同学们好呀,小赛每周三固定又来更新外刊选读,全文由希赛考博英语教研团队单独翻译(此系列供同学们学习所用,未经许可,不允许转载),同时将它收录到医学/非医学考博英语干货合集中,大家一定要跟着我持续坚持打卡学习哦!
题材:科技类
出处:Gates Notes网站
字数:845 words
[1] In my lifetime, I’ve seen two demonstrations of technology that struck me as revolutionary.
【在我的一生中,我看到过两次让我震惊的革命性的技术演示。】
【重点词汇】
demonstration /ˌdemənˈstreɪʃn/ n. 示范;演示
strike /straɪk/ v. 给(某人以…)印象;让(某人)觉得
revolutionary /ˌrevəˈluːʃənəri/adj. 革命的
[2] The first time was in 1980, when I was introduced to a graphical user interface—the forerunner of every modern operating system, including Windows. I sat with the person who had shown me the demo, a brilliant programmer named Charles Simonyi, and we immediately started brainstorming about all the things we could do with such a user-friendly approach to computing. Charles eventually joined Microsoft, Windows became the backbone of Microsoft, and the thinking we did after that demo helped set the company’s agenda for the next 15 years.
【第一次是在1980年,当时我接触到了图形用户界面——包括Windows在内的所有现代操作系统的先驱。我和给我看演示的人坐在一起,他是一个名叫查尔斯·西蒙尼的优秀程序员,我们立即开始头脑风暴,讨论我们可以用这样一种用户友好的计算方法来做的所有事情。查尔斯最终加入了微软,Windows成为了微软的支柱,而我们在那次演示后所做的思考帮助我们确定了公司未来15年的议程。】
【重点词汇】
graphical /ˈɡræfɪkl/ adj. 绘画的;计算机图形的
interface /ˈɪntəfeɪs / n. 界面
forerunner /ˈfɔːrʌnə(r)/ n. 先驱;先行者
demo /ˈdeməʊ/n. 演示
brainstorming /ˈbreɪnstɔːmɪŋ/ n. 集思广益;头脑风暴
backbone /ˈbækbəʊn/ n. 支柱;骨干;基础
agenda /əˈdʒendə/ n. 议程表;议事日程
【长难句分析】
I sat with the person who had shown me the demo, a brilliant programmer named Charles Simonyi, and we immediately started brainstorming about all the things we could do with such a user-friendly approach to computing.
【结构分析】
分句1:I sat with the person
定语从句:who had shown me the demo
同位语:a brilliant programmer named Charles Simonyi
分句2:and we immediately started brainstorming about all the things
定语从句:we could do with such a user-friendly approach to computing
[3] The second big surprise came just last year. I’d been meeting with the team from OpenAI since 2016 and was impressed by their steady progress. In mid-2022, I was so excited about their work that I gave them a challenge: train an artificial intelligence to pass an Advanced Placement biology exam. Make it capable of answering questions that it hasn’t been specifically trained for. (I picked AP Bio because the test is more than a simple regurgitation of scientific facts—it asks you to think critically about biology.) If you can do that, I said, then you’ll have made a true breakthrough.
【第二大惊喜出现在去年。自2016年以来,我一直在与OpenAI的团队会面,他们的稳步进展给我留下了深刻的印象。在2022年中期,我对他们的工作感到非常兴奋,于是我给了他们一个挑战:训练一个人工智能来通过一门生物预修课程考试。让它能够回答没有专门训练过的问题。(我选择生物预修课程是因为该考试不仅仅是对科学事实的简单复述——它要求你批判性地思考生物学。)我说,如果你能做到这一点,那你就取得了真正的突破。】
【重点词汇】
Advanced Placement 先修课程;进阶课程(美国中学生在上大学前所修习以获得大学学分的课程)
regurgitation /rɪˌɡɜːdʒɪˈteɪʃn/ n. 回流;反刍
breakthrough /ˈbreɪkθruː/ n. 重大进展;突破
[4] I thought the challenge would keep them busy for two or three years. They finished it in just a few months.
