Mind-reading1 Machine

    A team of researchers in California has developed a way to predict what kinds of objects people are looking at by scanning what’s happening in their brains.

    When you look at something, your eyes send a signal about that object to your brain. Different regions of the brain process the information your eyes send. Cells in your brain called neurons are responsible for this processing.

    The fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)2 brain scans could generally match electrical activity in the brain to the basic shape of a picture that someone was looking at.

    Like cells anywhere else in your body, active neurons use oxygen. Blood brings oxygen to the neurons, and the more active a neuron is, the more oxygen it will consume. The more active a region of the brain, the more active its neurons, and in turn, the more blood will travel to that region. And by using fMRI, scientists can visualize3 which parts of the brain receive more oxygen-rich blood — and therefore, which parts are working to process information.

    An fMRI machine is a device that scans the brain and measures changes in blood flow to the brain. The technology shows researchers how brain activity changes when a person thinks, looks at something, or carries out an activity like speaking or reading. By highlighting the areas of the brain at work when a person looks at different images, fMRI may help scientists determine specific patterns of brain activity associated with different kinds of images.

    The California researchers tested brain activity by having two volunteers view hundreds of pictures of everyday objects, like people, animals, and fruits. The scientists used an fMRI machine to record the volunteers’ brain activity with each photograph they looked at. Different objects caused different regions of the volunteers’ brains to light up on the scan, indicating activity. The scientists used this information to build a model to predict how the brain might respond to any image the eyes see.

    In a second test, the scientists asked the volunteers to look at 120 new pictures. Like before, their brains were scanned every time they looked at a new image. This time, the scientists used their model to match the fMRI scans to the image. For example, if a scan in the second test showed the same pattern of brain activity that was strongly related to pictures of apples in the first test, their model would have predicted the volunteers were looking at apples.

 

词汇：

scan /skAn/ v. &n. 扫描

neuron /5njuErCn/ n. 神经元

visualize /5vIzjJElaIz/ v.使可见；设想

 

注释:

1. Mind-reading: 能读出（猜出）人的想法的。 mind-read: 可做动词，如， As a successful salesman, he is able to mind-read his customers.

2. FMRI（functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging）：功能性磁振造影。这是一种新兴的神经影像学方式，其原理是利用磁振造影来测量神经元活动所引发之血液动力的改变。

3. visualize: 意为 make（something）visible to the eye，即“使可见，使显现 ”。

Which of the following can be the best replacement of the tide?

A:The Recent Development in Science and Technology. B:Your Thoughts Can Be Scanned. C:A Technological Dream. D:A Device that can Help You Calculate.

Scientists are racing to build the world’s first thinking robot. This is not science fiction: some say they will have made it by the year 2020. Carol Packer reports.
Machines that walk, speak and feel are no longer science fiction. Kismet is the name of an android (机器人) which scientists have built at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Kismet is different from the traditional robot because it can show human emotions. Its eyes, ears and lips move to show when it feels happy, sad or bored. Kismet is one of the first of a new generation of androids—robots that look like human beings—which can imitate human feelings. Cog, another android invented by the MIT, imitates the action of a mother. However, scientists admit that so far Cog has the mental ability of a two-year-old.
The optimists (乐观主义者) say that by the year 2020 we will have created humanoids (机器人) with brains similar to those of an adult human being. These robots will be designed to look like people to make them more attractive and easier to sell to the public. What kind of jobs will they do In the future, robots like Robonaut, a humanoid invented by NASA, will be doing dangerous jobs, like repairing space stations. They will also be doing more and more of the household work for us. In Japan, scientists are designing androids that will entertain us by dancing and playing the piano.
Some people worry about what the future holds: will robots become monsters (怪物) Will people themselves become increasingly like robots Experts predict that more and more people will be wearing micro-computers, connected to the Internet, in the future. People will have micro-chips in various parts of their body, which will connect them to a wide variety of gadgets (小装置). Perhaps we should not exaggerate (夸大) the importance of technology, but one wonders whether, in years to come, we will still be falling in love, and whether we will still feel pain. Who knows
Kismet is different from traditional robots because

A:it thinks for itself. B:it is not like science fiction. C:it can look after two-year-olds. D:it seems to have human feelings.

