单项选择题Passage 4
The new trend in artificial intelligence research stems from ______.
| In the 1950s, the pioneers of
artificial intelligence (AI) predicted that, by the end of this century,
computers would be conversing with us at work and robots would be performing our
housework. But as useful as computers are, they’re nowhere close to achieving
remotely resembling these early aspirations for humanlike behavior. Never mind
something as complex as conversation: the most powerful computers struggle to
reliably recognize the shape of an object, the most elementary of a
ten-month-old kid. A growing group of AI researchers think they know where the
field went wrong. The problem, the scientists say, is that AI has been trying to separate the highest, most abstract levels of thought, like language and mathematics, and to duplicate them with logical, step-by-step programs. A new movement in AI, on the other hand, takes a closer look at the more roundabout way in which nature came up with intelligence. Many of these researchers study evolution and natural adaptation instead of formal logic and conventional computer programs. Rather than digital computers and transistors, some want to work with brain cells and proteins. The results of these early efforts are as promising as they are peculiar, and the new nature-based Al movement is slowly but surely moving to the forefront of the field. Imitating the brain’s neural network is a huge step in the right direction, says computer Scientist and biophysicist Michael Conrad, but it still misses an important aspect of natural intelligence. "People tend to treat the brain as if it were made up of color-coded transistors", he explains." But it’s not simply a clever network of switches. There are lots of important things going on inside the brain cells themselves." Specifically, Conrad believes that many of the brain’s capabilities stem from the pattern-recognition proficiency of the individual molecules that make up each brain cell. The best way to build an artificially intelligent device, he claims, would be to build it around the same sort of molecular skills. Right now, the notion that conventional computers and software are fundamentally incapable of matching the processes that take place in the brain remains controversial. But if it proves true, then the efforts of Conrad and his fellow AI rebels could turn out to be the only game in town. |
A．the shift of the focus of study on the recognition of the shapes of objects
B．the belief that human intelligence cannot be duplicated with logical, step-to-step programs
C．the aspirations of scientists to duplicate the intelligence of a ten-month-old child
D．the efforts made by scientists in the study of the similarities between transistor and brain cells
延伸阅读
你可能感兴趣的试题
1.单项选择题Passage 2
It can be inferred from the first paragraph that the most advanced supercomputer ______.
| The more time scientists spend
designing computers, the more they marvel at the human brain. Tasks that stump
the most advanced supercomputer--recognizing a face, reading a handwritten
note--are child’s play for the 3-lb. organ. Most important, unlike any
conventional computer, the brain can learn from its mistakes. Researchers have
tried for years to program computers to imitate the brain’s abilities, but
without success. Now a growing number of designers believe they have the answer:
if a computer is to function more like a person and less like an over-grown
calculator, it must be built more like a brain, which distributes information
across a vast interconnected web of nerve cells, or neurons. Conventional computers function by following a chainlike sequence of detailed instructions. Although very fast, their processors can perform only one task at a time. This approach works best in solving problems that can be broken down into simpler logical pieces. The processors in a neural-network computer, by contrast, form a grid much like the nerve cells in the brain. Since these artificial neurons are interconnected, they can share information and perform tasks at the same time. This two-dimensional approach works best at recognizing patterns. Instead of programming a neural-network computer to make decisions, its maker trains it to recognize the patterns in any solution to a problem by repeatedly feeding examples to the machine. This process is like a process that prepares all possible moves in a chess game and try to find a best approach to it. If the examples are not sufficient or complete, the computer will be in for trouble, after all, it can not respond to something it can not recognize as a pattern in its memory. Neural networks come in all shapes and size. The new networks will make things which were simply impossible completely feasible in the near future. What the users need to do is to wait and see. Developers are experimenting with new equipment and hopefully they will succeed. Until now most existed as software simulations because redesigning computer chips took a lot of time and money. By experimenting with different approaches through software rather than hardware, scientists have been able to avoid costly mistakes. |
A．can recognize a face and read a handwritten note
B．can learn from the past
C．cannot fail to imitate the human brains abilities
D．cannot distribute information across all interconnected web of nerve cells
参考答案：公司计算机系统是否需要审核和控制以及审核和控制到什么程度是合适的这一法律问题还没有得到解决。
3.单项选择题Passage 3
One of the great changes brought about by the knowledge society is that ______.
