Question

Medical scientists are already putting computer chips（芯片）directly into the brain to help people who have Parkinson’s disease, but in what other ways might computer technology be able to help us? Ray Kurzweil is the author of the successful book The Age Of Intelligent Machines. He is also one of the world’s best computer research scientists. He is researching the possibilities.

Kurzweil gets computers to recognize voices. An example of this is Ramona, the virtual hostess of Kurzweil’s website, created by the computer, who is able to understand what you say. Visitors to the website can have their own conversations with her. Ramona also dances and sings.

Kurzweil uses this technology to help people with physical problems. One of his ideas is a “seeing machine”. This will be “like a friend that could describe what is going on around,” he explains. Blind people will use a sensor（傳感器）which will probably be built into a pair of sunglasses. This machine will describe to the person everything it sees.

Another idea, which is likely to help deaf people, is the “listening machine”. This invention will recognize millions of words and understand any speaker. The listening machine will also be able to translate what it hears into other languages, so even people without hearing problems are likely to be interested in using it.

But it is not just about helping people with physical problems. Looking further into future, Kurzweil sees a time when we will be able to store what we hear, see and think in a computer. This technology probably won’t be ready for at least 50 years, but when it arrives, it means our minds will be able to live forever.

1.Ray Kurzweil is .

A. a famous medical scientist

B. a computer research scientist

C. a patient with Parkinson’s

D. an inventor of computer chips

2. What can Ramona do?

A. She can talk with her visitors.

B. She can treat brain diseases.

C. She can help deaf people listen.

D. She can teach people to sing.

3. How can the “seeing machine” help blind people?

A. It can help to treat their eyes.

B. It can translate into other languages.

C. It can help them to see the future.

D. It can describe to them what it sees.

4. The word “virtual” in Paragraph 2 probably means .

A. 虛擬的 B. 友好的 C. 漂亮的 D. 忙碌的

5.What can be the best title for the text?

A. The Seeing Machines

B. The Listening Machines

C. The Intelligent Machines

D. The Translating Machines

Answer 1

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.A

5.C

【解析】試題分析：本文講的是電腦科技對人類各方面的幫助，包括芯片植入人腦，智能聲音識別等，可以在不同程度上幫助人們解決心理問題，或者幫助殘疾人。不僅如此，電腦科技還將繼續發展，并給人類帶來意想不到的幫助。

1. is also one of the world’s best computer research scientists.講到Ray Kurzweil不僅是創作那本書的作家，還是世界上最好的電腦研究科學家之一，故選B。

2.細節理解題。文中第二段Visitors to the website can have their own conversations with her.可知Ramona可以理解方可所講的話，并且可以和她對話，故選A。

3.理解題。文中第三段Blind people will use a sensor which will probably be built into a pair of sunglasses. This machine will describe to the person everything it sees.可知，盲人通過一副裝有傳感器的墨鏡對外界的感知，然后用儀器進行描述，就可以知道自己周圍的景象，故選D。

4.推斷分析題。文中第二段An example of this is Ramona, the virtual hostess of Kurzweil’s website, created by the computer, who is able to understand what you say.可知Ramona是由電腦虛構出來的，有理解能力的人工智能服務系統，故選A。

5.慨括歸納題。從全文來看，本文主要講述的是智能機器用其所具有的可視功能，聽力功能和翻譯功能對人類各方面的幫助，故選C。

考點：考查科技文閱讀