? ?下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题，每道题后面有4个选项。请根据文章的内容，从每题所给的4个选项中选择1个最佳答案。
{{B}}第一篇{{/B}}

Kismet is different from traditional robots because

A:it thinks for itself. B:it is not like science fiction. C:it can look after two-year-olds. D:it seems to have human feelings.

{{B}}第三篇{{/B}}

Kismet is different from traditional robots because

A:it thinks for itself. B:it is not like science fiction. C:it can look after two-year-olds. D:it seems to have human feelings.

第一篇 Almost Human? Scientists are racing to build the world’s first thinking robot．This is not science fiction：somesay they will have made it by the year 2020 Carol Packer reports Machines that walk，speak and feel are no longer science fiction．Kismet is the name of an android(机器人)which scientists have built at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT)． Kismet is different from the traditional robot because it Can show human emotions．Its eyes，ears and lips move to show when it feels happy. sad or bored．Kismet is one of the first of a new generation of androids——robots that look like human beings——which Can imitate human feelings．Cog，another android invented by the MIT, imitates the action of a mother．However, scientists admit that So far Cog has the mental ability of a two—year—old． The optimists(乐观主义者)say that by the year 2020 we will have created humanoids(机器人)with brains similar to those of all adult human being．These robots will be designed to look like people to make them more attractive and easier to sell to the public．What kind of jobs will they do? In the future，robots like Robonaut，a humanoid invented by NASA，will be doing dangerous jobs，like repairing space stations．They will also be doing more and mom of the household work for us In Japan，scientists are designing androids that will entertain us bydancing and playing the piano． Some people worry about what the future holds：will robots become monsters(怪物)?Will people themselves become increasingly like robots? Experts predict that more and more people will be wearing micro—computers，connected to the Internet，in the future．People will have micro—chips in various parts of their body，which will connect them to a wide variety of gadgets(小装置)．Perhaps we should not exaggerate(夸大)the importance of technology，but one wonders whether，in years to come，we will still be falling in love，and whether we will still feel pain．Who knows? Kismet is different from traditional robots because

A:it thinks for itself B:It is not like science fiction C:it can look after two—year-old． D:it seems to have human feelings．

(B) A new period is coming. Call it what you will: the service industry, the information age, the knowledge society. It all translates to a great change in the way we work. Already we’re partly there, the percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen sharply in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more are in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breath of the great change can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held opinions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between workers and employers—all these are being doubted. We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have seen the ways in which a single invention, the chip(芯片), would change our world thanks to its uses in personal computers, and factory equipment. Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of great changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more important, and the people who own it, whether they work in factories or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to deal with problems by making use of information instead of performing regular tasks will be valued above all else. If you look ahead 10 years, information service will be leading the way. It will be the way you do your job. The future will probably belong to those who _________.

A:own and know how to make use of information B:can read and write well C:devote themselves to service industries D:look ahead instead of looking back

(B) A new period is coming. Call it what you will: the service industry, the information age, the knowledge society. It all translates to a great change in the way we work. Already we’re partly there, the percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen sharply in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more are in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breath of the great change can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held opinions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between workers and employers—all these are being doubted. We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have seen the ways in which a single invention, the chip(芯片), would change our world thanks to its uses in personal computers, and factory equipment. Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of great changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more important, and the people who own it, whether they work in factories or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to deal with problems by making use of information instead of performing regular tasks will be valued above all else. If you look ahead 10 years, information service will be leading the way. It will be the way you do your job. The future will probably belong to those who _________.

A:own and know how to make use of information B:can read and write well C:devote themselves to service industries D:look ahead instead of looking back

(B) A new period is coming. Call it what you will: the service industry, the information age, the knowledge society. It all translates to a great change in the way we work. Already we’re partly there, the percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen sharply in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more are in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breath of the great change can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held opinions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between workers and employers—all these are being doubted. We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have seen the ways in which a single invention, the chip(芯片), would change our world thanks to its uses in personal computers, and factory equipment. Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of great changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more important, and the people who own it, whether they work in factories or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to deal with problems by making use of information instead of performing regular tasks will be valued above all else. If you look ahead 10 years, information service will be leading the way. It will be the way you do your job. The future will probably belong to those who _________.

A:own and know how to make use of information B:can read and write well C:devote themselves to service industries D:look ahead instead of looking back