Elon Musk has expressed his company – Neuralink is close to announcing the first brain-machine interface (接口) to connect humans and computers. Musk told followers in Twitter the technology would be “coming soon” – though he failed to provide details.
Neuralink was set up in 2016 with the ambitious goal of developing hardware to strengthen the human brain. However, little about how this will work has been made public. Neuralink describes the interface as an extremely high-speed connection between the human brain and computers.
Musk has frequently claimed the rapid rise of artificial intelligence poses an existential risk to humanity. Such an interface, he says, is essential if humans are to compete with such technology in the future. At a technology conference in 2016, Mr Musk said humans risked being treated like house pets by AI machines if a brain-computer interface was not built. Last year on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Musk said Neuralink’s technology would allow humans to “effectively combine with AI”.
A paper published in Nature Nanotechnology in 2015 described a concept for this connection, explaining how a flexible circuit (回路) could be injected into a living brain. “We’re trying to lessen the distinction between electronic circuits and neural circuits,” said Harvard researcher Charles Lieber, who co-authored the study. Despite the technology’s potential to increase the human brain, experts have warned that brain-computer interfaces risk being controlled by vicious (恶意的) artificial intelligence.
Such an action could lead to AI controlling the thoughts, decisions and emotions of a person using a brain-computer link. “Technological developments mean that we are on a path to a world in which it will be possible to discover people’s mental processes and directly operate the brain mechanisms underlying their intentions, emotions and decision,” stated a Nature comment piece written by 27 scientists and machine intelligence engineers. “The possible medical and social benefits in it are vast. But we must guide their development in a way that respects, protects and enables what is best in humanity.”
1.What message did Musk convey about his Neuralink?
A.It sells brain-machine interfaces.
B.It offers rich data about interfaces.
C.It has followers to connect humans and computers.
D.Its new technology will be accessible to the public soon .
2.What can we know from Paragraph Two?
A.Neuralink aims to know the human brain better.
B.How the hardware functions is already known.
C.The brain-machine interface was invented in 2016.
D.The interface is expected to link the human brain and computers rapidly.
3.According to Musk, why are brain-machine interfaces important?
A.Because they may treat human like house pets.
B.Because they may make AI serve human better.
C.Because they build neural circuits in human brains.
D.Because they rapidly develop artificial intelligence.
4.What is the attitude of Nature to brain-machine interfaces?
A.Objective B.Favorable
C.Opposed D.Indifferent
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Elon Musk has expressed his company – Neuralink is close to announcing the first brain-machine interface (接口) to connect humans and computers. Musk told followers in Twitter the technology would be “coming soon” – though he failed to provide details.
Neuralink was set up in 2016 with the ambitious goal of developing hardware to strengthen the human brain. However, little about how this will work has been made public. Neuralink describes the interface as an extremely high-speed connection between the human brain and computers.
Musk has frequently claimed the rapid rise of artificial intelligence poses an existential risk to humanity. Such an interface, he says, is essential if humans are to compete with such technology in the future. At a technology conference in 2016, Mr Musk said humans risked being treated like house pets by AI machines if a brain-computer interface was not built. Last year on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Musk said Neuralink’s technology would allow humans to “effectively combine with AI”.
A paper published in Nature Nanotechnology in 2015 described a concept for this connection, explaining how a flexible circuit (回路) could be injected into a living brain. “We’re trying to lessen the distinction between electronic circuits and neural circuits,” said Harvard researcher Charles Lieber, who co-authored the study. Despite the technology’s potential to increase the human brain, experts have warned that brain-computer interfaces risk being controlled by vicious (恶意的) artificial intelligence.
Such an action could lead to AI controlling the thoughts, decisions and emotions of a person using a brain-computer link. “Technological developments mean that we are on a path to a world in which it will be possible to discover people’s mental processes and directly operate the brain mechanisms underlying their intentions, emotions and decision,” stated a Nature comment piece written by 27 scientists and machine intelligence engineers. “The possible medical and social benefits in it are vast. But we must guide their development in a way that respects, protects and enables what is best in humanity.”
1.What message did Musk convey about his Neuralink?
A.It sells brain-machine interfaces.
B.It offers rich data about interfaces.
C.It has followers to connect humans and computers.
D.Its new technology will be accessible to the public soon .
2.What can we know from Paragraph Two?
A.Neuralink aims to know the human brain better.
B.How the hardware functions is already known.
C.The brain-machine interface was invented in 2016.
D.The interface is expected to link the human brain and computers rapidly.
