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人工智能拉开科技竞赛序幕(下)
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高管、企业家和投资者都希望，聊天机器人不要最终变成科技行业一直以来大量产出的那种东西：让人空有好奇，却大失所望。
双语精读
Executives, entrepreneurs and investors hope the chatbots will not turn out to be what the tech industry has seemed to churn out for some time now: a curiosity that falls short of big expectations.
高管、企业家和投资者都希望，聊天机器人不要最终变成科技行业一直以来大量产出的那种东西：让人空有好奇，却大失所望。
There have been many: Self-driving cars that can't quite get the self-driving part right. Wearable technologies that still need a smartphone nearby to truly be useful. And crypto currencies that promised to change the world of finance but so far have largely been an asset for speculators.
这种例子很多：不能完全实现自动驾驶的自动驾驶汽车。附近要有智能手机才起作用的可穿戴科技设备。曾承诺改变金融界，但到目前为止还是投机资产的加密货币。
Microsoft has worked closely with OpenAI, investing $13 billion in the start-up and supplying the billions of dollars in computing power needed to build its A.I. technology.
微软与OpenAI进行了密切合作，向这家初创公司投资了130亿美元，并提供了数十亿美元，建设打造人工智能技术所需的算力。
Microsoft declined to discuss the specific technology that underpins its new search engine, but it is very likely based on a widely rumored OpenAI creation called GPT-4, the successor to what the San Francisco company released two months ago.
微软拒绝讨论新型搜索引擎的具体底层技术，但这种技术很可能是基于传闻中的OpenAI产品：GPT-4。这家旧金山公司在两个月前发布了产品，GPT-4就是这个产品的第二代。
The partnership is the "best bromance in tech history," Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, said in an interview.
OpenAI的首席执行官萨姆·奥尔特曼在接受采访时说，这一合作关系是"科技史上的最佳兄弟情"。
Like similar services from start-ups like Perplexity and You.com, Microsoft's new search engine annotates what the chatbot says, so people can readily review its sources.
和Perplexity、You.com等初创公司的服务类似，微软的新型搜素引擎也会给聊天机器人的回答进行注释，这样人们就可以方便地查看信息来源。
And it dovetails with Microsoft's index of all websites, so that it can instantly access the latest information posted to the internet.
而且聊天机器人与微软所有网站的索引相匹配，因此它可以立即访问发布在互联网上的最新信息。
The company also said that its search engine includes technology that was designed to identify and remove problematic content from the chat service.
微软还表示，搜索引擎可以识别并删除聊天服务中有问题的内容。
Last week, Microsoft released its first A.I. integration into Outlook, its email service, with a tool that helps salespeople write custom emails.
上周，微软发布了第一次集成了人工智能的电子邮件服务Outlook，其中还有一个工具，可以帮助销售人员给客户写邮件。
In the coming months, Microsoft plans to release features with generative A.I. on average every week, said Charles Lamanna, an executive who oversees the applications that Microsoft builds for businesses.
在接下来的几个月里，微软计划平均每周都发布具有生成式人工智能技术的特色功能，负责微软企业版应用软件的高管查尔斯·拉曼纳这样表示。
He compared this new wave of A.I. technologies to the rise of the internet or personal computing. "Everybody is in a room with the lights out trying to feel what the heck this market and this opportunity actually looks like," he said in an interview last week.
他将当前的新一波人工智能技术与互联网或个人电脑的兴起进行类比。他在上周的一次采访中表示："每个人都像在一个熄了灯的房间里，试图去感受这个市场和这个机会到底是什么样子。"
词汇预习
curiosity [高考]
美[ˌkjʊriˈɑːsəti] | 英[ˌkjʊəriˈɒsəti]
n. 好奇心；好奇；稀奇的人或物
identify [高考]
美[aɪˈdentɪfaɪ] | 英[aɪˈdentɪfaɪ]
v. 鉴定；识别；确认；发现；找到
release [高考]
美[rɪˈliːs] | 英[rɪˈliːs]
n. 释放；让渡；发行 vt. 释放；让与；准予发表；发射
creation [高考]
美[kriˈeɪʃn] | 英[kriˈeɪʃn]
n. 创造；创作
executive [高考]
