Hollywood’s theory that machines with evil(邪恶) minds will drive armies of killer robots is just silly. The real problem relates to the possibility that artificial intelligence(AI) may become extremely good at achieving something other than what we really want. In 1960 a well-known mathematician Norbert Wiener, who founded the field of cybernetics(控制论), put it this way: “If we use, to achieve our purposes, a mechanical agency with whose operation we cannot effectively interfere(干预), we had better be quite sure that the purpose put into the machine is the purpose which we really desire.”
A machine with a specific purpose has another quality, one that we usually associate with living things: a wish to preserve its own existence. For the machine, this quality is not in-born, nor is it something introduced by humans; it is a logical consequence of the simple fact that the machine cannot achieve its original purpose if it is dead. So if we send out a robot with the single instruction of fetching coffee, it will have a strong desire to secure success by disabling its own off switch or even killing anyone who might interfere with its task. If we are not careful, then, we could face a kind of global chess match against very determined, super intelligent machines whose objectives conflict with our own, with the real world as the chessboard.
The possibility of entering into and losing such a match should concentrate the minds of computer scientists. Some researchers argue that we can seal the machines inside a kind of firewall, using them to answer difficult questions but never allowing them to affect the real world. Unfortunately, that plan seems unlikely to work: we have yet to invent a firewall that is secure against ordinary humans, let alone super intelligent machines.
Solving the safety problem well enough to move forward in AI seems to be possible but not easy. There are probably decades in which to plan for the arrival of super intelligent machines. But the problem should not be dismissed out of hand, as it has been by some AI researchers. Some argue that humans and machines can coexist as long as they work in teams—yet that is not possible unless machines share the goals of humans. Others say we can just “switch them off” as if super intelligent machines are too stupid to think of that possibility. Still others think that super intelligent AI will never happen. On September 11, 1933, famous physicist Ernest Rutherford stated, with confidence, “Anyone who expects a source of power in the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.” However, on September 12, 1933, physicist Leo Szilard invented the neutron-induced(中子诱导) nuclear chain reaction.
1.Paragraph 1 mainly tells us that artificial intelligence may .
A. run out of human control
B. satisfy human’s real desires
C. command armies of killer robots
D. work faster than a mathematician
2.Machines with specific purposes are associated with living things partly because they might be able to .
A. prevent themselves from being destroyed
B. achieve their original goals independently
C. do anything successfully with given orders
D. beat humans in international chess matches
3.According to some researchers, we can use firewalls to .
A. help super intelligent machines work better
B. be secure against evil human beings
C. keep machines from being harmed
D. avoid robots’ affecting the world
4.What does the author think of the safety problem of super intelligent machines?
A. It will disappear with the development of AI.
B. It will get worse with human interference.
C. It will be solved but with difficulty.
D. It will stay for a decade.
高二英语阅读理解困难题
Hollywood’s theory that machines with evil(邪恶) minds will drive armies of killer robots is just silly. The real problem relates to the possibility that artificial intelligence(AI) may become extremely good at achieving something other than what we really want. In 1960 a well-known mathematician Norbert Wiener, who founded the field of cybernetics(控制论), put it this way: “If we use, to achieve our purposes, a mechanical agency with whose operation we cannot effectively interfere(干预), we had better be quite sure that the purpose put into the machine is the purpose which we really desire.”
A machine with a specific purpose has another quality, one that we usually associate with living things: a wish to preserve its own existence. For the machine, this quality is not in-born, nor is it something introduced by humans; it is a logical consequence of the simple fact that the machine cannot achieve its original purpose if it is dead. So if we send out a robot with the single instruction of fetching coffee, it will have a strong desire to secure success by disabling its own off switch or even killing anyone who might interfere with its task. If we are not careful, then, we could face a kind of global chess match against very determined, super intelligent machines whose objectives conflict with our own, with the real world as the chessboard.
