经济学人精读 The Economist38

【第一遍】边听边读

READING WHILE LISTENING

The Economist经济学人精读[38]

选自December 23 2017 Science and Technology科技版块From our AI correspondent

Computer says...

How soon will computers replace The Economist’s science writers?

The machines are coming. A much-cited study in 2013 concluded that half of American jobs were at risk in the coming decades. Writers are not immune. Another paper, which surveyed researchers into artificial intelligence (AI), concluded that computers would be writing school essays by the mid-2020s and churning out best-selling books by the 2040s.

In the spirit of going fast and breaking things,The Economisthas therefore trained an AI program on articles from the Science and Technology section, and invited it to come up with a piece of its own. The results, presented unedited below, show both the power and the limitations of pattern-recognition machine learning, which is more or less what AI boils down to.

The computer has mimicked our style, and spotted topics we cover frequently. But although the sentences are grammatically correct, they lack meaning. To his relief, your correspondent should thus have a job to come back to after Christmas.

And now to our robot reporter...

A MUST of the world’s largest computer scientists have shown that the cost of transporting the sound waves into the back of the sun is the best way to create a set of pictures of the sort that can be solved. It is also because the same film is a special prototype (seearti- cle). A person with a stretch of apiece of software can be transmitted by a security process that can be added toa single bit of reading. The material is composed of a single pixel, which is possible and thus causes the laser to be started to convert the resulting steam to the surface of the battery capable of producing power from the air and then turning it into a low-cost display. The solution is to encode the special control of a chip to be found in a car.

The result is a shape of an alternative to electric cars, but the most famous problem is that the control system is then powered by a computer that is composed of a second part of the spectrum. The first solution is far from cheap. But if it is a bit like a solid sheet of contact with the spectrum, it can be read as the sound waves are available. The position of the system is made of a carbon containing a special component that can be used to connect the air to a conventional diesel engine.

The problem with the approach is that it reaches the fuel by reflecting a fuel cell to an array of materials that are sensitive to

the light that is composed of solar energy.In the meantime, the process can be made to act as a prototype of a superconducting machine. The technology is also a short-range process that is being developed for comparison by the magnetic fields of the solar system.

The result is a chemical called the carbon nanotube that is absorbed by the process of converting a solid oxide into a chemical that is specific to the cellular nerve. The stuff is able to extract energy from the image and then releases the electrons that can be detected by stimulating the image in the bloodstream. The surface temperature is not a molecule that is also being compared with the small energy of the structure of a metal. A single organ is a large amount of energy, which is particularly intense. The internal combustion chamber is thus able to produce a photon which is being developed to produce a second protein called the body-causing protein that has a complex and comparable process to stop the components of an anti-biotic.

20171227 620 words

【第二遍】博学审问

博学之、审问之、慎思之、明辨之、笃行之

——《礼记 · 中庸》

The Economist经济学人精读[38]

选自December 23 2017 Science and Technology科技版块

From our AI correspondent

[来自我们的人工智能通讯记者]

Computer says... [计算机是这样说的…]

#Eva说#

人工智能的发展使人们开始担心未来的工作会有被机器取代的风险。有一篇论文，调查了人工智能方面的研究人员，得出的结论是，电脑将在21世纪20年代中旬可以写学校论文，到21世纪40年代时可以炮制出畅销书。于是乎，经济学人工作人员用科技板块的文章训练了一个人工智能程序，并写了一篇文章。文章展示的成果显示，人工智能写的文章，句子的语法正确，并且发现了科技版块经常讨论的话题，但是文章内容毫无意义。在人工智能所写的短短四段文字中，提到的名字有太阳，光波，像素，模式识别，机器学习，激光，汽车，碳，血液，柴油发电机，电动汽车。。。总之，内容毫无逻辑，毫无疑义。小编读完整个人都不好了，剩下的大家自己感受下吧

#以上，个人总结和理解，欢迎批评指正，欢迎留言讨论#

#有输出才有进步#

How soon will computers replace TheEconomist’s science writers?[电脑取代经济学人的科技专栏作者还要多久]

The machines are coming[机器来了]. A much-cited study in 2013 concluded that half of American jobs wereat riskin the coming decades[2013年一份被众多引用的研究总结在未来十多年，美国一半的工作面临风险].Writers are notimmune[豁免的][作者也没能幸免]. Another paper, which surveyed researchers into artificial intelligence(AI), concluded that computers would be writing school essays by the mid-2020sandchurning out[（不顾质量快速的）大量生产]best-selling books by the 2040s[另一片论文，调查了人工智能方面的研究人员，得出的结论是，电脑将在21世纪20年代中旬写学校论文，到21世纪40年代时可以炮制出畅销书].

In the spirit of going fast and breaking things,The Economisthas thereforetrainedan AI programonarticles from the Science and Technology section, and invited it to come up with a piece of its own[秉承快速发展和勇于突破的精神，经济学人因此用科技板块的文章训练了一个人工智能程序]. The results, presented unedited below, show both the power and the limitations of pattern-recognition machine learning, which is more or less what AIboils down to[问题归结为][下面展示了未经编辑的结果，既显示出模式识别机器学习的能力，也显示出了它的局限性，或多或少都可以归结人工智能问题所在].

The computer hasmimicked[模仿]our style, and spotted topicswecoverfrequently[计算机模仿我们的风格，并且发现了我们经常谈论的话题]. But although the sentences are grammatically correct, they lack meaning[但是，尽管句子在语法上是正确的，但是他们缺少含义].To his relief, your correspondent should thus have a job to come back to after Christmas[让计算机欣慰的是，这样你们的通信记者在圣诞节回来之后应该还又工作].

