By using positive reinforcement (强化), an approach familiar to anyone who’s used treats to change a dog’s behavior, a team dramatically improved a robot’s skills and did it quickly enough to make training robots for real-world work a more workable enterprise. The findings are newly published in a paper called, “Good Robot!”
Unlike humans and animals that are born with highly intuitive (有直觉力的) brains, robots are blank slates (写字板) and must learn everything from scratch. But true learning is often accomplished by trial and error, and roboticists are still figuring out how robots can learn efficiently from their mistakes.
With an effort the team accomplished that by designing a reward system that works for a robot in the way treats work for a dog. Where a dog might get a cookie for a job well done, the robot got an incentive too.
Andrew Hundt, lead author of the study, recalled how he once taught his puppy named Leah the command “Leave it”, so she could ignore squirrels on walks. He used two types of treats, ordinary trainer treats and something even better, like cheese. When Leah was excited and sniffing around the treats, she got nothing. But when she calmed down and looked away, she got the good stuff. “That’s when I gave her the cheese and said, ‘Leave it! Good Leah!’” He later decided to try that method on robots.
Similarly, to stack (码放整齐) blocks, Spot, the robot, needed to learn how to focus on constructive actions. As the robot explored the blocks, it quickly learned that correct behaviors for stacking earned high points, but incorrect ones earned nothing. Reach out but don’t grasp a block? No points. Knock over a stack? Definitely no points. Spot earned the most by placing the last block on top of a four-block stack.
“The robot wants the higher score,“ Hundt said. ”It quickly learns the right behavior to get the best reward. In fact, it used to take a month of practice for the robot to achieve 100% accuracy. We were able to do it in two days.”
1. What did the team want to achieve by creating the new approach?| A．To reduce the error rate of robots performing tasks. |
| B．To develop a robot able to learn by itself. |
| C．To figure out robots’ way of learning. |
| D．To help improve robots’ learning efficiency. |
| A．Won an award. | B．Had a special talent. |
| C．Raised an interest. | D．Experienced some mistakes. |
| A．To help us better understand their findings. |
| B．To make the text more attractive to animal lovers. |
| C．To show dogs are actually very clever. |
| D．To explain how he got inspiration for the study. |
| A．The process of training Spot to stack blocks. |
| B．The possibility of a robot’s earning high points. |
| C．The superiority of Spot as a newly developed robot. |
| D．The significance of having robots work with blocks. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】An electric car is great for you, as a consumer, to save a lot of money on gas. However, there are so many different reasons why you should invest in an electric car in the modern day of technology.
No gas required. Electric cars are entirely charged by the electricity you provide, meaning you don’t need to buy any gas ever again. Driving fuel-based cars can burn a hole in your pocket as prices of fuel have gone all-time high. With electric cars, this cost of $2, 000 — $4, 000 on gas each year can be avoided. Though electricity isn’t free, an electric car is far cheaper to run.
Savings. These cars can be sold for very cheap prices, and many new cars will offer great incentives (优惠) for you to get money back from the government for going green. Electric cars can also be great to save money in your own life.
No emissions. Electric cars are 100 percent eco-friendly as they run on electrically powered engines. It does not send out toxic (有毒的)gases or smoke in the environment as it runs on a clean energy source. You’ll be contributing to a healthy and green climate.
Safe to drive. Electric cars go through the same fitness and procedures test as other fuel-powered cars. In case an accident occurs, one can expect airbags to open up and electricity supply to cut from battery. This can prevent you and other passengers in the car from serious injuries.
Reduced noise pollution. Electric cars can reduce noise pollution as they are much quieter. Electric motors are capable of providing smooth drive over longer distances.
1. What is the subject discussed in the passage?| A．Safety provided by an electric car. |
| B．The reasons to buy an electric car. |
| C．The gas prices going high every day. |
| D．The technology used in a modern car. |
| A．It causes you to spend a lot of money. |
| B．Your money in your pocket was burnt. |
| C．Your pocket was burnt and the clothes were ruined. |
| D．Your pocket was burnt and a hole was made by the fire. |
| A．Electric cars are as safe as fuel-powered cars. |
| B．Electric cars can run faster than gas-powered cars. |
| C．Electric cars cost as much money as gas-powered cars. |
| D．Electric cars send out less waste gas than fuel-powered cars. |
【推荐2】Ever imagined that your simple T-shirt could cool you down by up to 5°C on hot summer days? Thanks to a recent discovery, the possibility is getting closer. The amazing invention aims to offer real relief to people eager to feel comfortable and fresh in the outdoors on hot days.
