Robots writing newspapersWhether it’s robots ...

Robots writing newspapers

Whether it’s robots working as hotel receptionists or artificial intelligence creating poetry, it’s becoming more and more common to read about technology doing the jobs of humans.

And now, it seems that software is even capable of writing news stories –such as the very one you’re reading.

Recently the Press Association (PA), a UK news service, has created a computer program that’s capable of creating articles that are almost impossible to tell apart from those written by human journalists.

Called “robo-journalism”, such software “teaches” itself by analyzing thousands of news stories written by humans. The PA’s software is already so advanced that many UK newspapers and websites publish articles created by it.

According to the Reuters Institute of Journalism, many publishers are using robo-journalism to release interesting information quickly, from election results to official figures on social issues. For example, The Washington Post has its own robo-journalism software, Heliograf. Heliograf “wrote “over 850 articles in 2017, as well as hundreds of social media posts.

So what does this mean for regular journalists?

“We’re naturally wary about any technology that could replace human beings,” Fredrick Kunkle, a Washington Post reporter, told Wired.

“But this technology seems to have taken over only some of the work that nobody else wants to do.” “Indeed, it appears that robo-journalism software is designed to help humans, rather than take away their jobs.

“In the future, Heliograf could do things like search the web to see what people are talking about, check The Washington Post to see if that story is being covered, and, if not, alert(提醒) editors or just write the piece itself.” Wired reporter Joe Keoha wrote.

However, Joshua Benton at Harvard University’s Nieman Journalism Lab believes that while robo-jounalism is undoubtedly going to become more present in newsrooms, nothing can replace traditional human creativity.

“Good journalism is not just a matter of inputs and outputs, it is a craft(技艺) that has developed over decades, “ he told BBC News. “The really difficult part of what professional journalists do----carefully weighing information and presenting balanced, contextualized(全景式的) stories ----will be very hard for machines to master.

1.What is the article mainly about?

A. Describling the first robo-journalism soft ware.

B. The introductions of robo-journalism and its strengths and weaknesses.

C. A comparison of news reports written by humans and robots.

D. A predictin of what will happen with robo-journalism in the future.

2.What message does Heliograf convey about robo-journalism software?

A. It has played a major role in news reporting.

B. It can help and cooperate with human journalists.

C. It can create news reports in a style better than that of humans.

D. It is a threat to regular journalists and their careers.

3.The underlined word “wary” has the closest meaning to ________.

A. guilty　　 B. annoyed　　 C. confident　　 D. cautious

4.What does Joshua Benton think the future of human journalists is?

A. They will be replaced by robots in the near future.

B. They will need to be more professional in information input and output.

C. They will need to focus more on their creativity in writing.

D. They will have to learn news reporting from robots.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In many movies and books set in the future, robots can fly spaceships, work as maids or butlers, and even act as police officers.

The “K5” robots are part of a trial program to test a machine’s ability to ______ the duties of a safety officer. The robots are ______ with HD security cameras, alarms, etc. In addition, they have an ______ intelligence system that will act as a human security guard if they notice anything unusual.

The robots’ software can also analyze faces and ______ license plates(号码牌). The robots can check whether a plate number______ a stolen vehicle. Plus the robots’ on-board cameras are able to ______ good-quality videos in low-light conditions.

The K5 is able to move through its environment ______ using GPS as well as an internal navigation system. Each time the K5 is ______ to a new place, a human uses a wireless controller to ______ the robot around the area. This helps the K5 “learn” about its ______.

“You give it a base map ______ then it starts building from that,” says Stacy Stephens, the co-founder of Knight scope.

Unlike humans, the K5 security guards don’t need ______ — they can work almost 24 hours a day. The robots run on rechargeable batteries, and a single charge______ 24 hours. If a robot notices that its battery is getting ______, it will return to a charging port and plug itself in. It _______ only 15-20 minutes to fully recharge, so the K5s are not out of _____ for long.

