2002 Text 2

　　Since the dawn of human ingenuity, people have devised ever more cunning tools to cope with work that is dangerous, boring, burdensome, or just plain nasty. That compulsion has resulted in robotics — the science of conferring various human capabilities on machines. And if scientists have yet to create the mechanical version of science fiction, they have begun to come close.

　　As a result, the modern world is increasingly populated by intelligent gizmos whose presence we barely notice but whose universal existence has removed much human labor. Our factories hum to the rhythm of robot assembly arms. Our banking is done at automated teller terminals that thank us with mechanical politeness for the transaction. Our subway trains are controlled by tireless robo-drivers. And thanks to the continual miniaturization of electronics and micro-mechanics, there are already robot systems that can perform some kinds of brain and bone surgery with submillimeter accuracy — far greater precision than highly skilled physicians can achieve with their hands alone.

　　But if robots are to reach the next stage of laborsaving utility, they will have to operate with less human supervision and be able to make at least a few decisions for themselves — goals that pose a real challenge. "While we know how to tell a robot to handle a specific error," says Dave Lavery, manager of a robotics program at NASA, "we can't yet give a robot enough 'common sense' to reliably interact with a dynamic world."

　　Indeed the quest for true artificial intelligence has produced very mixed results. Despite a spell of initial optimism in the 1960s and 1970s when it appeared that transistor circuits and microprocessors might be able to copy the action of the human brain by the year 2010, researchers lately have begun to extend that forecast by decades if not centuries.

　　What they found, in attempting to model thought, is that the human brain's roughly one hundred billion nerve cells are much more talented — and human perception far more complicated — than previously imagined. They have built robots that can recognize the error of a machine panel by a fraction of a millimeter in a controlled factory environment. But the human mind can glimpse a rapidly changing scene and immediately disregard the 98 percent that is irrelevant, instantaneously focusing on the monkey at the side of a winding forest road or the single suspicious face in a big crowd. The most advanced computer systems on Earth can't approach that kind of ability, and neuroscientists still don't know quite how we do it.

46. Human ingenuity was initially demonstrated in ________.
　　[A] the use of machines to produce science fiction
　　[B] the wide use of machines in manufacturing industry
　　[C] the invention of tools for difficult and dangerous work
　　[D] the elite's cunning tackling of dangerous and boring work

47. The word "gizmos" (line 1, paragraph 2) most probably means ________.
　　[A] programs
　　[B] experts
　　[C] devices
　　[D] creatures

48. According to the text, what is beyond man's ability now is to design a robot that can ________.
　　[A] fulfill delicate tasks like performing brain surgery
　　[B] interact with human beings verbally
　　[C] have a little common sense
　　[D] respond independently to a changing world

49. Besides reducing human labor, robots can also ________.
　　[A] make a few decisions for themselves
　　[B] deal with some errors with human intervention
　　[C] improve factory environments
　　[D] cultivate human creativity

50. The author uses the example of a monkey to argue that robots are ________.
　　[A] expected to copy human brain in internal structure
　　[B] able to perceive abnormalities immediately
　　[C] far less able than human brain in focusing on relevant information
　　[D] best used in a controlled environment

重点词汇：

ingenuity /7indVi5nju:iti/ （独创性；灵活性）←ingenu+ity，ingenu（=ingenious独创的；灵活的），-ity名词后缀。

burdensome /5bE:dnsEm/ （繁重的；难以负担的）←burden负担+some形容词后缀。What a heavy burden is a name that has become famous.广为人知的名字是多么沉重的负担啊。

nasty /5nAsti/ （讨厌的；肮脏的；下流的……）Diplomacy is to do and say the nastiest thing in the nicest way.外交就是以最优雅的方式办最nasty的事，说最nasty的话。←nasty在此句实在不好翻译。

