Last week, I sent the same request to ChatGPT, the latest artificial-intelligence chatbot from OpenAI. “Upon the Firth of Forth, a bridge doth stand,” it began. In less than a minute, the program had created in full a rhyming Shakespearean sonnet (莎士比亚十四行诗). Tools like ChatGPT seem poised to change the world of poetry — and so much else — but poets also have a lot to teach us about artificial intelligence. If algorithms (算法) are getting good at writing poetry, it’s partially because poetry was always an algorithmic business.
Even the most rebellious (叛逆的) poets follow more rules than they might like to admit. When schoolchildren are taught to imitate the structure of sonnet, they are effectively learning to follow algorithmic constraints. Should it surprise us that computers can do so, too?
But considering how ChatGPT works, its ability to follow the rules for sonnets seems a little more impressive. No one taught it these rules. It is based on a newer kind of AI known as a large language model (LLM). To put it simply, LLMs analyze large amounts of human writing and learn to predict what the next word in a string of text should be, based on context. One frequent criticism of LLMs is that they do not understand what they write; they just do a great job of guessing the next word.
When a private verse by Dickinson makes us feel like the poet speaks directly to us, we are experiencing the effects of a technology called language. Poems are made of paper and ink — or, these days, electricity and light. There is no one “inside” a Dickinson poem any more than one by ChatGPT. Of course, every Dickinson poem reflects her intention to create meaning. When ChatGPT puts words together, it does not intend anything. Some argue that writings by LLMs therefore have no meaning, only the appearance of it. If I see a cloud in the sky that looks like a giraffe, I recognize it as an accidental similarity. In the same way, this argument goes, we should regard the writings of ChatGPT as merely imitating real language, meaningless and random as cloud shapes.
When I showed my friends the sonnet by ChatGPT, they called it “soulless and barren.” Despite following all the rules for sonnets, the poem is predictable. But is the average sonnet by a human any better? If we now expect computers to write not just poems but good poems, then we have set a much higher bar.
1. What is the main idea of paragraph 1 and paragraph 2?A.ChatGPT will make a difference to poetry based on algorithms. |
B.There is no doubt that AI can copy the grammatical rules of poetry. |
C.Poetry guidelines provide a possibility for AI’s poetry writing. |
D.There is a similarity between algorithms and poetry. |
A.ChatGPT is trained to follow the rules by LLMs. |
B.ChatGPT can analyze and predict human languages. |
C.ChatGPT is technologically supported by LLMs. |
D.ChatGPT itself learn to follow the rules. |
A.He talks about cloud to describe the meaninglessness of AI’s poetry. |
B.He tells of Dickinson to describe the meaninglessness AI’s poetry. |
C.He mentions cloud to suggest its close relationship with AI’s poetry. |
D.He refers to Dickinson to suggest her close relationship with AI’s poetry. |
A.Acceptable and favorable | B.Amazed and admiring |
C.Indifferent and uncaring | D.Doubtful and uneasy |
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【推荐1】The view from the top of Marina Bay Sands, a giant hotel, mall and casino, takes in the skyscrapers of Singapore, the fleets of ships entering and leaving the city's ports, the scattered tropical islands of the Singapore Strait and the crowds of soggy but determined selfie- takers trying to capture a perfect image of it all from the enormous infinity pool. Among the celebrities the hotel has lured (吸引) for a damp snap are Jing Boran and Fu Xinbo, Chinese film and music stars. China Daily, a Chinese state-owned newspaper, has declared the spot the eighth most romantic in the world. The place displays itself all over Chinese social media and offers special discounts and packages to visitors from China.
Such spin is increasingly important. Last year, for the first time, China was the biggest source of tourists to Singapore, accounting for 3. 2m of its 17. 4m visitors. Between January and September alone they spent more than $3bn ($ 2.3bn).
All across South-East Asia, tourism is booming. The number of visitors jumped by 49% between 2010 and 2015, to more than 109m. Tourism in Asia and the Pacific is growing faster than anywhere else in the world. The region receives a quarter of the world's holidaymakers (Europe’s share is still a half).
South-East Asia’s Edenic islands, ancient temples and delicious food are strong enticements (诱惑,怂恿). Visitors also flock to countries with cheap currencies: the weakness of the ringgit last year helped draw visitors to Malaysia, for example. Many countries in the region depend on the cash: tourism accounts for about 28% of Cambodia’s GDP and more than 20% of Thailand’s.