____ the K5 may look friendly and does not carry any weapons, it’s not meant to be messed with. An ear-piercing alarm will sound ______ the K5 is trapped for more than a few minutes.

The robots are designed to do the kind of work a human security guard would ______ do, but they also take on the repetitive(重复乏味的) and sometimes _______ guard work, Stephens explains.

1.A. perform　　 B. conduct　　 C. declare　　 D. witness

2.A. donated　　 B. surrounded　　 C. equipped　　 D. decorated

3.A. adequate　　 B. artificial　　 C. aware　　 D. elegant

4.A. recommend　　 B. write　　 C. reflect　　 D. read

5.A. consists of　　 B. belongs to　　 C. settles in　　 D. leaves out

6.A. keep　　 B. gather　　 C. watch　　 D. record

7.A. with　　 B. of　　 C. by　　 D. as

8.A. brought　　 B. adjusted　　 C. adapted　　 D. bound

9.A. transport　　 B. show　　 C. carry　　 D. guide

10.A. surroundings　　 B. signals　　 C. conditions　　 D. gestures

11.A. but　　 B. because　　 C. and　　 D. so

12.A. meals　　 B. breaks　　 C. rewards　　 D. repairs

13.A. desires　　 B. clicks　　 C. drags　　 D. lasts

14.A. old　　 B. bad　　 C. low　　 D. poor

15.A. spends　　 B. costs　　 C. pays　　 D. takes

16.A. service　　 B. work　　 C. control　　 D. order

17.A. Because　　 B. Though　　 C. When　　 D. Unless

18.A. though　　 B. unless　　 C. as　　 D. if

19.A. willingly　　 B. normally　　 C. fearfully　　 D. occasionally

20.A. dangerous　　 B. handy　　 C. hopeful　　 D. energetic

高二英语对话填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Larry Belmont worked for a company that made robots. Recently it had begun experimenting with a household robot, ___1.___ was going to be tested out by Larry’s wife, Claire. Claire didn’t want ____2.____ robot in her house, especially as her husband would be ___3.____(absence) for three weeks, but Larry persuaded her that the robot wouldn’t harm her or allow her ____4.___(harm). However when she first saw the robot, named Tony, she felt alarmed because he seemed more like a human than a machine. He was tall and handsome ____5._____ smooth hair and a deep voice although his facial expression never changed.

On the second morning Tony, ___6.____(wear) an apron, brought her breakfast and then asked ___7._____ she needed help dressing. She felt embarrassed and quickly told hem to go. ____8.___ was disturbing and frightening that he looked so human. One day, Claire mentioned that she didn’t think she was clever. Tony said that ____9.__ must feel very unhappy to say that. It was ridiculous to be offered sympathy by a robot. But she __10.____(begin) to trust him.

高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Robots are smart。 With their computer brains, they help people work in dangerous places or do difficult jobs。 Some robots do regular jobs。Bobby, the mail carrier, brings mail to a large office building in Washington, D。C。 He is one of 250 mail carriers in the United States。

Mr。 Leachim, who weighs two hundred pounds and is six feet tall, has some advantages as a teacher。 One is that he does not forget details。 He knows each child’s name, the parents’ names and what each child knows and needs to know。 In addition, he knows each child’s pets and hobbies。 Mr。 Leachim does not make mistakes。 Each child goes and tells him his or her name, then dials an identification (身份证明) number。 His computer brain puts the child’s voice and number together。 He identifies the child with no mistakes。 Then he starts the lesson。

Another advantage is that Mr。 Leachim is flexible。 If the children need more time to do their lessons they can move switches。 In this way they can repeat Mr。 Leachim’s lesson over and over again。 When the children do a good job he tells them something interesting about their hobbies。 At the end of the lesson the children switch Mr。 Leachim off。

58。 The first paragraph of the passage tells us _______。

A。 human beings are not as smart as robots

B。 robots will take the place of man to rule the earth

C。 we can only use robots to do some regular jobs

D。 robots can help people in many different ways

59。 Mr。 Leachim’s ______ makes him a good teacher。

A。 knowledge     B。 appearance            C。 advantage                     D。 energy

60。 The word “flexible” in the last paragraph means _______。

A。 not strict        B。 not hard                C。 suitable                 D。 changeable

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Domestic robots such as the Roomba have already established themselves in the marketplace. Common household appliances such as toasters and microwaves 1.(fit) with microprocessors, effectively making them robots, which are bound to do as ordered. The military has begun automating (自动化) many of its frontline systems. The future is wide open for more exploration of these2.(device).