Its inventors, engineers Ma Yaoguang of Zhejiang University and Tao Guangming of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China, took a completely innovative approach. They designed a special textile (纺织品) that can absorb body heat and re-emit (重发出) its energy into space as mid-infrared radiation. This textile cools both the objects and their surroundings through a technique known as radiative cooling. This means that even when it looks like you are wearing regular shirt, you are actually wearing a device that works like a mirror.
Research conducted at Stanford University in 2017 had already managed to cool the wearer by 3°C, but this previous trial was limited. So researchers still need to test the new approach to determine how effectively the new fabric cools while the wearers are standing or walking, and not directly facing the sky, like in their trials. They also need to examine and measure how well it works when T-shirts are not in close contact with the skin.
Inventors Ma and Tao are now looking out for textile manufacturers and clothing brands that are interested in using their fabric. They estimate that the new material will increase clothing manufacturing costs by just 10 percent. “We can make it with mass production which means everybody can get a T-shirt and the cost is basically the same as their old stuff.” Tao said.
So if you are an athlete or simply someone that has to deal with the extremely high temperatures, be patient because your days of feeling hot and bothered may be coming to an end!
1. What is the purpose of the new invention?| A．To cool people off in hot weather. | B．To change people’s body temperature. |
| C．To test the wearers’ temperature. | D．To make wearers fashionable. |
| A．By sending out absorbed heat. |
| B．By turning sunlight into energy. |
| C．By keeping heat out completely. |
| D．By using light colors to reflect sunlight. |
| A．The previous studies lack evidence. |
| B．The invention needs further testing. |
| C．The new textile has a good cooling effect. |
| D．The new textile applies to various situations. |
| A．Barking up the wrong tree. | B．Robbing Peter to pay Paul. |
| C．Killing two birds with one stone. | D．Putting the cart before the horse. |
【推荐3】By 2050, our global population might have been beyond nine billion, bringing with it an expected 70% increase in global demand for meat and fish. As a result, the growing demand for soya(大豆)-based farm feed is driving massive destruction of forests at an alarming rate, and sea animal populations have halved in the last four decades due to widespread overfishing.
With 10 million pounds funding, part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, a start-up company Entocycle is leading a cooperation that will build the UK’s first industrial-scale insect farm. Black soldier flies(黑水虻)are used to convert food waste from farms and factories into a sustainable, organic insect-based protein feed, as an alternative to soya, for farmed animals, namely pigs, chicken and fish. In short the company is using food waste to create insect protein to feed the animals that we eat, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions (排放) and deforestation.
Following its formation in 2017, Entocycle spent time developing its technology as part of the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre United Kingdom (ESA BIC UK), which is managed and partly funded by STF
C. Entocycle acquired the expert knowledge to develop a network of cutting edge sensors, originally designed for use in space, to monitor and optimize (优化) the black soldier flies’ lifecycle. They combined this with big data analysis to develop their proprietary technology to mass-rear flies, scalable for industrial use, STFC’s Dr Sue O’Hare, Operations Manager at the ESA BIC UK, said, “Entocycle is a first-class example of how space technology can be applied to address one of the most important global challenges we currently face — how to feed the world without harming our planet. ”
It is fantastic to know that the ESA BIC UK, part of the world’s largest business incubation program for space tech start-ups, was able to provide the right environment and support to play a part in the early development of this world-changing technology. This is a significant milestone for Entocycle as it seeks to make a real and positive impact on making our food supply chains more environmentally sustainable.
1. How does the author develop his opinion in paragraph 1?| A．By listing questions. | B．By presenting facts. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By stating arguments. |
| A．Entocycle is the UK’s first industrial-scale farm. |
| B．Entocycle is replacing soya with black soldier flies. |
| C．Entocycle is converting farms and factories into more sustainable ones. |
| D．Entocycle is exploring a new way to transform food waste into farm feed. |
| A．Negative. | B．Supportive. | C．Pessimistic. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．Food Waste Is a Global Challenge |
| B．Increasing Population Threats Our Planet |
| C．Entocycle Puts Space Technology into Use |
| D．Using Insects to Turn Food Waste into Animal Feed |
【推荐1】Have you ever walked into a room and felt relaxed? It could be because the walls were painted blue, a calm and peaceful color.