| A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It all translates to a fundamental change in the way we work. Already we’re partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also gives rise to a radical new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held notions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers--all these are being challenged. We only have to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip, would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant. It will be the way you do your job. |
A．the difference between the employee and the employer has become insignificant
B．people have to change their jobs from time to time
C．most people have to take part-time jobs
D．people’s traditional concepts about work no longer hold true
4.单项选择题
Passage 1
What is the role of Internet in software piracy
Passage 1
| Software piracy problems exist and have
been exacerbated in recent years due to IS overload, decentralized
purchasing, budget constraints, general user and corporate management attitudes,
lack of knowledge of the copyright laws, and now Internet access. Most
organizations have not managed their software very effectively.
Determining the extent of the problem is a time-consuming
process. The industry’s response has been to form trade associations to educate the public about the copyright law and to aggressively pursue pirates. Some of the largest PC companies have set up their own in-house programs to combat the problem. Corporate exposure is increasing due to the need to manage more machines, software and on-line and Internet access. Civil and criminal penalties for copyright infringement have stiffened. As a result, trade association resources have increased significantly as well as calls to hotlines from unhappy employees due to corporate downsizing. When infringing software is reported, the company is at risk of embarrassing litigation for copyright infringement. The company will most probably lose as the copyright holder usually has a "smoking gun" based on reports from former employees or other whistle blowers. There is also the simple fact that no matter how hard the IS staff try, there are and always will be copies of software programs that cannot be validated by purchasing records. They come in from home, are created by otherwise conscientious employees trying to get their jobs done or just unauthorized copies by purchasing records. They come in unauthorized copies created by cost conscious managers and employees. Internet access only increases these problems as software is downloaded from sites worldwide. A software management program will reduce the risks from using counterfeit or copied software and help avoid damage from viruses and corrupt programs. By conducting an audit before infringement is reported the corporation will reduce its exposure. It is easy to inventory software programs on any particular machine. However, matching the software to the licensing documents is no easy task. Interpreting the variety of software licenses takes familiarity with industry business and licensing practices. Networks make the task much more complex. Internet access compounds the problem. Employers should set guidelines for when and how to download software and data from on-line services and the Internet. Most software vendors maintain on-line support and provide the ability to download bug fixes and program updates. However, one bad virus can wreak havoc throughout a company’s networks and shut down the whole system. Firewall technology that controls access to and from outside systems can help. Information systems staff should work with management to develop policies that reduce risk but reflect the level of openness that suits a particular company’s corporate culture. |
A．It is a weapon against software piracy.
B．It is an accessory to software piracy.
C．It is the most important cause of software piracy.
D．It has nothing to do with software piracy.
5.单项选择题
From the passage we can infer that ______.
| Questions 11 -13 are based on the following passage. You now have 15 seconds to read questions 11- 13. |
A．electronic mail will soon play a dominant role in transmitting messages
B．it will become more difficult for people to keep secrets in information era
C．people will spend less time holding meetings or conferences
D．events will be reported on the spot mainly through satellites
6.单项选择题
The phrase "ring up sales" most probably means ______.