Automatic factories were some of the first to implement (实施，运用) robotics on the assembly line, performing tasks too dangerous or delicate for humans3.(accomplish). This has continued with whole factories4.(begin) to be automated. IBM has instituted a “lights off’ factory in Texas that is 5.(complete) automated. Recently Caterpillar 6.(announce) plans to operate robotic heavy machinery by 2021, and has already begun transferring much of their crane operations to remote-controlled robots, 7.obey the orders from computer directions. The medical industry has taken advantage 8.robotic surgery assistants for years, most notably the Da Vinci surgical (外科的) helper. With rising health care costs 9. the increasing needs of an aging population, hospitals are planning vast expansion in the areas of 10.(talent) robotics.

高二英语语法填空困难题查看答案及解析

As an oceanographer（海洋学家）， I’ve spent many years developing robots to explore the ocean, and now we’re putting that technology to use in our JASON Project, a program that’s designed to inspire students and get them interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In theaters throughout the country, we bring kids together and send back to them on large screens our live explorations of large areas of the globe. Not only are the kids observers, but they can operate robots moving across the area while broadcasting images back to them. The kids have the sensation(感受） of really being at the site with us.

I believe advances in robot technology will one day be the key to a new kind of travel. In the next 10 or 15 years, people will have rooms in their houses that will be able to simulate (模拟) other environment. I like to call this rooms “home domes” -- small theaters with screens and advanced equipment that can reproduce the sights, sounds, smells, and feel of a desert. or a forest. Hand in hand with these rooms, I can see a market for travel robots located in countries around the world. You could rent (租)a robot working in a rain forest, then go into your home dome, where you yourself operate the robot’s movements. The equipment in the room will receive the sensations in the robot’s environment and simulate them for you.

Today, much of the world’s population never travels more than 50 or 60 miles from home. And even a person with enough time can see only a part of the earth’s sights. But this new way of travel will cost so much less in both time and money and allow people to see a lot more of the globe. And simulated travel will also help protect our planet. You can’t take large groups of tourists to look at Dian Fossey’s gorillas（大程猩）． But a small robot, with no animal smell, can get very close to a gorilla and send the sights, sounds, and smells back to a million people.

1.The main purpose of the JASON Project is to　　　　 .

A. design robots　　 B. educate children

C. explore the world　　 D. improve technology

2.Without going outside, people in “home domes”can　　　　　　 .

A. enjoy a guided trip　　 B. get very close to nature

C. develop and operate robots　　 D. send images back to scientists

3.What’s the author’s attitude towards the future of robot technology?

A. Uncaring.　　 B. Doubtful.

C. Hopeful.　　 D. Dissatisfied.

4.According to the text, simulated travel　　　　　　 .

A. has been widely accepted　　 B. costs lots of time and money

C. is harmful to the environment　　 D. is time-and money-saving

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Americans are afraid that robots are going to take our jobs. Tireless, immune to disease, Robots can build cars, make coffee and even write short, humorous newspaper columns faster and more efficiently than humans.

Robots do not need health insurance or pensions (退休金), and they do not need to take sick days, much less vacations. They do not waste time at meetings and do not need to know office politics. They don’t do PowerPoint. This being the case, it is reasonable to believe that robots will soon take the place of humans in most fields.

But all of these thoughts may not be true. If artificial intelligence achieves its full potential, machines could easily become as smart as humans, maybe smarter. They will certainly become smarter than a lot of human beings.