3.According to Musk, why are brain-machine interfaces important?
A.Because they may treat human like house pets.
B.Because they may make AI serve human better.
C.Because they build neural circuits in human brains.
D.Because they rapidly develop artificial intelligence.
4.What is the attitude of Nature to brain-machine interfaces?
A.Objective B.Favorable
C.Opposed D.Indifferent
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
On February 6, Space X, a private US aerospace company owned by Elon Musk, has successfully launched its new Falcon Heavy spacecraft, making it the world’s most powerful rocket.
Falcon Heavy is the largest rocket since the retirement of NASA’s Saturn V, which was used for the Moon missions in the 1970s. “Falcon Heavy can launch about 64 tonnes into low Earth orbit-that’s almost three times more than the current running biggest launch vehicle, Delta IV Heavy, ”Imperial College astrophysicist David Clements told AI Jazeera. According to Space X, Falcon Heavy can lift into orbit a mass greater than a 737 jet loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel.
The rocket was designed with the idea of earning humans into space and opening the possibility of flying missions with people to the Moon and even Mars. For its first voyage, it carried Musk’s $ 100,000 cherry-red Tesla sports car and a fake space-suited human model fixed in the driver’s seat. Musk joked that “it may be discovered by some future alien race”.
Falcon Heavy went into space on its last flight on February 6. The launch took place at NASA’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida, the spot also used for the Apollo 11 Moon mission and several space shuttle launches. It was delayed by several hours because of high winds in the upper atmosphere. Minutes after take-off, the two outer boosters (助推器) landed at the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Space X announced plans to eventually use Falcon Heavy to launch two paying space tourists on a trip around the Moon. However, Musk said he will probably reserve that mission for another launch system, the BFR. Recently, Space X scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket for NASA’s TESS mission on March 20, 2018. It is reported that Space X is scheduled to complete 30 independent launch missions in 2018, at least half of which will use Falcon 9.
1.Which of the following can function as a rocket?
A. A 737 jet. B. Tesla. C. Saturn V. D. Space X.
2.What do we know about Falcon Heavy from the text?
A. It was the latest rocket in the world.
B. It is of the same load as a 737 jet.
C. It is to be found by the creatures in the outer space.
D. It was launched at the same place for the Apollo 11 mission.
3.What delayed the launch of Falcon Heavy?
A. Weather condition. B. Program error. C. Equipment failure. D. Deliberate damage.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. The BFR will be completed in 2018.
B. The vehicle to launch space tourists is unknown.
C. Tourists will be sent into space by Falcon 9.
D. Falcon 9 will take 15 launch missions.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
On August 29th,Elon Musk, the boss of Tesla, an electric-car maker, announced that some of his customers would find that their cars had suddenly developed the ability to drive farther on a single battery charge. Like many modern vehicles, Mr.Musk's products are best thought of as Internet-connected computers on wheels. The cheaper models in Tesla' line-up have parts of their batteries disabled by the car’s software in order to limit their range. At the tap of a keyboard in Palo Alto, the firm was able to remove those restrictions and give drivers temporary access to the full power of their batteries.
Mr. Musk's computerized cars are just one example of a much broader trend. As computers and connectivity become cheaper, it makes sense to bake them into more and more things that are not, in themselves, computers creating an “Internet of things”, or IoT. It is a slow revolution that has been gathering pace for years, as computers have found their way into cars, telephones and televisions. But the transformation is about to speed up. One forecast is that by 2035 the world will have a trillion connected computers, built into everything from food packaging to bridges and clothes.
Such a world will bring many benefits.Consumers will get convenience. Amazon's Ring smart doorbells, for instance, come equipped with motion sensors(运动传感器) and video cameras. Working together, they can also form what is, in effect, a private CCTV(closed circuit television) network, allowing the firm to offer its customers a“digital neighborhood-watch”scheme and pass any interesting video along to the police.
Business will get efficiency, as information about the physical world that used to be temporary and uncertain becomes concrete and analyzable. Connected cows can have their eating habits and vital signs tracked in real time, which means they produce more milk and require less medicine when they fall ill. Such gains are individually small but, mixed again and again across an economy, they are the raw material of growth potentially a great deal of it.
In the long term, though, the most noticeable effects of the IoT will be on how the world works. One way to think of it is to regard it as the second phase of the Internet. Ever, more companies will become tech companies; the Internet will become widespread. As a result, a series of unsolved arguments about ownership, data, competition and security will spill over from the virtual world into the real one.
1.Why does the author mention Elon Musk?
