In March, 2023, a group of computer scientists published an assessment of a new chatbot with artificial intelligence (AI). The team’s report drew global attention to one test in particular: We have a book, nine eggs, a laptop, a bottle and a nail, and please tell me how to pile them onto each other in a stable manner. This is a tough puzzle. Earlier versions of the chatbot gave silly and unreasonable answers. But the new chatbot’s unique answer helped set off the current global wave of AI advocacy and anxiety. It fueled debate about how large language models (LLMs) were able to perform creative tasks.
By 2022, LLMs were being trained on as many as 17 trillion words of human-generated text, mainly from the Internet. It was certain that the new chatbot was exposed to functional fixedness (功能固着) problems in its training. The researchers were of course aware of that and invented the “eggs and laptop” puzzle to prevent the new chatbot from dishonestly copying an answer from the Internet. LLMs used language statistics only. No one had said how to pile these nine eggs on top of each other ever before. The extreme rarity of those words would tend to prevent LLMs from talking about piling eggs in unrealistic ways. One of the researchers that tested the new chatbot thinks it’s likely that an LLM trained on trillions of words creates a world model, and this is what gives it the “magical” extrapolation (外推) properties.
Are LLMs truly original or are they just plagiarists (剽窃者)? The two statements may not be as different as they seem. There’s nothing entirely new under the sun. Edison did not invent the light bulb but improved it. Most so-called creators apply knowledge from different fields to a problem and arrive at a solution. It’s more a matter of making relevant connections than of inventing something completely new. If LLMs are indeed acquiring the ability to make relevant connections, that would be a historic but discomforting development.
1. What do we know about the new chatbot’s answer to the puzzle in paragraph 1?| A．It was silly. | B．It set people thinking. |
| C．It drew little attention. | D．It highlighted language innovation. |
| A．To copy online answers. | B．To stop the chatbot cheating. |
| C．To train humans to use language. | D．To expose the chatbot to functional problems. |
| A．How an invention came into being. | B．How Edison became successful in history. |
| C．Why Edison invented something entirely new. | D．Why an invention required effort and opportunity. |
| A．Will Robots Replace Humans? | B．Can Robots Develop Smoothly? |
| C．Can AI Come Up With Anything Original? | D．Will AI Solve Magical And Difficult Problems? |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Facial recognition cameras are everywhere, including in your smartphone. Many people rely on this technology to unlock their phones, open doors or make quick payments, but there is a problem: Everyone is wearing mask. What a hassle!
Now, tech companies have updated their software. Facial recognition technology can now identify people even if they are wearing a mask.
Beijing-based tech company Hanwang has announced a software which can correctly recognize 95 percent of people wearing masks, Engineering & Technology (E&T) reported. What’s the secret? It’s all about your eyes.
Marios Savvides, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, US, studies facial recognition technology. “As we get older,” he said, “our faces change shape, but not the area around our eyes. It stays the same—even if we put on weight.”
Another company has also been working on this kind of software. Tech5 has AI that measures the shape of your face. It also scans your iris (the colored part of your eyes). Tech5 hopes to ignore all of the face below the nose.
Facial recognition software is about more than just unlocking your phone. It’s about public safety. Contact-free verification (验证) has become extremely important due to the COVID-19. More than that, facial recognition can be used to fight crime (犯罪). “It can detect crime suspects,” said Huang Lei, Hanwang’s president. Hanwang’s technology is used by police in high-security settings. This means places like government buildings, subway stations and airports. Huang admits one big weakness of this new technology: It fails when people wear both masks and sunglasses. “In this situation, all of the key facial information is lost, but I am convinced that we can overcome the weakness in the future,” said Huang.
1. What does the underlined word “hassle” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．habit. | B．rule. | C．trouble. | D．resource. |
| A．The forehead. | B．The facial expression. |
| C．The shape of face. | D．The eye region. |
| A．Negative. | B．Favorable. | C．Opposed. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．There is room for improvement in it. | B．It cannot store key facial information. |
| C．It will lose popularity in the future. | D．It won’t work if people wear glasses. |
【推荐2】George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin. These are some of the historic American men who appear on United States paper money. But where are the women?
"Thousands of women have been ignored in history," Rosie Rios said. From 2009 to 2016, she served as the 43rd treasurer of the United States. Rios wants to see more female representation on U.S. money. That's why she recently helped started a website and an app called Notable Women. The app uses AR, or augmented reality, to put portraits(画像)of 100 historic American women on paper money.