compulsion /kEm5pQlF(E)n/ （强制）即com一起+puls(=drive)+ion名词后缀，“不由分说全拖到一起”→强制；compulsory（强制的；必修的）←com+puls+ory形容词后缀。compulsion — a highbrow term for a temptation we're not trying too hard to resist 强制——对人们并不想坚持拒绝的诱惑的一种高雅说法。Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.强制的身体锻炼不会损害身体，但被迫学习的知识占据不了头脑。←柏拉图老师说的。

robotics /rEu5bCtiks/ （机器人学）即robot+ics，robot机器人，-ics后缀表“学科”，如physics、aesthetics（美学）。robo-driver即robot driver。

assembly /E5sembli/ （集会；装配）是assemble的名词形式，-y为名词后缀；assemble谐音“啊，三步”，曹植七步成诗，而“装配”只需三步（三个步骤）！In most communities it is illegal to cry "fire" in a crowded assembly.在大多数社会中，在拥挤的集会上喊“着火啦”是违法的。

terminal /5tE:minl/ （终端的；期末的；终端；终点站）←termin期限+al后缀；terminate（中止）←termin+ate动词后缀，施瓦辛格演的电影《终结者》就叫Terminator（-or后缀表“人”）。It's all right to have a train of thoughts, if you have a terminal.想法成串并没关系，只要有个止点。

miniaturization /7miniEtFErai5zeiFEn/ （小型化）即mini+atur(e)+iz(e)+ation；mini词根“小”（比如有个好东西叫mini skirt），-ature名词后缀，-ize动词后缀，-ation名词后缀；miniature（小型的；缩影）←mini+ature。A day is a miniature of eternity.一天是永恒的缩影。

laborsaving /5leibE7seiviN/ （节省劳力的）←labor劳动+saving节省的。

supervision /7sju:pE5viVEn/ （监督）即super+vis+ion，super-前缀“在上面”，vis词根“看”（如visual→vis+ual形容词后缀→视觉的），-ion名词后缀。

specific /spi5sifik/ （具体的；特定的；特效药）即speci+fic，speci词根=species（种类），-fic形容词后缀“使成为……的”，故“使成为某个具体种类的”→特定的。Time and again I have emerged from a course of reading in philosophy with the conviction that the authors were really avoiding specific problems by converting them into tenuous sophistries that have very little real meaning.我一再退出对哲学的钻研，深信作者们确实是在以将具体问题换成几乎没有实际意义的贫乏诡辩来躲避它们。

reliable /ri5laiEbl/ （可靠的）←reli+able，reli即rely（v.依赖；信任），-able后缀“可……的”。Without criticism and reliable and intelligent reporting, the government can not govern.没有批评和可靠而明智的新闻报道，政府无法统治。

artificial /7B:ti5fiFEl/ （人工的，人造的）即art+i+fic+ial，art词根“人工”，-i-连结元音，fic词根“做”，-ial形容词后缀。Of all artificial relations formed between mankind, the most capricious and variable is that of author and reader.在人与人之间形成的所有人为关系中，最变化无常的是作者与读者的关系。artificial intelligence — the art of making computers that behave like the ones in movies 人工智能——制造电脑的艺术，使它们的行为像电影里的人一样。

perception /pE5sepFEn/ （感觉；理解）即per+cept+ion，per-前缀“全部”，cept词根“抓”（=capt，因为元音可替换，capture→capt+ure后缀→n.v.捕获），-ion名词后缀，故“把外界信息‘全部’‘抓住’”→感知。The perception of beauty is a moral test.对美的理解是道德的检验。

complicated /5kCmplikeitid/ （复杂的；难解的）即com+plic+at(e)+ed，com-前缀“一起”，plic词根“折叠”，-ate动词后缀+-ed后缀“已……的”，故“全都折叠在一起的”→复杂的；complicate（使复杂）←com+plic+ate；complication（复杂情况；并发症）←com+plic+ation。I never blame failures — there are too many complicated situations in life, but I am absolutely merciless toward lack of effort.我从不责备失败——生活中复杂的情况实在太多，但对于不努力，我绝不宽恕。

