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C
Whether or not you believe Professor Stephen Hawking's alarming theory that building a “strong” artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to the end of the human race, it’s clear that AI is reaching the point where soon it will affect almost every aspect of how we work with computers. We must get used to computers that talk back.
Last year, investment bank Deep Ventures attracted much media attention when it announced that it had appointed an AI computer to its board of directors to help make important business decisions. What actually happened was that the company used a program called VITAL to analyse potential investments (授资) in different businesses. But VITAL doesn't attend board meetings or vote ― it’s just a program. While it's not quite the evil robot we see in science fiction movies, it shows us how far computers and AI have advanced.
Soon AI systems will be driving our vehicles, interpreting our facial expressions as we perform complex tasks, translating our voices into different languages and building other machines for us in factories around the world. But they won't look like us or pretend to be human.
In the new film
Ex Machina, a computer scientist is asked to assess whether a beautiful human-looking robot called Ava has human intelligence. I won't spoil the film for you, but it occurred to me that one of the reasons we believe other human beings are conscious and have intelligence is that we’re told they are all .the time. Indeed, if you stopped believing other people have minds, you would quickly find yourself unable to function in the world.
Google’s Eric Schmidt argues that we shouldn't worry about AI, and that we need instead to redesign our education systems so that we learn how to get on with the machines. As powerful computer-based intelligences continue developing, we must let go of the belief that only humans have intelligence and consciousness. Just as we have accepted the reality that the self-awareness that makes minds possible exists within the animal world, we may soon accept that it can also exist within the machine world.
28. According to Professor Stephen Hawking, human beings .
A. may be endangered by strong AI
B. are still more intelligent than machines
C. will benefit greatly from the advances in AI
D. will never be able to build a strong AI system
29. According to Paragraph 2, VITAL can .
A. attend board meetings to vote
B. make final decisions for the bank
C. attract more investments to the bank
D. assess the value of different businesses
30. The author predicts that AI machines will soon be able to .
A. control people's facial expressions
B. construct other intelligent machines
C. have a human-like physical appearance
D. change people's speeches into different languages
31. Which of the following would the author most probably agree with?
A. It is too late to stop the danger of artificial intelligence. . .
B. Humans should learn to live with intelligent machines.
C. Intelligent machines will eventually control the world.
D. Only humans can have intelligence and consciousness.
D
Mature-age university students are annoying, I know. I understand that when you're 18 or 19, and already know everything, there's no need to do the readings or show up prepared for class. I also understand that there are these old people in class who should be doing other things — maybe retiring, or gardening in the backyard. They are eagerly asking questions (or worse, answering them) and generally loud.
I understand because I used to be one of
them. I dropped out of high school in Year 11 and after playing guitar in a band for a few years, I spent the next ten years working different jobs. Then a friend, who thought I was wasting my life, suggested I enrol at his university. Although afraid, I eventually took a university preparation course and a year later became a 35-year-old university freshman.
Like many mature-age students, after completing my degree, I continued studying and eventually attained my PhD.
Now I’m a lecturer at Toronto University in Canada. In fact, I have just finished preparing a group of mature-age students to annoy next year’s young first years. My students come from many different backgrounds. But they all share an enthusiasm for knowledge and learning.
I know they are ridiculous and show up to class with folders full of readings, minds overflowing with ideas and concepts they want to discuss. I was the same. But, contrary to the stereotype of the annoying mature-age students occupying the airtime in class, most don't want to control the discussion.
They’re likely to be waiting, counting away the seconds silently in the hope that someone will want to talk about all of these amazing ideas we’re learning about. Only after waiting for younger voices to speak. ( but which often remain silent) do they begin talking.
Speaking for myself, I love students who come prepared and ready to discuss stuff. So let's celebrate all of those “annoying”mature-age students.
32. According to the article, a mature-age student is a person .
A. who behaves like an adult B . studying for a higher degree
C. not yet qualified to enter university D. who starts university at an older age
33. In the first paragraph, the author .
A. shows that he is opposed to mature-age students
B. describes the problems mature-age students create
C. makes fun of the attitude held by many young students.
D. explains why many teachers dislike mature-age students
34. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Retired people.
B. Early high school leavers.
C. Mature-age university students.
D. University students aged below 20.
35. Why do mature-age students often wait before speaking in class?
A. They are not very familiar with the topic being discussed.
B. They want to give the younger 'students more chances to speak.
C. They lack the ability to give their opinions.
D. They are more interested in hearing others' opinions.
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