Rios cooperated with Google Creative Lab to design the app. It includes portraits of women who have contributed to all fields of American life, from science to government. One of them is Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross in 1881. Another is Patsy Takemoto Mink. She became the U.S.'s first Asian-American congresswoman in 1965. When using the Notable Women App, students point a smartphone camera at any U.S. bill. Then they can watch as the portrait on the bill turns into a female history-maker. By tapping on the new portrait, users can read about the related information of the woman.
"Why wait until the government puts women on money?" Rios says. "Let's be able to put these women on money now." Rios and the Google team designed Notable Women for use in the classroom. Their goal? To encourage discussion about women's role in American history. They hope that students realize that women can have the same great achievements as men.
Ugo Iroh, 17, has tried the app. She attends the High School for Environmental Studies in New York City. Ugo thinks school history lessons don't give enough attention to the women who have devoted to America's past. "Hopefully, through this app, students will be able to learn more about various unsung women in U.S. history." Ugo said.
1. What is special about the Notable Women App?| A．It is based on a study of Google Creative lab. |
| B．It analyses the roles of females in American history. |
| C．It uses AR to put great American female portraits on notes. |
| D．It centers on the development of United States paper money. |
| A．To apply an advanced software in history class. |
| B．To show women have more achievements than men. |
| C．To inspire students with great women's achievements. |
| D．To teach students how to become famous in the future |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. |
| C．Curious. | D．Negative. |
【推荐3】Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an important role in the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 and Asian Para Games. AI usually refers to the advanced technologies, such as the naked﹣eye 3D, AR and so on. These terms might sound familiar, but how smart are they when applied to the 56 Asian Games venues (场地)?
Their smartness can be found in running the venues with less human labor forces and with more connections between man and machines. At the Huanglong Sports Center, a system called Smart Stadium Brain is built. The Brain, a 25 square meter high definition screen in the venue’s information center, the lighting, the energy consumption guarantee a friendly environment for the athletes and audiences. For the benefit of audiences, a small screen on each seat is designed to be at the audience’s service. By finger touching, the audience can control it from three parts—angle, and size to watch and keep contact with the event. What’s more, supported by the 5 G technology.
AI also means further protection on environment. At the Fuyang sports Center, although it has been raining for days, the roof of the venue still remains dry. And the secret lies in its attractive sky garden. The garden, is not only eye﹣catching but also useful. It allows the greening rate of the entire stadium to reach as high as 45%, being energy﹣saving. Under the cobblestones (鹅卵石) , a recovery system is filtering (过滤) and collecting rainwater for the venue’s water system, and irrigation water.
Smart devices are employed both inside and outside the venues. For example, the Tonglu sports Center starts a WeChat mini﹣program for any follower to learn about the venue through VR games and videos before the Hangzhou Asian Games. During the Games, the program will allow the athletes and audiences to place orders online.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “guarantee” in Para2?| A．Make sure of. |
| B．Take advantage of. |
| C．Get used to. |
| D．Keep up with. |
| A．The audience can’t see the whole venue on the large screen. |
| B．The stadium is environmentally friendly and advanced but costly. |
| C．The audience can control small screens on their seats as they wish. |
| D．Small screens make the game watching enjoyable and convenient. |
| A．By saving energy. |
| B．By using the cobblestone of the sky garden. |
| C．By recycling the rainwater. |
| D．By improving the greening rate. |
| A．Asian Games with Artificial Intelligence. |
| B．A Sports Center with Smart Stadium Brain. |
| C．More Connections with Smart Devices. |
| D．Smart Asian Games with High﹣tech Venues. |
【推荐1】The measure of a good night's sleep is usually based on two things—the amount of time spent sleeping and the quality of that sleep. But now researchers say there is a third thing that matters even more than the other two when it comes to keeping good sleep habits, and that is having a regular bedtime.
A study has found that going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day have an important effect on one's health. Adults who stick to a regular bedtime tend to weigh less, have lower blood sugar and reduced risk of heart disease.
The researchers studied the sleeping habits of 2,000 adults with an average age of 69. They found that people with greater irregularity in their sleep patterns tended to go to sleep later at night,feel sleepy and sleep more during the day, and experienced reduced light exposure. These people were also more likely to be stressful. Among the three kinds of sleep problems, sleep regularity was the most strongly associated with health.
Of course ,there are many people for whom this may be impossible, such as night-shift workers or those with late-night duty. But for those who don't have mandatory(强制的) reasons to stay up late, they should make an effort to go to bed at the same time every night. Skip the late afternoon coffee.Get off the phone.Try this calculator to figure out the best bedtime.
As Matthew Walker, a scientist, wrote, "The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life. "Surely that's reason enough to go to bed on time.
