternated between lying in pray and pacing the floor in anxiety.
At 2:15 a.m. lights appeared as a car turned up our long driveway. I could tell immediately that it was not my daughter's car.
注意：
1. 所续写短文词数应为 150 左右；
2. 应使用 5 个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词；
3. 续写部分分为两段， 每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
My face pressed against the window and found it was hard to breathe.
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Paragraph 2:
"Mom, she gave me a ride home." Becki said.
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假定你是李华，你的英国笔友David给你发了一封邮件，倾诉他因疫情居家进行线上学习所遇到的烦恼，请你针对David的问题回复邮件。
Dear Li Hua,
I have some problems. Due to the COVID-19, all of us now have to keep social distance and take online courses at home. I find it hard to constantly focus on studying. I feel tired easily. Worse still, I have become so anxious and short-tempered. I do want to change the situation, but I don’t know how. What should I do?
David
注意：1. 词数 80 左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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