美[ɪɡˈzekjətɪv] | 英[ɪɡˈzekjətɪv]
adj. 行政的；决策的；经营的；[计算机]执行指令 n. 行政主管；行政部门；决策者
largely [高考]
美[ˈlɑːrdʒli] | 英[ˈlɑːdʒli]
adv. 大部分；主要地
instantly [高考]
美[ˈɪnstəntli] | 英[ˈɪnstəntli]
adv. 立即地；即刻地
readily [高考]
美[ˈredɪli] | 英[ˈredɪli]
adv. 容易地；迅速地；乐意地；欣然
integration [高考]
美[ˌɪntɪˈɡreʃən] | 英[ˌɪntɪˈgreɪʃn]
n. 集成；综合；同化
partnership [高考]
美[ˈpɑrtnərʃɪp] | 英[ˈpɑ:tnəʃɪp]
n. 合伙人身份；合股；合伙经营
asset [高考]
美[ˈæset] | 英[ˈæset]
n. 资产；优点；有用的东西
access [高考]
美[ˈækses] | 英[ˈækses]
n.入口，通道；获得的机会，使用权；（对计算机存储器的）访问，存取；（情感）爆发，发作；探视权 v. 接近，进入；获取，访问（计算机信息） adj.[美]（电视节目或时间等）对外公开的
chief [高考]
美[tʃiːf] | 英[tʃiːf]
adj. 主要的；首要的 n. 首领
com [高考]
美[kɑm] | 英[kɑm]
abbr. 计算机输出缩微胶片(=computer-output microfilm) abbr. 组件对象模型(=Component Object Model)
finance [高考]
美[ˈfaɪnæns] | 英[ˈfaɪnæns]
n. 金融；财政；资金 vt. 给 ... 提供资金；负担经费
self [高考]
美[self] | 英[self]
n. 自己；本性；自我 pron. 我自己；你自己；他或她自己 adj.同一的；纯净的；单一的 v. 近亲繁殖；自花授粉
turn out [高考]
美[tɜːrn aʊt] | 英[tɜːn aʊt]
v. 结果是；生产；出现；关闭；翻转；证明是
index [四级]
美[ˈɪndeks] | 英[ˈɪndeks]
n. 指数；索引；(刻度盘上的)指针 v. 指出；编索引
email [四级]
美['imeɪl] | 英['i:meɪl]
vt. 发电子邮件；给……发电子邮件 n. 电子邮件，电子信函
tech [四级]
美[tek] | 英[tek]
n. 技术学校；技术；技术人员
problematic [四级]
美[ˌprɑbləˈmætɪk] | 英[ˌprɒbləˈmætɪk]
adj. 问题的；有疑问的
short of [四级]
美[ʃɔrt ʌv] | 英[ʃɔ:t ɔv]
缺少； 达不到； 除 ... 以外
successor [六级]
美[səkˈsesər] | 英[səkˈsesə(r)]
n. 接班人；继任人
based on [六级]
美[best ɑn] | 英[beɪst ɔn]
以 ... 为基础； 基于
smartphone [六级]
美[ˈsmɑːrtfoʊn] | 英
n.智能手机
trying [专八]
美[ˈtraɪɪŋ] | 英[ˈtraɪɪŋ]
adj. 难受的；令人厌烦的
generative [雅思]
美[ˈdʒenərətɪv] | 英[ˈdʒenərətɪv]
adj. 生殖的；生产的；有生殖力的
重点讲解
Executives, entrepreneurs and investors hope the chatbots will not turn out to be what the tech industry has seemed to churn out for some time now: a curiosity that falls short of big expectations.
高管、企业家和投资者都希望，聊天机器人不要最终变成科技行业一直以来大量产出的那种东西：让人空有好奇，却大失所望。
turn out to be/that 原来是；结果是
【例】The job turned out to be harder than we thought.
这工作结果比我们想像的要难。
It turned out that she was a friend of my sister.
她原来是我姐姐的朋友。
【近义词】prove to be 结果是；事实证明是
【拓展】turn out + adv./adj. 结果……
【例】Despite our worries everything turned out well.
尽管我们都很担心，但结果一切都顺利。
churn out （粗制滥造地）大量生产，大量炮制
【例】He's been churning out bad plays for ten years now.
他粗制滥造低劣的剧本至今已有10年了。
fall short of expectations 未达到期望
【例】The hotel fell far short of their expectations.
旅馆远没有他们预期的那么好。
【反义词】live up to expectations 达到期望
【拓展】go/run short of sth 缺少某物
【例】They had run short of food.
他们食物不够吃了。
There have been many: Self-driving cars that can't quite get the self-driving part right. Wearable technologies that still need a smartphone nearby to truly be useful. And crypto currencies that promised to change the world of finance but so far have largely been an asset for speculators.
这种例子很多：不能完全实现自动驾驶的自动驾驶汽车。附近要有智能手机才起作用的可穿戴科技设备。曾承诺改变金融界，但到目前为止还是投机资产的加密货币。
asset n. 资产；有价值的人（或物）
【例】In his job, patience is an invaluable asset.
他干的这份工作，耐心是无价之宝。
【反义词】liability n. 负债；惹麻烦的人（或物）
【例】Shyness is a liability in politics.
胆怯腼腆是政治生涯中的拖累。
convert a liability into an asset 变废为宝
Microsoft has worked closely with OpenAI, investing $13 billion in the start-up and supplying the billions of dollars in computing power needed to build its A.I. technology.
微软与OpenAI进行了密切合作，向这家初创公司投资了130亿美元，并提供了数十亿美元，建设打造人工智能技术所需的算力。
underpin v. 构成基础；巩固；加强
【例】The report is underpinned by extensive research.