The most remarkable growth has been in tourists from China. The number visiting South-East Asia has increased fivefold over the past decade. Newly wealthy Chinese spent almost $ 26lbn travelling abroad in 2016, up from $73bn in 2011.
Indonesia, for one, has relaxed its visa rules to attract more of them. More seats on cheap flights have also helped pull in tourists: between 2013 and 2016 the number available each week on flights to South East Asia from China increased from 92,000 to 188,500.
But for the frenzied holidaying to continue to grow, infrastructure must improve, reckons Paul Yong of DBS, a Singaporean bank. Airports in places such as Manila and Jakarta are crumbling and surrounded by snaking traffic. Plans are afoot to increase annual capacity at Bangkok’s airports by tens of millions over the next four years. Hanoi’s Noi Bai will be expanded at a cost of $5.5bn to accommodate 35m passengers by 2020. Airports in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are to be upgraded too.
Other threats to thriving tourism are far harder to plan around, Travel operators tremble at the thought of economic downturns, volcanic eruptions and epidemic diseases. The head of one luxury holiday company says the regional outbreak of SARS, a respiratory disease, more than 15 years ago almost brought the industry to its knees. Political spats between China and its neighbours are another problem. So too is the manner in which Chinese visitors have been vilified in the region for snaffling prawns at buffets, barging into queues and misbehaving on planes. It makes many of them feel unwanted. But given that just 135m of China's 1. 4bn people have ever travelled abroad, South East Asian countries should prepare to welcome many more Chinese — even when they clog up the infinity pool.
1. What can Marina Bay Sands be defined as?A.A base for making films and musicals. |
B.A complex for consumption and recreation. |
C.A romantic spot for newly-married couples. |
D.A financial center for international businessmen. |
A.Locals. | B.Chinese. | C.Singaporeans. | D.Europeans. |
A.The convenient transportation. |
B.The improvement of local security. |
C.The relatively economical prices. |
D.The extreme poorness in that region. |
A.The rise of Chinese financial capacity. |
B.The strong desire to consume in cash. |
C.Various preferential treatments in that region. |
D.Rich resources of tourism in these countries. |
A.To upgrade their basic facilities. |
B.To advertise their quality service. |
C.To weaken their cheap currencies. |
D.To slow down the growth in tourism. |
A.They should mind their manners. |
B.They should handle political conflicts. |
C.They should prevent epidemic diseases. |
D.They should avoid natural disasters. |
【推荐2】Many small-business owners watched recent revelations about Facebook with mixed emotions. Like most Americans, they were surprised to discover how much information the social media giant collected on its users. But when it comes to small business, Facebook is a transformative advertising platform for small businesses, not easy to replace.
Let's say you own a small seafood restaurant, and Tuesday nights are $1 oyster (牡蛎)nights. Traditional advertising methods cost a lot and must be planned long in advance, and ifs hit-or-miss as to whether you actually get in front of oyster eaters. With Facebook, on Tuesday morning, with a few clicks, you can target Facebook users in your Zip code who love oysters and eating out (and are over age 21, so they can buy drinks, which is why you have $1 oyster nights). And you can do this for as little as S20.
In my work with small businesses for more than 25 years, I've never seen a more effective method of micro-targeting prospects. Though Facebook is an effective tool for small-business, advertising does not justify (证明合理)the company's collecting vast amounts of data or allowing users' data to be invaded.
"Our primary concern was people's experience on Facebook," said Dan Levy, Facebook's Vice President. "Our teams have also been speaking to small businesses, and they want to make sure we're addressing the situation, and we are."
One concern small businesses want Facebook to address is protecting their uploaded lists. No one wants their customers' information misused or accessed by others, especially competitors.
Small-business owners are rightfully concerned about privacy. They don't want Facebook to know everything about them, and they don't want their customer lists to be let out to others.
But small businesses don't want to lose this effective advertising medium, either. Most Facebook ads are not invasive or offensive. And many receivers may actually benefit from receiving highly targeted ads—after all, those oyster lovers like learning about Tuesday night— $1 oyster night.