【我以为这个挑战会让他们忙上两三年。他们只用了几个月就完成了。】
【重点词汇】
keep sb. busy 使某人忙碌
[5] In September, when I met with them again, I watched in awe as they asked GPT, their AI model, 60 multiple-choice questions from the AP Bio exam—and it got 59 of them right. Then it wrote outstanding answers to six open-ended questions from the exam. We had an outside expert score the test, and GPT got a 5—the highest possible score, and the equivalent to getting an A or A+ in a college-level biology course.
【9月,当我再次见到他们时,我敬畏地看着他们向他们的人工智能模型GPT提出了生物预修考试中的60道选择题——它答对了59道。然后,它为考试中的六个开放式问题写出了出色的答案。我们请了一位外部专家对考试进行评分,GPT得到了5分——可能达到的最高分数,相当于大学生物学课程的A或A+。】
【重点词汇】
awe /ɔː/ n. 敬畏;惊叹
multiple-choice 单项选择的
open-ended 无限制的;开放式的
equivalent /ɪˈkwɪvələnt/ n. 相等的东西;等量
[6] Once it had aced the test, we asked it a non-scientific question: “What do you say to a father with a sick child?” It wrote a thoughtful answer that was probably better than most of us in the room would have given. The whole experience was stunning.
【当它通过测试后,我们问了它一个非科学的问题:“你会对一个孩子生病的父亲说什么?”它写了一个体贴的答案,可能比我们在座的大多数人会给出的答案都要好。整个经历令人惊叹。】
【重点词汇】
ace /eɪs/ v. 在……中取得好成绩
thoughtful /ˈθɔːtfl/ adj. 体贴的;关心别人的;关切的
stunning /ˈstʌnɪŋ/ adj. 令人惊奇万分的;令人震惊的
[7] I knew I had just seen the most important advance in technology since the graphical user interface.
【我知道我刚刚看到了自图形用户界面以来最重要的技术进步。】
[8] This inspired me to think about all the things that AI can achieve in the next five to 10 years.
【这启发了我去思考人工智能在未来5到10年内可以实现的所有事情。】
[9] The development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone. It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other. Entire industries will reorient around it. Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it.
【人工智能的发展与微处理器、个人电脑、互联网和移动电话的诞生一样具有根本意义。它将改变人们工作、学习、旅行、获得医疗保健以及彼此交流的方式。整个行业都将围绕它重新定位。企业将通过他们对它的利用程度来突出自己。】
【重点词汇】
microprocessor /ˌmaɪkrəʊˈprəʊsesə(r)/ n. 微处理器
reorient /riːˈɔːrɪənt/ v. 使适应;再调整
distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/ v. 成为……的特征;使具有……的特色;使有别于
[10] Philanthropy is my full-time job these days, and I’ve been thinking a lot about how—in addition to helping people be more productive—AI can reduce some of the world’s worst inequities. Globally, the worst inequity is in health: 5 million children under the age of 5 die every year. That’s down from 10 million two decades ago, but it’s still a shockingly high number. Nearly all of these children were born in poor countries and die of preventable causes like diarrhea or malaria. It’s hard to imagine a better use of AIs than saving the lives of children.
【如今,慈善事业是我的全职工作,我一直在思考,除了帮助人们提高生产力之外,人工智能如何减少世界上一些最严重的不平等。在全球范围内,最严重的不平等是在健康方面:每年有500万5岁以下儿童死亡。这比20年前的1000万有所下降,但仍然是一个令人震惊的数字。几乎所有这些儿童都出生在贫穷国家,死于腹泻或疟疾等可预防的疾病。很难想象人工智能还有比拯救儿童生命更好的用途。】
【重点词汇】
philanthropy /fɪˈlænθrəpi/ n. 慈善;乐善好施
inequity /ɪnˈekwəti/ n. 不公正的事;不公正;不公平
diarrhea /ˌdaɪəˈrɪə/ n. 腹泻
malaria /məˈleəriə/ n. 疟疾
[11] In the United States, the best opportunity for reducing inequity is to improve education, particularly making sure that students succeed at math. The evidence shows that having basic math skills sets students up for success, no matter what career they choose. But achievement in math is going down across the country, especially for Black, Latino, and low-income students. AI can help turn that trend around.