previously /5pri:vjjEsli/ （先前地）即previous+ly，previous（先前的）即pre+vi+ous，pre-前缀“在前的”，vi(=via)词根“路”，-ous形容词后缀，故“在前面就上路的”→先前。A creative artist works on his next composition because he is not satisfied with his previous one.有创造性的艺术家致力于自己的下一个作品，因为他不满意前一个。

irrelevant /i5relivEnt/ （不相关的）即ir+relevant，ir-否定前缀（=in-，在r前n变形为r），relevant /5relivEnt/ （相关的）参2002年Text 1。

instantaneously /7instEn5teinjEsli/ （瞬间地）即instant+aneous+ly，instant单词“立刻的；速溶的；瞬间），-aneous形容词后缀。

suspicious /sEs5piFEs/ （可疑的；多疑的）←suspic(=suspect)怀疑+ious。Plagiarists are always suspicious of being stolen from.剽窃者总是疑心文字被人盗用。

neuroscientist /7nju[r[u5sai[ntist/ （神经科学家）←neuro(=nerve)+scientist。

perceive /pE5si:v/ （察觉；感知）即per+ceive，是perception（见前述）的动词形式，per-前缀“全部”，ceive词根“抓”。同根词：receive（v.收到）←re(=back)+ceive，“抓回来”；deceive（v.欺骗）←de在下面+ceive，“在下面搞小动作”。There are no new truths, but only truths that have not been recognised by those who have perceived them without noticing.没有什么新的真理，只有人们不经意地感觉到但没有认识到的真理。Growing old is not upsetting, being perceived as old is.变老并不令人烦恼，除非别人认为你老了。

elite /ei5li:t/ （精英）用谐音记：“爱理他”→“精英人士”每个人都爱理他。

gizmo /5^izmEu/ 小发明；hum /hQm/ 嗡嗡声、轰鸣声。

难句解析：

①Since the dawn of human ingenuity, people have devised ever more cunning tools to cope with work that is dangerous, boring, burdensome, or just plain nasty.
▲该句是一个复杂单句，前面是since引导的一个时间状语，这个地方的dawn取其比喻的意思，表示早期。后面主句中有一个定语从句that is dangerous, boring, burdensome, or just plain nasty用来修饰work。
△本句结构比较简明，但是有一些词的意思比较难：ingenuity创造性，灵活性；nasty讨厌的。

②As a result, the modern world is increasingly populated by intelligent gizmos whose presence we barely notice but whose universal existence has removed much human labor.
▲本句的主句是the modern world is increasingly populated by intelligent gizmos，后面是两个定语从句，中间用but来引导。
△要看懂本句，重点在于看到gizmo一词后面的两个定语从句。在本句中，认不认识gizmo并不重要，因为从上下文中可以看出它和robot的意思应该大同小异。

③There are already robot systems that can perform some kinds of brain and bone surgery with submillimeter accuracy — far greater precision than highly skilled physicians can achieve with their hands alone.
▲该句是一个there be的结构，注意robot systems后面有一个修饰它的定语从句。而后面的破折号引出一个补充说明部分来修饰submillimeter accuracy。
△注意该句中的最核心的部分是robot systems，其它成分都是围绕着它来展开的。

④But if robots are to reach the next stage of laborsaving utility, they will have to operate with less human supervision and be able to make at least a few decisions for themselves — goals that pose a real challenge.
▲整句是一个条件句，注意后面的主句比较复杂，里面有两个并列的谓语，而后面破折号引导的是一个补充说明成分，修饰整个主句。
△要注意两个并列谓语之间的关系。

⑤But the human mind can glimpse a rapidly changing scene and immediately disregard the 98 percent that is irrelevant, instantaneously focusing on the monkey at the side of a winding forest road or the single suspicious face in a big crowd.
▲整句的主干部分是这样的，主语the human mind，并列谓语glimpse和disregard，逗号后面instantaneously focusing on the monkey at the side of a winding forest road or the single suspicious face in a big crowd这一部分做状语，修饰谓语。
△要注意两个并列谓语之间的关系并抓住句子的主干成分。