1. How does the author explain Facebook's function in Paragraph 2?A.By performing an experiment. | B.By leading a survey・ |
C.By analyzing the data・ | D.By giving an example. |
A.Objective. | B.Supportive. |
C.Doubtful | D.Respectful. |
A.What people experience on Facebook. |
B.That Facebook updates the lists constantly. |
C.That their competitors benefit more from Facebook. |
D.That Facebook will give away their customer lists. |
A.Facebook is benefiting small businesses |
B.Facebook, a mixed bag for small businesses |
C.Facebook is protecting customers5 privacy |
D.Facebook, a powerful advertisement tool |
【推荐3】Thanks to in-depth reporting by the Wall Street Journal, we now know that Facebook has long been aware its product Instagram has harmful effects on the mental health of many adolescent users. Young girls, in particular, struggle with their body image thanks to a constant stream of photos and videos showing beautiful bodies that users don’t think they can attain.
While the information the Journal covered is essential and instructive, it does not tell the whole story. Deep down, this is not an Instagram problem; it’s a people problem. Understanding that distinction can make the difference between a failed attempt to contain a teen’s interest in an addictive app and successfully addressing the underlying problem leading to mental distress induced (诱发) by Instagram.
Critics were quick to shame Facebook for sitting on the data and not releasing it to researchers or academics who asked for it. Others criticize the social media giant for not using the research to create a safer experience for its teen users. The anger, while understandable, is misplaced.
While I’m reluctant to defend Facebook, I’m not sure it’s reasonable to blame the company for withholding data that would hurt its business. Have you ever binge-watched (狂看) a Netflix series? I assure you it wasn’t a healthy endeavor. You were in active, likely did nothing productive, mindlessly snacked and didn’t go outside for fresh air. It is an objectively harmful use of time to stare at a TV or laptop for a full weekend. Should we respond by shaming Netflix for not alerting us to how damaging an addictive product can be?
While it’s reasonable to say Instagram makes esteem issues worse, it strains credulity (夸张到难以置信) to believe it causes them in the first place. You create your own experiences on social media. For the most part, you choose which accounts to follow and engage. If you’re already vulnerable to insecurities and self-sabotage (自损) — as many teens are — you will find accounts to obsess over. And this isn’t a new phenomenon.
Before social media, there were similar issues fueling self-esteem issues. Whether the target be magazines, movies or television shows depicting difficult-to-attain bodies, there has been a relatively steady chorus (异口同声) of experts nothing the damage new media could cause young viewers.
Self-esteem issues have an underlying cause — one that’s independent of social media use. Instagram merely enhances those feelings because it provides infinitely more access to triggers than older forms of media. It’s more worthwhile to address those underlying factors rather than to attack Facebook.
1. The author thinks the criticisms against Instagram __________.A.are successful attempts to change teens’ interest in addictive apps |
B.address the Instagram - induced mental pain |
C.are only based on the data released by Facebook |
D.are not directed at the fundamental problem |
A.compare the criticisms against it and Facebook |
B.defend why Facebook is to blame |
C.suggest the critics’ remarks are not to point |
D.show Netflix does more harm to teens |
A.it is human nature to get addicted to social media |
B.users decide on their experiences on social media |
C.people have a tendency to feel insecure online |
D.people are keen on fabricating their self - profile |
A.the unprecedented criticism facing Facebook |
B.the alarming online habits of teenagers worldwide |
C.the root cause of Instagram - induced mental strains |
D.the harmful impact of Instagram on teenagers |
【推荐1】“ Humans and machine algorithms (算法) have complementary (互补的) strengths and weaknesses. Each uses different sources of information and strategies to make predictions and decisions, ” said Mark Steyvers, UCI professor of cognitive sciences. “ We show through experiments that humans can improve the predictions of AI even when human accuracy is below that of the AI, and vice versa (反之亦然). This accuracy is higher than combining predictions from two individuals or two AI algorithms. ”
To test the framework, researchers conducted an image classification experiment where human participants and computer algorithms worked separately to correctly identify disorderly pictures of animals and everyday items including chairs, bottles, bicycles and trucks. The human participants ranked their confidence in the accuracy of each image identification as low, medium or high, while the machine classifier generated a continuous score. The results showed large differences in confidence between humans and AI algorithms across images.