| Questions 17-20 are based on the following passage. You now have 20 seconds to read questions 17-20. |
A．make an order of goods
B．record sales on a cash register
C．call the sales manager
D．keep track of the goods in stock
7.单项选择题
| It may be the last book you’ll ever
buy. And certainly, from a (21) standpoint, it will be the
only book you’ll ever need. No, it’s not the Bible or some New Age tome
(22) enlightenment--although it would let you carry
(23) both texts simultaneously. It’s an electronic book--a
(24) volume that could contain a library of information or,
if your tastes run (25) what’s current, every title on
today’s bestseller (26) And when you’re (27)
with those, you could refill it with new (28)
Convenience is its main (29) and that means more than simple portability. Because the information is in electronic (30) , it can be easily manipulated. You could, for instance, make the type larger for easier reading. Or you could make notes in the (31) with a stylus your observations being (32) on tiny, removable flash-memory card in the spine. It is likely that electronic books will come pre-loaded with a (33) of titles. New titles could be made (34) through flash-memory cards, for example, internet will be the delivery method of choice. Imagine browsing an online bookstore like www. Amazon. com, corn and downloading a novel (35) your electronic book via the modem in its spine. (36) Moby Dick would take about a minute. You could download a few titles, so you’ll have a few good reads to choose from while you’re relaxing at the beach. If your first choice is not to your (37) , a new title becomes available (38) the push of a button. An electronic book will be (39) --around ＄ 200 for a basic read-only model to about ＄ 400 for one that would (40) your margin scribbles. Some hurdles remain, though, before you can take an electric book with you anywhere. |
A．committing
B．promising
C．guaranteeing
D．assuring
8.单项选择题
According to the author, the effective way to spread the use of computers is to teach ______.
| Questions 14 -16 are based on the following passage. You now have 15 seconds to read questions 14 -16. |
A．how to use computers
B．what computers use
C．where computers can be used
D．how computers work
9.单项选择题Passage 4
The author says that the powerful computers of today ______.
| In the 1950s, the pioneers of
artificial intelligence (AI) predicted that, by the end of this century,
computers would be conversing with us at work and robots would be performing our
housework. But as useful as computers are, they’re nowhere close to achieving
remotely resembling these early aspirations for humanlike behavior. Never mind
something as complex as conversation: the most powerful computers struggle to
reliably recognize the shape of an object, the most elementary of a
ten-month-old kid. A growing group of AI researchers think they know where the
field went wrong. The problem, the scientists say, is that AI has been trying to separate the highest, most abstract levels of thought, like language and mathematics, and to duplicate them with logical, step-by-step programs. A new movement in AI, on the other hand, takes a closer look at the more roundabout way in which nature came up with intelligence. Many of these researchers study evolution and natural adaptation instead of formal logic and conventional computer programs. Rather than digital computers and transistors, some want to work with brain cells and proteins. The results of these early efforts are as promising as they are peculiar, and the new nature-based Al movement is slowly but surely moving to the forefront of the field. Imitating the brain’s neural network is a huge step in the right direction, says computer Scientist and biophysicist Michael Conrad, but it still misses an important aspect of natural intelligence. "People tend to treat the brain as if it were made up of color-coded transistors", he explains." But it’s not simply a clever network of switches. There are lots of important things going on inside the brain cells themselves." Specifically, Conrad believes that many of the brain’s capabilities stem from the pattern-recognition proficiency of the individual molecules that make up each brain cell. The best way to build an artificially intelligent device, he claims, would be to build it around the same sort of molecular skills. Right now, the notion that conventional computers and software are fundamentally incapable of matching the processes that take place in the brain remains controversial. But if it proves true, then the efforts of Conrad and his fellow AI rebels could turn out to be the only game in town. |
A．are capable of reliably recognizing the shape of an object
B．are close to exhibiting humanlike behavior
C．are not very different in their performance from those of the 50’s
D．still cannot communicate with people in a human language
10.单项选择题Passage 3
A characteristic of the information age is that ______.
| A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It all translates to a fundamental change in the way we work. Already we’re partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also gives rise to a radical new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held notions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers--all these are being challenged. We only have to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip, would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant. It will be the way you do your job. |
A．most of the job opportunities can now be found in the service industry
B．manufacturing industries are steadily increasing
C．people find it harder and harder to earn a living by working in factories
D．the service industry is relying more and more on the female work force
热门相关试卷
最新相关试卷