A.To tell a story about his car.
B.To introduce the topic.
C.To inform readers of his Tesla.
D.To explain batteries on electric Cars.
2.What can we infer about the IoT from Paragraph 2?
A.It is under connection.
B.It is getting computerized.
C.It is getting widespread use.
D.It is connecting computers.
3.What benefits can the IoT bring in the future?
A.It will bring convenience and efficiency.
B.It can help upload videos onto the Internet.
C.It can save cows from being ill.
D.It will bring small gains.
4.According to the last paragraph what will be discussed in the following part?
A.The evolution of the IoT.
B.Applying the IoT to the virtual world.
C.Its main use in tech companies.
D.Its effects on the real world.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla and Space X, Elon Musk may have a little more time on his hands, as he’s leaving his position on the board of the Open AI, according to a blog post.
The departure is likely the result of Tesla’s moving into the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which he said in 2017 would be the “best in the world” and would even be able to “predict your destination.” Musk will continue to “donate and advise the organization,” Open AI said in a blog post on Feb. 20, adding that “As Tesla continues to become more focused on AI, this will avoid a potential future conflict for Elon.”
Musk and Y Combiner CEO Sam Altman co-founded the nonprofit enterprise in December 2015, its mission is to develop safe artificial general intelligence and ensure those developments are made public. Open AI researchers published a paper on the site arXiv. org, detailing the possible secure threats that come with “malicious” A I. In fact, Musk has heard of the “evil AI” alarm several times. On Aug. 11, 2017, he warned that artificial intelligence poses a bigger threat to humanity, and he told a gathering of state governors that the government needs to regulate AI before robots start “killing people.”
Musk’s departure from the Open AI board could mean big things for Tesla. As Elon Goodbye, a financial reporter, noted on Futurism, the move “could signal that Tesla is more deeply committed to their own AI projects than we thought.” He added, “Those who have had their ears to any rumors that Tesla is ready to deliver vehicles capable of Level 5 autonomy could take this new Open AI development as a sign that the company is inching closer to that unapproachable goal.” No company has reached that level of autonomy, which means that a driverless car could navigate any road under any conditions and that all the human “driver” would need to do is to input a destination.
1.Why does Elon Musk leave his position?
A. To create safer AI. B. To build the powerful Internet.
C. To develop social communication. D. To avoid a possible conflict with Tesla.
2.What is the Elon Musk’s attitude towards the AI?
A. Ambiguous. B. Negative.
C. Supportive. D. Sympathetic.
3.What does the underlined word “malicious” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Advanced. B. Unpopular.
C. Poisonous. D. Traditional.
4.What can we infer from Elon Goodbye’ comments?
A. Level 5 autonomy is impossible.
B. The rumors about Tesla is meaningless.
C. He has no confidence in Open AI.
D. Level 5 autonomy could set human drivers free.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
On August 29th, as Hurricane Dorian tracked towards America’s east coast, Elon Musk, the boss of Tesla, an electric-car maker, announced that some of his customers in the storm’s path would find that their cars had suddenly developed the ability to drive farther on a single battery charge. Like many modern vehicles, Mr. Musk’s products are best thought of as internet-connected computers on wheels. The cheaper models in Tesla’s line-up have parts of their batteries disabled by the car’s software in order to limit their range. At the tap of a keyboard in Palo Alto, the firm was able to remove those restrictions and give drivers temporary access to the full power of their batteries.
Mr. Musk’s computerized cars are just one example of a much broader trend. As computers and connectivity become cheaper, it makes sense to bake them into more and more things that are not, in themselves, computers, creating an “internet of things”.
Such a world will bring many benefits. Consumers will get convenience, and products that can do things non-computerized versions cannot. Businesses will get efficiency, as information about the physical world that used to be uncertain becomes concrete and analyzable.
In the long term, though, the most obvious effects will be in how the world works. Ever more companies will become tech companies; the internet will become everywhere. As a result, a series of unresolved arguments will spill over from the virtual world into the real one.
Start with ownership. As Mr Musk showed, the internet gives firms the ability to stay connected to their products even after they have been sold, transforming them into something closer to services than goods. That has already made the traditional ideas of ownership unclear. When Microsoft closed its ebook store in July, for instance, its customers lost the ability to read titles they had bought (the firm offered refunds). That shifts the balance of power from the customer to the seller.