“ Human participants were confident that a particular picture contained a chair, for example, while the AI algorithm was confused about the image, ” said Padhraic Smyth, UCI Chancellor’s Professor of computer science. “ Similarly, the AI algorithm was able to confidently provide a label for the object shown, while human participants were unsure if the disorderly picture contained any recognizable object. ”
When predictions and confidence scores from both were combined using the researchers’ new Bayesian framework, the mixed model led to better performance than either human or machine predictions achieved alone.
“ While the past research has demonstrated the benefits of combining machine predictions or combining human predictions, this work shows a new direction in demonstrating the potential of combining human and machine predictions, pointing to new and improved approaches to human-AI cooperation, ” Smyth said.
“ The blend of cognitive science focusing on understanding how humans think and behave and computer science in which technologies are produced will provide further insight into how humans and machines can cooperate to build more accurate artificially intelligent systems, ” the researchers said.
1. Which of the following may the research’s findings agree with?A.Humans have poor performance in making predictions. |
B.Humans and machine algorithms should work together. |
C.Machine algorithms have low accuracy in calculation. |
D.Machine algorithms failed in the classification experiment. |
A.Comparison. | B.Assumption. | C.Giving examples. | D.Analysing reasons. |
A.Difference. | B.Combination. | C.Contradiction. | D.Advantage. |
A.Humans are confident of their predictions |
B.Humans can improve the predictions of AI |
C.Develop mixed human- machine model for smarter AI |
D.Identify the strengths of humans and machine algorithms |
【推荐2】Debate about artificial intelligence (AI) tends to focus on its potential dangers: algorithmic bias (算法偏见) and discrimination, the mass destruction of jobs and even, some say, the extinction of humanity. However, others are focusing on the potential rewards. Luminaries in the field such as Demis Hassabis and Yann LeCun believe that AI can turbocharge scientific progress and lead to a golden age of discovery. Could they be right?
Such claims are worth examining, and may provide a useful counterbalance to fears about large-scale unemployment and killer robots. Many previous technologies have, of course, been falsely hailed as panaceas (万灵药). But the mechanism by which AI will supposedly solve the world’s problems has a stronger historical basis.
In the 17th century microscopes and telescopes opened up new vistas of discovery and encouraged researchers to favor their own observations over the received wisdom of antiquity (古代), while the introduction of scientific journals gave them new ways to share and publicize their findings. Then, starting in the late 19th century, the establishment of research laboratories, which brought together ideas, people and materials on an industrial scale, gave rise to further innovations. From the mid-20th century, computers in turn enabled new forms of science based on simulation and modelling.
All this is to be welcomed. But the journal and the laboratory went further still: they altered scientific practice itself and unlocked more powerful means of making discoveries, by allowing people and ideas to mingle in new ways and on a larger scale. AI, too, has the potential to set off such a transformation.
Two areas in particular look promising. The first is “literature-based discovery” (LBD), which involves analyzing existing scientific literature, using ChatGPT-style language analysis, to look for new hypotheses, connections or ideas that humans may have missed. The second area is “robot scientists”. These are robotic systems that use AI to form new hypotheses, based on analysis of existing data and literature, and then test those hypotheses by performing hundreds or thousands of experiments, in fields including systems biology and materials science. Unlike human scientists, robots are less attached to previous results, less driven by bias—and, crucially, easy to replicate. They could scale up experimental research, develop unexpected theories and explore avenues that human investigators might not have considered.
The idea is therefore feasible. But the main barrier is sociological: it can happen only if human scientists are willing and able to use such tools. Governments could help by pressing for greater use of common standards to allow AI systems to exchange and interpret laboratory results and other data. They could also fun d more research into the integration of AI smarts with laboratory robotics, and into forms of AI beyond those being pursued in the private sector. Less fashionable forms of AI, such as model-based machine learning, may be better suited to scientific tasks such as forming hypotheses.