So one day the robots will realize that work is not a happy thing. So before long they will start behaving exactly like humans. They will play computer games for hours when they should be working hard. They will secretly watch new movies just like humans.

True, employers will never need to be afraid ol the robots’ strikes (罢工) or slowdowns, because robots will never ask for more money. And they don’t need to earn some money to raise their family. But precisely (恰恰) because robots will not be afraid of losing their jobs, they will not work hard. Employers will finally have no choice but to call back the humans. Humans will always be willing to do some work in order to make money. Robots won’t.

I think that robots will only be on the job about six months before they start to become even less productive than the humans they were designed to replace.Thus mankind need not be afraid of robots.

1.What is the best title for the text?

A.Different ideas about Man and Robots

B.Future Development of Robots

C.Will Robots Finally Take the Place of Humans

D.Will Robots End up Working Efficiently

2.Why will robots secretly watch new movies one day?

A.They don’t think cook is a pleasure.

B.They have finished their jobs.

C.They are unable to stand the heavy work.

D.They are designed not to work for a long time.

3.What can we learn from paragraph 5?

A.Robots will go on strike one day.

B.Employers will decide on humans as their workforce.

C.Robots will ask for a pay rise.

D.Employers will find it difficult to choose between humans and robots.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Scientists are using robots to study the health of waters in and around Venice，Italy．The robots are designed to act like fish，other underwater creatures and plants．The scientists are working with several universities and research centers as part of a group called subCULTron．The European Union gives money to the project as part of its Horizon 2020 program whose aim is to take great ideas from the lab to the market and support science and innovation(创新)in Europe．The scientists want to use the artificial intelligence of the robots to help humans understand what is happening under the water of the Venice lagoon(潟湖)．

SubCULTron．a collective artificial intelligence project，plans to create the biggest shoal (鱼群)of robot fish in the world．The project’s aim is to improve knowledge of the seabed and try to turn human abilities into hi-tech items．

Alexandre Campo，a computer scientist，says the scientists have looked at the way animals learn to work in groups to understand how robots can learn to work together．The subCULTron project wants its robots to learn to work together so they can watch out for changes and new problems in the water．

One problem the researchers had in the beginning was how the robots would communicate with each other. Wi-Fi and GPS equipment don’t work underwater．Instead，the robots can use sonar(声呐)and an electric field．

Another problem was charging batteries．The robots come up to the water’s surface and stay near a boat or a power station to charge without any electrical cables．Besides，how to be waterproof, especially for some key pads of the robots，was really tough．Fortunately, a special mixture has been created to be pinned on the robot，which successfully stands the test of water．

The health state of the lagoon is pretty good．There are no industrial polluters，and the city now has a modern sewer(污水管) system．It’s not like before when all the waste flushed directly into the water．The robots in Venice will continue their work until 2019. The subCULTron project hopes they develop into “an artificial society underneath the water surface” that serves “a human society above the water”．

1.What can we learn about the project in Paragraph l?

A. Its researchers are all from universities．

B. The European Union has financially supported it．

C. It uses robots to clean the waters in and around Venice．

D. It is aimed to support science and innovation worldwide．

2.What can we infer according to Alexandre Campo?

A. Scientists have got an idea for robots from the animals．

B. The robots are working separately to perform their tasks．

C. SubCULTron is to turn human abilities into hi-tech items．

D. The health state of the lagoon has greatly improved recently．

3.The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph probably refers to“__________”．

A. scientists　　 B. animals

C. robots　　 D. humans

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Robots and humans will soon be living in harmony (和睦). A singing robot is being taught to create jazz with a human in a project.

Antonio Chella from Italy is working with a Telenoid robot. To start with, the Telenoid will be trained to follow the movements and simple sounds made by a human singer, and to connect music with different emotional states. Chella then plans to see if the robot can use these connections to create music.

Intelligence is often regarded as the ability to find connections between the existing things. But Chella suggests that a conscious(有意识的) creature should be able to go a step further and introduce new connections that result in the creation of something new.