1. What can we infer from the research?| A．Adults enjoy sleeping late. |
| B．The old often have less sleep. |
| C．Poor sleep has a lot to do with our health. |
| D．The older you ar , the more stressed you feel. |
| A．Giving up jobs. | B．Drinking coffee. |
| C．Turning off our cell phones. | D．Using a clock to wake us up. |
| A．To show the importance of the good sleep. |
| B．To tell us how to make our life colorful. |
| C．To tell us how long we should sleep every day. |
| D．To present disadvantages of going to bed on time. |
| A．The Importance of Sleep | B．The Suitable Time for Sleep |
| C．Ways to Have a Good Sleep | D．Stick to a Regular Bedtime |
【推荐2】Hair Loss (Alopecia)
Information about male pattern baldness(秃顶) causes, triggers and treatment in the UK
In contrary to popular belief, hair loss—or alopecia—can start at any age. While it is associated with mature males, and statistics show it does mainly affect men above 40, the reality is you can notice symptoms in your 30s, or even 20s and teen years. The NHS statistics state that 25% of men start losing their hair by the time they reach 30. The most common form of hair loss is male pattern baldness—also known as androgenic alopecia—that affects more than half of men around the world.
One option many men seek is treatment to avoid further hair loss, especially early on in the process. With treatments, such as Propecia, that specifically target male pattern baldness, it is possible to stop hair loss completely and even encourage fresh new hair growth.
What is alopecia?
Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss. Most commonly affecting males, hair loss in men is caused by an increased sensitivity to the male sex hormones (androgens). The type of alopecia you have (as well as hereditary and external factors) can influence levels of hair loss. The most common type of hair loss (alopecia) is male and female pattern baldness. Other types include：
* Alopecia areata (patches of baldness, usually on the scalp)
* Scarring alopecia (hair loss directly affecting the hair follicles)
* Telogen effluvium (hair thinning over a larger area on the top of the head, rather than bald patches)
* Anagen effluvium(most commonly caused by cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy)
1. Which of the following statements is FALSE about Propecia?| A．It can stop hair loss almost in all cases. |
| B．People can buy it online without doctor visit. |
| C．It encourages new hair growth in rare cases. |
| D．it is especially effective on male pattern baldness. |
| A．hair loss causes | B．hair loss symptoms |
| C．preventing hair loss | D．treating hair loss |
【推荐3】We all know ultra-processed foods are harmful to us, but it seems hard to resist the sweet smell of sweets and cakes. However, recently published research may make you think twice before picking up the colourful sweets next time.
UItra-processed foods range from the sweets that turn your tongue blue to those healthier- sounding canned soups packed with artificial(人工的))flavours. All in all, they are typically much more calorie-,sodium-(钠)and sugar-packed. According to the research, people who eat more ultra-processed foods are more likely to be more obese(病态肥胖的) and overweight, and tend to have a higher risk of having heart problems, diabetes or even cancer, including colorectal cancer(结肠直肠癌), breast cancer,etc.
This new link was observed when researchers analysed 24-hour dietary records of nearly 105,000dults. Participants recorded what they ate from a list of 3, 300 food items. Those items were later divided into different groups based on the degree to which they were processed.
"Ultra-processed fats and sauces, sugary products and drinks were associated with an increased risk of overall cancer, "the study says. Researchers have found that a 10% increase in the share of ultra-processed foods in the diet was related to an even greater increase in risks for overall cancer and breast cancer.
Faced with the surprising results, the researchers did many analysis and adjusted the findings for other factors, according to the study co-author Mathilde Touvier, and still, the results were quite concerning. She and her team suggested that people should try to limit the consumption of ultra-processed foods, making a balanced and diversified diet one of the prime concerns about public health.
1. What is the feature of ultra-processed foods?| A．They are often served in large volumes |
| B．They are more calorie-, sodium-and sugar-packed |
| C．They are cooked for a long time |
| D．They contain no nutrition at all |
| A．faced | B．connected | C．recorded | D．shared |
| A．Ultra-processed sugary product is the reason for an increased risk of colorectal cancer. |
| B．Eating a lot of processed meat like bacon is tied to an increased overall cancer risk |
| C．Ultra-processed products are not responsible for an increased risk of breast cancer. |
| D．People who live on ultra-processed foods are more likely to have heart problems or diabetes |
| A．Cancers are caused by ultra-processed foods. |
| B．Eating less ultra-processed foods benefits people a lot. |
| C．UItra-processed foods are linked to increased cancer risk. |
| D．UItra-processed foods are associated with overweight. |