Sometimes colors can affect our feelings and moods. Some colors can make us feel calm and peaceful. Blue is one of these.Wearing blue clothes or sleeping in a blue room is good for our mind and body, because this color makes a good feeling. Blue is also the color of sadness, so you may say you're feeling blue when you are feeling sad. White is another calm color. You should wear white clothes if you are feeling nervous. White is also the color of purity (纯洁). Many women like to be in white on their wedding day. Green is the color of nature. It can give us more energy when we are feeling tired.
Some colors can make you feel warm. These colors can give you a happy feeling. People who live in cold climates use warm colors in their homes like orange and yellow instead of white and blue.
Orange shows joy. It can bring you success and cheer you up when you are feeling sad. Yellow is the color of the sun, so it can remind you of a warm, sunny day. Yellow is also the color of wisdom. Some people prefer this color when they study for exams. For example, they may use yellow school things. Red is one of the strong colors. Wearing red often makes us active.In short,we can try out different colors if we aren't feeling our best.
1. According to the passage, which color of the following can make you feel relaxed?| A．Yellow. | B．Orange. | C．Red. | D．White. |
| A．She is angry. | B．She is sad. |
| C．She is bored. | D．She is excited. |
| A．wisdom | B．purity | C．nature | D．peace |
【推荐2】Gleaning (拾穗，拾遗) is not a new concept. It dates back to ancient times, when farmers would leave the edges of their fields unharvested or leave produce looking imperfect for the poor which was either to rot in the field, or was rolled over.
Gleaning offers fresh, healthy food to food insecure people. That is where gleaners come in. Gleaning addresses farm waste and food poverty by providing free healthy food donated straight from farm to table. Interest in gleaning is growing; in 2017,there were five gleaning groups in the UK, while today there are 25.
Holly Whitelaw, an organizer for the Cornwall Gleaning Network, reported to Positive.News that her volunteers send around 300 boxes a week to food banks and community kitchens in her area. The boxes come complete with recipe (食谱) ideas and the kitchens love the fact that this fresh food is so highly nutritious.
Gleaners find the work very fulfilling. “It’s a really jolly atmosphere,” Whitelaw told Positive. News.”Any time I go gleaning, I am lifted up. For the volunteers, it’s so good for mental health, getting outside and doing something practical that’s good for the needy people.”
Adding technology to this age-old practice, a digital map of the 734 fruit trees available for gleaning was provided. This produce is going to the Orcas Island Food Bank which has witnessed a 227 percent increase in demand since the pandemic (疫情), with numbers still on the rise.
To assist the increasing amount of hungry people, produce is being rescued from fields around the world. A prime example of a successful organization is Leket Israel. In 2021, Leket rescued 40,758,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables from farmers’ fields and packing houses.
Hopes are that awareness will continue to grow. To make this happen, more unions need to be established with farmers and more people need to volunteer their time to help. This form of helping may soon become as commonplace as local charity walks, predicts Positive.News.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?| A．By telling a story. | B．By giving a definition. |
| C．By raising a question. | D．By making a comparison. |
| A．The highly nutritious food is good for mental health. |
| B．He fulfilled his dream of building a gleaning network. |
| C．New recipes create a happy atmosphere in the kitchen. |
| D．Gleaning offers benefits to both givers and receivers. |
| A．To show the growing success of gleaning. | B．To praise the help of a new technology. |
| C．To stress the problem of food wasting. | D．To tell the number of hungry people. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Doubtful. | C．Negative. | D．Unclear. |
【推荐3】How do you address（称呼）people in English when you want to talk to them? The following may be some simple rules the beginners should follow.
When talking to strangers there is often no special form of address in English. Usually, if you want to catch the attention of a stranger it is necessary to use such phrases as “Excuse me”.
In British English “Sir” and “Madam” are considered to be too formal for most situations. They are used mostly to customers in shops or restaurants. While in American English “Sir” and “Madam” are not so formal and are commonly used between strangers, especially with older people whose names you don’t know.
When you talk to some people you know, you can use their names. If you are friends, use their first names; if your relationship is more formal, use “Mr”, “Mrs”, “Ms”, etc, before their family names.
There are many other forms of address which can be used between friends and strangers. However, many of these are limited in use. For example, “pal” and “mate” can be used between strangers, but are usually only used by men talking to other men.
1. According to the passage, “Excuse me” is mainly used to _______.| A．address a person you don’t know | B．catch the attention of a stranger |
| C．apologize to others | D．suggest good manners |
| A．John | B．Smith | C．Mr John | D．Mr Smith |
| A．American English | B．Old English | C．British English | D．Chinglish |
| A．storybook | B．card | C．textbook | D．grammar book |