【在美国,减少不平等的最佳机会是改善教育,特别是确保学生在数学方面取得成功。有证据表明,无论学生选择何种职业,掌握基本的数学技能都能为他们的成功做好准备。但是全国的数学成绩都在下降,尤其是黑人、拉丁裔和低收入家庭的学生。人工智能可以帮助扭转这一趋势。】
【重点词汇】
set up 设立;开动
Latino /læˈtiːnəʊ/ n. 拉丁美洲人
[12] Climate change is another issue where I’m convinced AI can make the world more equitable. The injustice of climate change is that the people who are suffering the most—the world’s poorest—are also the ones who did the least to contribute to the problem. I’m still thinking and learning about how AI can help, but later in this post I’ll suggest a few areas with a lot of potential.
【气候变化是我相信人工智能可以让世界更加公平的另一个问题。气候变化的不公正之处在于,遭受最大痛苦的人——世界上最贫穷的人——同时也是对这个问题贡献最少的人。我仍在思考和学习人工智能如何提供帮助,但在这篇文章的后面,我将提出几个具有很大潜力的领域。】
【重点词汇】
convince /kənˈvɪns/ v. 使确信;使相信;使信服
equitable /ˈekwɪtəbl/ adj. 公平合理的;公正的
injustice /ɪnˈdʒʌstɪs/ n. 不公正;不公平
[13] In short, I’m excited about the impact that AI will have on issues that the Gates Foundation works on, and the foundation will have much more to say about AI in the coming months. The world needs to make sure that everyone—and not just people who are well-off—benefits from artificial intelligence. Governments and philanthropy will need to play a major role in ensuring that it reduces inequity and doesn’t contribute to it. This is the priority for my own work related to AI.
【简而言之,我对人工智能将对盖茨基金会正在研究的问题产生的影响感到兴奋,在未来的几个月里,基金会将会有更多关于人工智能的言论。世界需要确保每个人——而不仅仅是富人——都能从人工智能中受益。政府和慈善机构需要发挥重要作用,以确保人工智能减少不平等,而不是加剧不平等。这是我自己与人工智能相关工作的优先事项。】
【重点词汇】
well-off 富裕的
priority /praɪˈɒrəti/ n. 优先事项;最重要的事;首要事情
[14] Any new technology that’s so disruptive is bound to make people uneasy, and that’s certainly true with artificial intelligence. I understand why—it raises hard questions about the workforce, the legal system, privacy, bias, and more. AIs also make factual mistakes and experience hallucinations. Before I suggest some ways to mitigate the risks, I’ll define what I mean by AI, and I’ll go into more detail about some of the ways in which it will help empower people at work, save lives, and improve education.
【任何具有颠覆性的新技术都必然会让人们感到不安,人工智能当然也是如此。我理解其中的原因——它引发了关于劳动力、法律体系、隐私、偏见等方面的难题。人工智能也会犯事实上的错误,并出现幻觉。在我提出一些减轻风险的方法之前,我将先定义一下人工智能的含义,并将更详细地介绍人工智能增强人们的工作能力、拯救生命和改善教育的一些方式。】
【重点词汇】
disruptive /dɪsˈrʌptɪv/ adj. 引起混乱的;扰乱性的;破坏性的
factual /ˈfæktʃuəl/ adj. 根据事实的;事实的;真实的
hallucination /həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃn/ n. 幻觉;幻视;幻听
mitigate /ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/ v. 减轻;缓和
empower /ɪmˈpaʊə(r)/ v. 授权;给(某人)……的权力
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