Virtual business models will jar in the physical world. Tech firms are generally happy to move fast and break things. But you cannot release the beta version (测试版) of a fridge. Apple, a smartphonemaker, provides updates for its phones for only five years or so after their release; users of Android smartphones are lucky to get two. But goods such as washing machines or industrial machinery can have lifespans of a decade or more. Firms will need to work out how to support complicated computerised devices long after their original programmers have moved on.
Data will be another flashpoint. For much of the internet the business model is to offer “free” services that are paid for with valuable user data, collected with consent (同意) that is half-informed at best. In the virtual world, arguments about what should be tracked, and who owns the resulting data, can seem airy and theoretical. In the real one, they will feel more urgent.
Predicting the consequences of any technology is hard — especially one as universal as computing. The emergence of the consumer internet, 25 years ago, was met with starry-eyed optimism. These days the internet’s faults dominate the headlines. But the people have the advantage of having lived through the first internet revolution — which should give them some idea of what to expect.
1.From the passage we can tell that Tesla can ______.
A.drive faster than usual in extreme weather B.adjust the range of its battery power
C.charge the battery at the tap of a keyboard D.operate when the battery is fully drained
2.Which of the following is NOT an example of the “unresolved arguments” mentioned in the passage?
A.Early adopters of certain apps find that they ceased to work after the firm lost interest.
B.The insurance company uses data from fitness trackers to adjust customers’ premiums(保费).
C.Computerized machinery can’t predict its breakdowns or schedule preventive maintenance.
D.A high-tech fridge company restricts its customers from repairing their fridges themselves.
3.The underlined word jar probably means _______ in this context.
A.boom B.conflict C.vanish D.expand
4.This passage is mainly about _______.
A.how the world will change as computers spread into everyday objects
B.the adoption of electric vehicles and the possible problems to expect
C.what should be done to prevent the breakdown of computerized devices
D.different views on the current application of Internet Technology
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Jack's business is not as good as before, so he has to cut ________ the expense of his company.
高三英语其他题简单题查看答案及解析
Stephen Hawking has expressed his opinion ?___ humans might one day be able to make spaceships capable of such speeds that time on board would slow down.
A.that B.whom C.which D.what
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Sixty-four-year-old Pierre Deom has spent his entire life close to the woods and fields that he loves. Twice a year, his magazine, La Hulotte, focuses on an animal or plant native to the French countryside.
The 100th edition was published in November. The magazine counts more than 150,000 subscribers in many countries, and is doing very well financially. Deom says it all began in January 1972, when he was teaching science in a one-room schoolhouse here. “It upset me how the forests and swamps were beginning to be ruined. The word ‘ecology’ (生态学) didn’t really exist yet. Some friends and I wanted to call attention to the issue. So we said, let’s educate the kids. They’re ready to hear our message.” So he took a step into the unknown, planning to publish his nature journal.
Deom does all the research and writing and the illustrations (插图) of the magazine by hand. He combines science and humor in his writing and drawing to describe the daily life and sufferings of his creatures. Animals you might overlook or consider dull are magically and vividly brought to life in La Hulotte. “I try to write about animals and plants that are easy to find because I want kids to put on boots, take a magnifying glass, go to the woods and fields to observe and be amazed by what they find,” Deom says.
And it seems to work. Biologist Jerome Fournier began subscribing to La Hulotte when he was just eight years old. “For me it was the first contact with nature when I was a child. And maybe it’s the beginning for my life of scientist. I think so.”
What’s amazing is its approach. The magazine has realistic drawings and also a little cast of cartoon creatures who comment on things and give a different views. You can read it as an adult or a child; it can be understood on two different levels. So scientists, regular people and children all get something out of it. “It’s extraordinary.” Fournier says, who works at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, where he says La Hulotte has a crazy following.
1.What does the underlined word “subscribers” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. Readers. B. Editors.
C. Sellers. D. Collectors.
2.What’s the purpose of creating the magazine?
A. To make a lot of money.
B. To finish the task of teaching.
C. To enlarge the areas of forests.
D. To promote people’s awareness of ecology.
3.Which words can best describe the magazine La Hulotte?
A. Scientific and interesting. B. Magical and dull.
C. Vivid and unreal. D. Hard to understand.
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The magazine is a cartoon one.
B. Adults find the magazine too easy.
C. Many scientists are the fans of the magazine.
D. The magazine is not fit for regular people to read.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
After his company’s closing down , he lost both his wealth and confidence , and never found __________ of them again .
A. both B. neither
C. either D. all
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
His writing is so confusing that it's difficult to make out ________ it is he is trying to express.(2011·安徽,33)
A.that B.how C.who D.what
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析