The possibility of entering into and losing such a match should concentrate the minds of computer scientists. Some researchers argue that we can seal the machines inside a kind of firewall, using them to answer difficult questions but never allowing them to affect the real world. Unfortunately, that plan seems unlikely to work: we have yet to invent a firewall that is secure against ordinary humans, let alone super intelligent machines.
Solving the safety problem well enough to move forward in AI seems to be possible but not easy. There are probably decades in which to plan for the arrival of super intelligent machines. But the problem should not be dismissed out of hand, as it has been by some AI researchers. Some argue that humans and machines can coexist as long as they work in teams—yet that is not possible unless machines share the goals of humans. Others say we can just “switch them off” as if super intelligent machines are too stupid to think of that possibility. Still others think that super intelligent AI will never happen. On September 11, 1933, famous physicist Ernest Rutherford stated, with confidence, “Anyone who expects a source of power in the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.” However, on September 12, 1933, physicist Leo Szilard invented the neutron-induced(中子诱导) nuclear chain reaction.
1.Paragraph 1 mainly tells us that artificial intelligence may .
A. run out of human control
B. satisfy human’s real desires
C. command armies of killer robots
D. work faster than a mathematician
2.Machines with specific purposes are associated with living things partly because they might be able to .
A. prevent themselves from being destroyed
B. achieve their original goals independently
C. do anything successfully with given orders
D. beat humans in international chess matches
3.According to some researchers, we can use firewalls to .
A. help super intelligent machines work better
B. be secure against evil human beings
C. keep machines from being harmed
D. avoid robots’ affecting the world
4.What does the author think of the safety problem of super intelligent machines?
A. It will disappear with the development of AI.
B. It will get worse with human interference.
C. It will be solved but with difficulty.
D. It will stay for a decade.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
US scientists say they have poured cold water on the theory that washing hands with hot water kills more germs (细菌) than unheated water. The small study of 20 people found using water at 15℃ (59F) left hands as clean as water heated to 38℃ (100F).
National Health Service (NHS) recommends that people wash their hands in either cold or warm water. In this study, scientists at Rutgers University — New Brunswick wanted to find out if popular assumptions about the benefits of warm or hot water and official guidance on hot water — given to the food industry in the US — held true. They asked 20 people to wash their hands 20 times each with water that was 15℃ (59F), 26℃ (79F) or 38 degrees (100F). Volunteers were also asked to experiment with varying amounts of soap. Before they started the tests, their hands were covered in harmless bugs. Researchers say there was no difference in the amount of bugs removed as the temperature of the water or the amount of soap changed.
Prof Donald Schaffner said, “People need to feel comfortable when they are washing their hands but as far as effectiveness goes, this study shows us that the temperature of the water used did not matter.”
However, the researchers accept their study is small and say more extensive work is needed to determine the best ways to remove harmful bacteria.
In the UK, NHS experts say people can use cold or hot water to wash their hands. They say hands should be washed for at least 20 seconds and stress the importance of using enough soap to cover the whole surface of the hands. Their guidance focuses on rubbing hands together in various ways to make sure each surface of each hand is clean.
1.What does the underlined phrase “poured cold water” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Proved.
B. Contradicted.
C. Created.
D. Accepted.
2.After they washed their hands with either hot or cold water, _______.
A. volunteers all didn't feel very comfortable
B. volunteers all talked about American food industry
C. volunteers still had much germ on their hands
D. volunteers nearly had the same amount of germ removed
3.How do researchers feel about their study?
A. It is popular.
B. It is convincing.
C. It is incomplete.
D. It is abstract.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A. Using Cold Water Instead of Hot Water
B. How to Use Cold Water to Wash Hands
C. It’s Better to Wash Hands in Cold Water
D. Washing Hands in Cold Water as Good as in Hot Water
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The machine is so advanced that it will start ______ you press the button.
A. constantly B. cautiously
C. instantly D. severely
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
–What’s that noise?
–Oh, I forgot to tell you. The new machine ______.
A. was tested B. will be tested C. is being tested D. has been tested
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
There’s no point trying to ___ with her because she will never change her mind.
