科学家预测，到2029年机器人的智力将超过人类。你相信吗？
Robots smarter than humans by 2029
A scientist said robots will be more intelligent than humans by 2029. The scientist's name is Ray Kurzweil. He works for a world-famous Internet company as Director of Engineering. He is one of the world's leading experts on artificial intelligence (AI). Mr Kurzweil believes computers will be able to learn from experiences, just like humans. He also thinks they will be able to tell jokes and stories, and even flirt. Kurzweil's 2029 prediction is a lot sooner than many people thought. The scientist said that in 1999, many AI experts said it would be hundreds of years before a computer was more intelligent than a human. He said that it would not be long before computer intelligence is one billion times more powerful than the human brain.
Mr Kurzweil joked that many years ago, people thought he was a little crazy for predicting computers would be as intelligent as humans. His thinking has stayed the same but everyone else has changed the way they think. He said,“My views are not radical any more. I' ve actually stayed consistent. It's the rest of the world that's changing its view.” He highlighted examples of high-tech things we use, see or read about every day. These things make us believe that computers have intelligence.
COMPREHENSION CHECK UP ＞＞Ⅰ. Match each word or phrase in the passage with the correct meaning.
1. intelligent a. way of thinking
2. leading b. having great force; very effective
3. powerful c. to emphasize so that people give it more attention
4. crazy d. able to understand and learn things
5. view e. stupid
6. highlight f. most important or most successful
Ⅱ. Tell whether the following sentences are true (T) or false (F).
( ) 1. This research is from a scientist from an internet company.
( ) 2. Many people thought robots would be smarter than humans in 1999.
( ) 3. The scientist believes computers will be a billion times smarter than us.
( ) 4. The scientist said his views about robots are more radical than ever.
Ⅲ. Answer the following questions.
1. What is Mr Kurzweil an expert on?
2. Why did people think Mr Kurzweil was a little crazy?
3. What do you want home robots to do for you?
答案：Ⅰ.
1. d
2. f
3. b
4. e
5. a
6. c
Ⅱ.
1. T
2. F
3. T
4. F
Ⅲ.
1. Artificial intelligence (AI).
2. Because he predicted computers would be as intelligent as humans.
3. This is an open - ended question. For example, I want home robots to clean the house, cook meals, and take care of the elderly.
1. d
2. f
3. b
4. e
5. a
6. c
Ⅱ.
1. T
2. F
3. T
4. F
Ⅲ.
1. Artificial intelligence (AI).
2. Because he predicted computers would be as intelligent as humans.
3. This is an open - ended question. For example, I want home robots to clean the house, cook meals, and take care of the elderly.