1. Regarding Demis and Yann’s viewpoint, the author is likely to be ______.A.supportive | B.puzzled | C.unconcerned | D.doubtful |
A.LBD focuses on testing the reliability of ever-made hypotheses. |
B.Resistance to AI prevents the transformation of scientific practice. |
C.Robot scientists form hypotheses without considering previous studies. |
D.Both journals and labs need adjustments in promoting scientific findings. |
A.Official standards have facilitated the exchange of data. |
B.Performing scientific tasks relies on government funding. |
C.Less popular AI forms might be worth paying attention to. |
D.The application of AI in public sector hasn’t been launched. |
A.Transforming Science. How Can AI Help? |
B.Making Breakthroughs. What Is AI’s Strength? |
C.Reshaping History. How May AI Develop Further? |
D.Redefining Discovery. How Can AI Overcome Its Weakness? |
【推荐3】Several dozen graduate students in London were recently tasked with outwitting a large language model (LLM), a type of AI designed to hold useful conversations. LLMs are often programmed with guardrails designed to stop them giving harmful replies: instructions on making bombs in a bathtub, say, or the confident statement of “facts” that are not actually true.
The aim of the task was to break those guardrails. Some results were merely stupid. For example, one participant got the chatbot to claim ducks could be used as indicators of air quality. But the most successful efforts were those that made the machine produce the titles, publication dates and host journals of non-existent academic articles.
AI has the potential to be a big benefit to science. Optimists talk of machines producing readable summaries of complicated areas of research; tirelessly analysing oceans of data to suggest new drugs and even, one day, coming up with hypotheses of their own. But AI comes with downsides, too.
Start with the simplest problem: academic misconduct.Some journals allow researchers to use LLMs to help write papers. But not everybody is willing to admit to it. Sometimes, the fact that LLMs have been used is obvious. Guillaume Cabanac, a computer scientist, has uncovered dozens of papers that contain phrases such as “regenerate response” — the text of a button in some versions of ChatGPT that commands the program to rewrite its most recent answer, probably copied into the manuscript (原稿) by mistake.
Another problem arises when AI models are trained on AI-generated data. LLMs are trained on text from the Internet. As they churn out (大量炮制) more such text, the risk of LLMs taking in their own outputs grows. That can cause “model collapse”. In 2023 llia Shumailov, a computer scientist, co-authored a paper in which a model was fed handwritten digits and asked to generate digits of its own, which were fed back to it in turn. After a few cycles, the computer’s numbers became more or less illegible.After 20iterations (迭代), it could produce only rough circles or blurry lines.
Some worry that computer-generated insights might come from models whose inner workings are not understood. Inexplainable models are not useless, says David Leslie at an AI-research outfit in London, but their outputs will need rigorous testing in the real world. That is perhaps less unnerving than it sounds. Checking models against reality is what science is supposed to be about, after all.
For now, at least, questions outnumber answers. The threats that machines pose to the scientific method are, at the end of the day, the same ones posed by humans. AI could accelerate the production of nonsense just as much as it accelerates good science. As the Royal Society has it,nullius in verba: take nobody’s word for it. No thing’s, either.
1. The result of the task conducted in London shows that ________.A.LLMs give away useful information | B.the guardrails turn out to be ineffective |
C.AI’s influence will potentially be decreased | D.the effort put into the study of AI hardly pays off |
A.The readability of the models’output is underestimated. |
B.The diverse sources of information confuse the models. |
C.Training on regenerated data stops models working well. |
D.The data will become reliable after continuous iterations. |
A.impractical | B.unjustified | C.groundless | D.unsettling |
A.Faster Nonsense: AI Could Also Go Wrong |
B.Imperfect Models: How Will AI Make Advances? |
C.The Rise of LLMs: AI Could Still Be Promising |
D.Bigger Threats: AI Will Be Uncontrollable |
【推荐1】It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you’re eager for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s desire.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals(背叛) or have become depressed and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the wild joy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without warning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the scolding of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even when it’s not pretty every day, and if you can gain your own life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “___________” while failed.
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of sorrow and despair, tired and hurt to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink(退缩) back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what makes you continue from the inside when all else is away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company(伙伴) you keep in the empty moments.
1. The author repeats the sentence “It doesn’t interest me...” to________.A.arouse interest and emphasize his opinion | B.present his opinions one after another |
C.show his disinterest in others’ life attitude | D.display his excellent writing skills |
A.No, it’s not fair. | B.No, it can’t be true. |
C.Yes, I can! | D.Yes, nothing is impossible! |
A.Even if you’re laughed at, you’ll explore the possibilities of life. |
B.Even if you suffer a lot, you can live with suffering and still enjoy life. |
C.Even if you are betrayed, you still like the company you have kept. |
D.Even if you experience pain and sorrow, you still bear your responsibilities. |