A. agree B. compete C. compare D. reason
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
When you meet someone for the first time, you will form an impression in your mind of that person in the first moment. Your reactions to other people, however, are really just barometers (晴雨表) for how you perceive(理解) yourself. Your reactions to others say more about you than they do about others. You cannot really love or hate something about another unless it reflects something you love or hate yourself. We are usually drawn to those who are most like us and tend to dislike those who display those aspects of ourselves that we dislike.
Therefore, you can allow others to be the mirror to illuminate (阐明;照亮) more clearly your own feelings of self-worth. Conversely(相反地), you can view the people you judge negatively as mirrors to show you what you are not accepting about yourself.
To survive together peacefully with others, you will need to learn tolerance. A big challenge is to shift your perspective from judgment of others to a lifelong exploration of yourself. Your task is to assess all the decisions, judgments you make onto others and to begin to view them as clues to how you can heal yourself and become whole.
Several days ago I had a business lunch with a man who displayed objectionable table manners. My first reaction was to judge him as rude and his table manners as annoying. When I noticed that I was judging him, I stopped and asked myself what I was feeling. I discovered that I was embarrassed to be seen with someone who was chewing with his mouth open and loudly blowing his nose. I was astonished to find how much I cared about how the other people in the restaurant perceived me.
Remember that your judgment of someone will not serve as a protective shield against you becoming like him. My judging my lunch partner as rude does not prevent me from ever looking or acting like him. In the same way, extending tolerance to him would not cause me to suddenly begin chewing my food with my mouth open.
When you approach life in this manner, those with whom you have the greatest dissatisfactions as well as those you admire and love can be seen as mirrors, guiding you to discover parts of yourself that you reject and to embrace your greatest quality.
1.We can know from the passage that the author advises people to _____________.
A. avoid inappropriate manners.
B. learn tolerance towards others.
C. pay attention to others’ needs and feelings.
D. judge others favorably in any case.
2.The underlined word “objectionable” in Paragraph 4 has the closest meaning to ____________.
A. discouraging B. satisfying C. unpleasant D. acceptable
3.According to the passage, the following statements are all true except _____________.
A. You can’t really love or hate others if they are similar to you.
B. We are easily attracted by someone who is similar to us.
C. Our first judgment of a person mostly comes from our personal opinion.
D. The moment we see a stranger, our mind forms an impression of that person.
4.Throughout the entire story, the last paragraph serves as a(n) ______________.
A. explanation B. example C. background D. conclusion
5.It can be implied from the text that ___________.
A. the writer’s first reaction to the man was to judge him as offensive
B. we will need to learn tolerance to coexist with others
C. we shouldn’t focus on judging others but should constantly reflect on our own
D. the writer didn’t care about other people’s view of him
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When you meet someone for the first time, you will form an impression in your mind of that person in the first moment. Your reactions to other people, however, are really just barometers (晴雨表) for how you perceive(理解) yourself. Your reactions to others say more about you than they do about others. You cannot really love or hate something about another unless it reflects something you love or hate yourself. We are usually drawn to those who are most like us and tend to dislike those who display those aspects of ourselves that we dislike.
Therefore, you can allow others to be the mirror to illuminate (阐明;照亮) more clearly your own feelings of self-worth. Conversely, you can view the people you judge negatively as mirrors to show you what you are not accepting about yourself.
To survive together peacefully with others, you will need to learn tolerance. A big challenge is to shift your perspective from judgment of others to a lifelong exploration of yourself. Your task is to assess all the decisions, judgments you make onto others and to begin to view them as clues to how you can heal yourself and become whole.
Several days ago I had a business lunch with a man who displayed objectionable table manners. My first reaction was to judge him as rude and his table manners as annoying. When I noticed that I was judging him, I stopped and asked myself what I was feeling. I discovered that I was embarrassed to be seen with someone who was chewing with his mouth open and loudly blowing his nose. I was astonished to find how much I cared about how the other people in the restaurant perceived me.
Remember that your judgment of someone will not serve as a protective shield against you becoming like him. Just because I judge my lunch partner as rude does not prevent me from ever looking or acting like him. In the same way, extending tolerance to him would not cause me to suddenly begin chewing my food with my mouth open.
