Some of the old worries about artificial intelligence were closely linked to the question of whether computers could think.The first massive electronic computers,capable of rapid calculation and little or no creative activity,were soon dubbed(取綽號)"electronic brains".A reaction to this terminology quickly followed,computers were called"high speed idiots",an effort to protect human vanity.But not everyone realized theimplications of the high-speed idiot tag.It has not been pointed out enough that even the human idiot is one of the most intelligent life forms on earth.If the early computers were even that intelligent,it was already a remarkable state of affairs.
One consequence of speculation about the possibility of computer thought was that we were forced to examine with new care the idea of thought in general.It soon became clear that we were not sure what we meant bysuch terms as thought and thinking.We tend to assume that human beings think,some more than others,though we often call people thoughtless or unthinking.Dreams cause a problem,partly because they usually happen outside our control.They are obviously some type of mental experience,but are they a type of thinking?And the question of nonhuman life forms adds further problems.Many of us would maintain that some of the higheranimals-dogs,cats,apes,and so on-are capable of at least basic thought,but what about fish and insects?If thinking is demonstrated by evident electrical activity in the brain,then many species are capable of thought.Once we have formulated clear ideas on what thought is in biological creatures,it will be easier to discuss the question of thought in artifacts(人工制品).And what is true of thought is also true of the many other mental processes.One of the immense benefits of a research is that we are being forced to scrutinize,with new rigor,the working of the human mind.
It is already clear that machines have superior mental abilities to many life forms.No fern or oak tree can play chess as well as even the simplest digital computer,nor can frogs weld car bodies as well as robots.It seems that,viewed in terms of intellect ,the computer should be set well above plants and most animals.Only the higher animals can compete with computers with regard to intellect and even then with diminishing success.
1.What did people think of the early computers?
2.According to the author,the early computers is__________________than human idiots.
3.As a result of speculating whether computer could think,we had to research more carefully to get_____________________.
4.Why do dreams cause the problem whether they are a type of thinking,according to the author?
5.What does the author want to illustrate by mentioning the fern and the oak tree?
答案：
1.[They were called"high speed idiots"/They can calculate rapidly but are idiots.]
[定位]第1段第2、3句。
解析：此題有關(guān)人們對早期電子計算機的看法。從第1段第2、3句所提到的計算機的兩個綽號“electronic brains”和“high speed idiots”可推理得出：人們對于當(dāng)時出現(xiàn)的計算機其實是持嘲諷和輕蔑態(tài)度的，認為它們雖然運轉(zhuǎn)速度快，但是很笨。
2.[less intelligent]
[定位]根據(jù)early computers查找到第1段最后一句。
解析：原文倒數(shù)第2句提到，即使是human idiot，也是最intelligent的生命形式。接著最后一句用if“假設(shè)”說明了早期的計算機并沒有白癡的人聰明，由此可知題目應(yīng)填入less intelligent。
3.[the idea of thought in general]
[定位]根據(jù)result of speculating查找到第2段第1句。
解析：題目中的前半部分是對原文主語的同義改寫，主句中的had to research toget...相當(dāng)于原文中的were forced toexamine...，因此examine后面的賓語就是答案所在。
4.[Because they usually happen outside our control./Because they are usually beyond our control.
[定位]根據(jù)dreams cause a problem查找到第2段第4句。
解析：原文提到Dreams cause a problem后即明確解釋原因：partly because they usually happen outside our control，答案可以照搬原文，也可以用介詞beyond進行同義改寫。
5.[Machines have superior mental abilities to many life forms./Computers are more intelligent than plants and most animals.]
[定位]末段前三句。
解析：末段第2句提到的內(nèi)容是支持該段首句和第3句觀點的具體例子。這兩句話的觀點是相同的，說的都是“機器比很多生物具有更強的思考能力”。由此可見�？烧瞻崾拙渲衪hat引導(dǎo)的主語從句作為答案，也可以結(jié)合第3句作同義改寫。
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