And nowto ourrobot reporter... [现在就来看我们的机器人报告员]

AMUST[必不可少的事物]of the world’s largest computer scientists have shown that the cost of transporting the sound waves into the back of the sun is thebest way to create a set of pictures of the sort that can be solved[世界上最大的计算机科学家展示的一个必不可少的事物是，向太阳后面传输声波的成本是创造一系可以解决的图片的做好方法（写完这句的话，小编心里产生了一万个为什么？这个机器在说神马，深呼吸一下，继续。。。）]. It is also because the same film is a specialprototype[原型](see arti- cle)[这也因为相同的公司是一个特殊的原型（见…）]. A person with a stretch of a piece of software can betransmitted[播送传播]by a security process that can be added to a single bit of reading[一个人需要拉伸一个软件，就可以由一个被加入一点单一读物的安全程序传播]. The material is composed of a single pixel[像素], which is possible and thus causes the laser[激光] to be started to convert the resulting steam to the surface of the battery capable of producing power from the air and then turning it into a low-cost display[阅读材料是由单一像素组成，这有可能的，因此导致激光启动将产生的蒸汽转化为可以通过空气产生电并将其低成本显示的电池表面（这都是什么东西）]. The solution is toencode[编译]the special control of a chip to be found in a car[解决办法是去编译一种特殊的可在汽车中找到的可控制芯片].

The result is a shape of an alternative to electric cars, but the most famous problem is that the control system is then powered by a computer thatis composed ofa second part of thespectrum[波谱][结果电动汽车替代品的形状，但是，最显著的问题是控制系统由计算机驱动，而计算机是由波谱的第二部分组成]. The first solution is far from cheap[第一种解决办法是极为便宜的]. But if it is a bit like a solid sheet of contact with the spectrum, it can be read as the sound waves are available[但是，如果它与接触波谱的实际页面有点相像的话，它就可以在有声波的情况下被阅读]. The position of the system is made of a carbon containing a special component that can be used to connect the air to a conventional diesel engine[这个系统的位置是由含碳的特殊成分组成，这种成分可以用于将空气和传统的柴油发电机结合起来].

读到此处，小编要崩溃了，完全不知道这个机器在说什么，如前文经济学人作者提到的，人工智能写的文章句子没有语法错误，但是没有含义。至此，小编已经特别特别深刻的领会了作者的含义，并为此感到痛不欲生

剩下的两段就学习一下单词和用法好了。。。

Theproblem with the approach[这个方法的问题，注意介词with的使用]is that it reaches the fuel by reflecting a fuel cell to an array of materials thatare sensitive to[对...敏感]the light that is composed of solar energy.In the meantime[于此同时],the process can be made toact as[扮演…的角色]a prototype of a superconducting machine. The technology is also a short-range process that is being developed for comparison by the magnetic fields of the solar system.

The result is a chemical called the carbon nanotubethat isabsorbed[被…吸引]by the process of converting a solid oxide into achemical that is specific to the cellular nerve. The stuff is able toextractenergyfrom[从…中提取]the image and thenreleasesthe electrons that can bedetectedby stimulating the image in the bloodstream.The surface temperature is not a molecule that is alsobeing compared withthe small energy of the structure of a metal. A single organ is a large amount of energy, which is particularlyintense[强烈的]. The internalcombustion[燃烧]chamber is thus able to produce aphoton[光子，辐射量子]which is being developed to produce a second protein[蛋白质] called the body-causing protein that has a complex and comparable process to stop the components of an anti-biotic.

20171227 620 words

【第三遍】词汇总结

VOCABULARY TAKEAWAY

【immune】

[after verb]notableto bepunishedordamagedby something

免除的，豁免的

Journalists, heinsisted, must be immune (=protected)fromprosecution.

他坚持新闻记者必须免受起诉。

【churn sth out】

toproducelargeamountsof somethingquickly, usually something of lowquality

（不顾质量快速地）大量生产；粗制滥造

Thefactorychurnsout thousands ofpairsof theseshoeseveryweek.

那家工厂每周生产数千双这样的劣质鞋子。

She churns out a new best-sellingnoveleveryyear.

每年她都能炮制出一本新畅销小说。

【boil down to】

If asituationorproblemboilsdown to something, that is themainreasonfor it.

（形势或问题）主要原因在于，归结为

Theproblemboils down to one thing -lackofmoney.

问题归结为一点——缺钱。

【mimic】

past tense and past participlemimicked

tocopythe way in which aparticularpersonusuallyspeaksandmoves, usually inorderto makepeoplelaugh

（为逗乐而）模仿，学…的样子

She was mimicking thevariouspeopleinouroffice.

她在学我们办公室里各种人的样子。

【must】

something that isnecessary

必不可少的事物

If youlivein thecountryacarisamust.

如果你住在乡下，汽车是必不可少的。

【absorbed in sth】

veryinterestedin something and notpayingattentionto anythingelse

被…吸引住；专心致志于；全神贯注于

Simon was so absorbedinhisbookthat he didn'tevennoticeme come in.

西蒙读书太入神了，我进来他都没有注意到。

英文原文选自《经济学人》选自December 23 2017 Science and Technology 科技版块

单词释义来源：剑桥字典网页版https://dictionary.cambridge.org

文章仅供英语学习参考，不作其他用途

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