When you approach life in this manner, those with whom you have the greatest dissatisfactions as well as those you admire and love can be seen as mirrors, guiding you to discover parts of yourself that you reject and to embrace your greatest quality.
1.The purpose of the author writing this passage is to advise people to _______.
A.avoid inappropriate manners
B.learn tolerance towards others
C.pay attention to others’ needs and feelings
D.judge others favorably in any case
2.The underlined word “objectionable” in Paragraph 4 has the closest meaning to __________.
A.discouraging B.disappointing C.disgusting D.disturbing
3.According to the passage, the following statements are all true except ______.
A.You can’t really love or hate others if they are similar to you.
B.We are easily attracted by someone who is similar to us.
C.Our first judgment of a person mostly comes from our personal opinion.
D.The moment we see a stranger, our mind forms an impression of that person.
4.It can be implied from the text that __________.
A.the writer’s first reaction to the man was to judge him as offensive
B.we will need to learn tolerance to co-exist with others
C.we shouldn’t focus on judging others but should constantly reflect on our own
D.the writer didn’t care about other people’s view of him
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When you meet someone for the first time, you will form an impression in your mind of that person in the first moment. Your reactions to other people, however, are really just barometers (晴雨表) for how you perceive(理解) yourself. Your reactions to others say more about you than they do about others. You cannot really love or hate something about another unless it reflects something you love or hate yourself. We are usually drawn to those who are most like us and tend to dislike those who display those aspects of ourselves that we dislike.
Therefore, you can allow others to be the mirror to illuminate (阐明;照亮) more clearly your own feelings of self-worth. Conversely, you can view the people you judge negatively as mirrors to show you what you are not accepting about yourself.
To survive together peacefully with others, you will need to learn tolerance. A big challenge is to shift your perspective from judgment of others to a lifelong exploration of yourself. Your task is to assess all the decisions, judgments you make onto others and to begin to view them as clues to how you can heal yourself and become whole.
Several days ago I had a business lunch with a man who displayed objectionable table manners. My first reaction was to judge him as rude and his table manners as annoying. When I noticed that I was judging him, I stopped and asked myself what I was feeling. I discovered that I was embarrassed to be seen with someone who was chewing with his mouth open and loudly blowing his nose. I was astonished to find how much I cared about how the other people in the restaurant perceived me.
Remember that your judgment of someone will not serve as a protective shield against you becoming like him. Just because I judge my lunch partner as rude does not prevent me from ever looking or acting like him. In the same way, extending tolerance to him would not cause me to suddenly begin chewing my food with my mouth open.
When you approach life in this manner, those with whom you have the greatest dissatisfactions as well as those you admire and love can be seen as mirrors, guiding you to discover parts of yourself that you reject and to embrace your greatest quality.
1.The purpose of the author writing this passage is to advise people to _______.
A.avoid inappropriate manners
B.judge others favorably in any case
C.pay attention to others’ needs and feelings
D.learn tolerance towards others
2.The underlined word “objectionable” in Paragraph 4 has the closest meaning to __________.
A.disgusting B.disappointing
C.discouraging D.disturbing
3.According to the passage, the following statements are all true except ______.
A.The moment we see a stranger, our mind forms an impression of that person.
B.We are easily attracted by someone who is similar to us.
C.Our first judgment of a person mostly comes from our personal opinion.
D.You can’t really love or hate others if they are similar to you.
4.It can be implied from the text that __________.
A.the writer’s first reaction to the man was to judge him as offensive
B.we shouldn’t focus on judging others but should constantly reflect on our own
C.we will need to learn tolerance to co-exist with others
D.the writer didn’t care about other people’s view of him
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
—I am afraid no one will agree with you.
—I don’t think it ______ .
A.minds | B.troubles | C.matters | D.works |
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
The doctors have recommended that she _______ on, but she has not yet made up her mind.
A.will be operated | B.is operated | C.be operated | D.was operated |
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析