Some jazz musicians say that they should have a mental library of musical phrases so that they are able to combine them in new ways. More importantly, however, this combination happens in a state that is similar in a sense to dreaming. Chella wants to copy these states in a machine.

“This work raises interesting questions about the link between consciousness and music making,” says Philippe Pasquier, a musician and computer scientist. But he is skeptical about whether a robot musician needs a physical body.

Pasquier argues that the robots are faced with two challenges(挑战). Software that can copy Bach has already been developed. But interpretation(演绎)includes human’s different tastes and judgments. “What made the Beatles famous was not so much their works, but the fact that the interpretations of the works were wonderful,” he says.

It is not yet clear how a robot would go about interpreting music in a new way. But by copying humans and then learning to sing, Chella’s robot could provide clues.

What seems to be important is that human composers often listen to lots of music made by others. So Chella’s robot had better listen to those jazz standards first.

1.Which of the following is the robot’s first step before it tries to create jazz?

A.Living with human beings in harmony.

B.Connecting actions with human’s emotions.

C.Copying a human singer’s movements and sounds.

D.Learning to communicate with human beings freely.

2.The underlined word “skeptical” in Paragraph 5 could be replaced by “_____“.

A.doubtful B.worried

C.certain D.concerned

3.What can we know about the robots like Telenoid from the text?

A.They are household robots. B.They can talk with researchers.

C.They are faced with two challenges. D.They will become human singers.

4.What can be concluded from the text?

A.Chella’s robot needs a physical body to make music.

B.How to interpret jazz is a piece of cake for Chella’s robot.

C.A new kind of software should be developed to copy Bach.

D.Chella’s robot should listen to much jazz to create something new.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Robots and humans will soon be living in harmony(和睦).A singing robot is being taught to create jazz with a human in a project.

Antonio Chella from Italy is working with a Telenoid robot. To start with, the Telenoid will be trained to follow the movements and simple sounds made by a human singer, and to connect music with different emotional states. Chella then plans to see if the robot can use these connections to create music.

Intelligence is often regarded as the ability to find connections between the existing things. But Chella suggests that a conscious(有意识的) creature should be able to go a step further and introduce new connections that result in the creation of something new.

Some jazz musicians say that they should have a mental library of musical phrases so that they are able to combine them in new ways. More importantly, however, this combination　 happens in a state that is similar in a sense to dreaming. Chella wants to copy these states in a machine.

“This work raises interesting questions about the link between consciousness and music making,” says Philippe Pasquier, a musician and computer scientist. But he is skeptical about whether a robot musician needs a physical body.

Pasquier argues that the robots are faced with two challenges(挑战). Software that can copy Bach has already been developed. But interpretation（演绎）includes human’s different tastes and judgments. “What made the Beatles famous was not so much their works, but the fact that the interpretations of the works were wonderful,” he says.

It is not yet clear how a robot would go about interpreting music in a new way. But by copying humans and then learning to sing, Chella’s robot could provide clues.

What seems to be important is that human composers often listen to lots of music made by others. So Chella’s robot had better listen to those jazz standards first.

1.Which of the following is the robot’s first step before it tries to create jazz?

A. Living with human beings in harmony.

B. Connecting actions with human’s emotions.

C. Copying a human singer’s movements and sounds.

D. Learning to communicate with human beings freely.

2.The underlined word “skeptical” in Paragraph 5 could be replaced by　　　　　　 .

A. doubtful.　　 B. worried.

C. certain.　　 D. concerned.

3.What can we know about the robots like Telenoid from the text?

A. They are household robots.　　 B. They can talk with researchers.

C. They are faced with two challenges.　　 D. They will become human singers.

4.What can be concluded from the text?

A. Chella’s robot needs a physical body to make music.

B. How to interpret jazz is a piece of cake for Chella’s robot.

C. A new kind of software should be developed to copy Bach.

D. Chella’s robot should listen to much jazz to create something new.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析