试题解析：

46. [C]
　　此题的难度合适，区分度好。
　　本题是一个局部题，主要考查考生是否看懂了第一段，尤其是“That compulsion has resulted in robotics — the science of conferring various human capabilities on machines”这句话。这句话的意思是：（发明一些灵巧的工具来从事一些危险、乏味、繁重，或者是讨厌的工作）这样一种需求导致了机器人技术的产生，即赋予机器以人的各种技能的科学。

47. [C]
　　此题偏易，区分度很好。
　　本题是考查考生从上下文猜测词义的能力。根据第二段中出现的“robot assembly arms”，“automated teller terminals”，“tireless robo-drivers”等信息，考生可以猜出“gizmos”是“设备、装置”的意思。

48. [D]
　　此题的难度合适，区分度很好。
　　本题的答题依据是第三段中Dave Lavery的第二句话，即“we can't yet give a robot enough 'common sense' to reliably interact with a dynamic world.”该句中的“dynamic”就是“动态的、变化的”意思。

49. [B]
　　此题的难度合适，区分度好。
　　本题的答题依据是第三段中Dave Lavery说的第一句话，即“While we know how to tell a robot to handle a specific error,”即我们知道如何告诉机器人去处理一个具体的错误。看懂了这句话，这道题就很容易了。

50. [C]
　　此题属于很容易的题目，区分度好。
　　本题考的是文章最后一段的意思。该段的主要意思是：机器人能够在很短的时间内发现机器的问题，而人脑能很快忽略不相关的信息，而将注意力集中到相关的信息上来，这是先进的机器人都做不到的。

全文翻译：

　　从人类最初有了智慧至今，人们一直在设计日益巧妙的工具来处理那些危险的、枯燥的、繁重的或者只是一般肮脏的工作。这种不得已的行为导致了机器人科学的产生——一门将人类的能力赋予机器的科学。如果科学家们还没有在机械上实现科幻小说的幻想，那么他们也已经很接近这个目标了。
　　由此引起的结果是，现代世界已经日益充斥着智能的装置，虽然我们几乎都注意不到他们，但他们的普遍存在却节省了许多人类劳力。我们的工厂里轰鸣着机器人生产线的节奏；我们的金融服务完成于自动柜员机旁，完成业务后，它们还会机械地、有礼貌地感谢我们；我们的地铁车辆由不知疲倦的机器人驾驶。由于电子和微观机械仪器的不断缩小，现在已有一些机器人系统能够进行精确到毫米的脑部和骨髓手术，其精确性远远超过熟练的医生用他们的双手所能达到的水平。
　　但是如果机器人要进入节省劳力的下一个阶段，他们必须能够在更少的人工监控下运行，并且至少能够独立地做一些决定。这些目标给我们提出了一个真正的挑战。“虽然我们知道如何让机器人去纠正一个特定的错误，”NASA的一个机器人项目经理戴维·拉维里说，“我们仍然不能赋予机器人以足够的‘常识’，使它们能够与动态的世界进行可靠的交流。”
　　实际上对真正的人工智能的追求已经产生了各种各样的效果。虽然一开始在20世纪60年代和70年代有过一段乐观的时期——那时候仿佛晶体管电路和微处理器的发展将使他们在2010年能够模仿人类大脑的活动——但是最近研究人员已经开始将这个预测延后数十年，甚至数百年。
　　在试图建造思维模型的过程中，研究人员发现，人类大脑中的近1000亿个神经细胞要比以前想像的更聪明，人类的感觉器官也比以前想像的更复杂。他们建造的机器人在严格控制的工厂环境里，能够在仪表盘上识别毫米以下的误差。但是人的大脑能够扫描一个快速变化的场景，迅速排除98％的不相干的物体，立即聚焦于森林中婉蜒道路旁的一只猴子，或者人群中的一张可疑的脸。地球上最先进的计算机系统也不能仿效这种能力，并且神经学科学家仍然不知道我们是怎样做到这一点的。