这份报告以广泛的研究为基础。
【拓展】和under-相关的两个单词：
underlie v. 构成基础；作为原因
【例】It is a principle that underlies all the policies.
这是贯穿各项政策的一条准则。
undermine v. 暗中破坏；逐渐损害
【例】This crisis has undermined his position.
这场危机已损害了他的地位。
successor n. 接替者；后继的事物
【例】the successor to the retiring chairman 退休主席的继任
Last week's storm was bad, but its successor yesterday was even worse.
上周的暴风雨势头很猛, 而接下来昨天发生的那次更厉害。
【拓展】succeed v. 继任；继承；取得成功
Microsoft declined to discuss the specific technology that underpins its new search engine, but it is very likely based on a widely rumored OpenAI creation called GPT-4, the successor to what the San Francisco company released two months ago.
微软拒绝讨论新型搜索引擎的具体底层技术，但这种技术很可能是基于传闻中的OpenAI产品：GPT-4。这家旧金山公司在两个月前发布了产品，GPT-4就是这个产品的第二代。
underpin v. 构成基础；巩固；加强
【例】The report is underpinned by extensive research.
这份报告以广泛的研究为基础。
【拓展】和under-相关的两个单词：
underlie v. 构成基础；作为原因
【例】It is a principle that underlies all the policies.
这是贯穿各项政策的一条准则。
undermine v. 暗中破坏；逐渐损害
【例】This crisis has undermined his position.
这场危机已损害了他的地位。
successor n. 接替者；后继的事物
【例】the successor to the retiring chairman 退休主席的继任
Last week's storm was bad, but its successor yesterday was even worse.
上周的暴风雨势头很猛, 而接下来昨天发生的那次更厉害。
【拓展】succeed v. 继任；继承；取得成功
The partnership is the "best bromance in tech history," Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, said in an interview.
OpenAI的首席执行官萨姆·奥尔特曼在接受采访时说，这一合作关系是"科技史上的最佳兄弟情"。
annotate v. 作注解；作评注
【例】an elaborately annotated text 有详尽注解的课文
【拓展】annotation n. 注释 annotated adj. 带注解的
readily adv.
1. 快捷地；容易地；便利地
【例】be readily understood/available 很容易弄懂的/容易获得的
2. 欣然地；乐意地
【例】He readily agreed to help.
他欣然同意来帮忙。
Like similar services from start-ups like Perplexity and You.com, Microsoft's new search engine annotates what the chatbot says, so people can readily review its sources.
和Perplexity、You.com等初创公司的服务类似，微软的新型搜素引擎也会给聊天机器人的回答进行注释，这样人们就可以方便地查看信息来源。
annotate v. 作注解；作评注
【例】an elaborately annotated text 有详尽注解的课文
【拓展】annotation n. 注释 annotated adj. 带注解的
readily adv.
1. 快捷地；容易地；便利地
【例】be readily understood/available 很容易弄懂的/容易获得的
2. 欣然地；乐意地
【例】He readily agreed to help.
他欣然同意来帮忙。
And it dovetails with Microsoft's index of all websites, so that it can instantly access the latest information posted to the internet.
而且聊天机器人与微软所有网站的索引相匹配，因此它可以立即访问发布在互联网上的最新信息。
dovetail v. 吻合；密切配合
【例】The account dovetails with the investigators' views of his actions.
这段叙述与调查员们对他行为的看法相吻合。
【搭配】dovetail with/into sth 与某事物吻合
【近义词】match/fit in with 符合；能配合
The company also said that its search engine includes technology that was designed to identify and remove problematic content from the chat service.
微软还表示，搜索引擎可以识别并删除聊天服务中有问题的内容。
dovetail v. 吻合；密切配合
【例】The account dovetails with the investigators' views of his actions.
这段叙述与调查员们对他行为的看法相吻合。
【搭配】dovetail with/into sth 与某事物吻合
【近义词】match/fit in with 符合；能配合
Last week, Microsoft released its first A.I. integration into Outlook, its email service, with a tool that helps salespeople write custom emails.
上周，微软发布了第一次集成了人工智能的电子邮件服务Outlook，其中还有一个工具，可以帮助销售人员给客户写邮件。
feature n. & v.
1. 作名词：特色；特征
【例】Teamwork is a key feature of the training program.
团队合作是这项训练计划的重要特点。
Which features do you look for when choosing a mobile phone?
你挑选手机时看重哪些特点？
2. 作动词：以……为特色
【例】The new type engines feature high speed and economical operating costs.
这种新型发动机以高速和操作费用低廉为特色。
oversee v. 监督；管理
【例】As marketing manager, her job is to oversee all the company's advertising.
作为市场部经理，她的工作就是监督公司的所有广告宣传。
【近义词】supervise v. 监督；管理；指导
【拓展】overlook v. 忽视；未注意到
【例】He seems to have overlooked one important fact.
他好像忽略了一个重要的事实。
In the coming months, Microsoft plans to release features with generative A.I. on average every week, said Charles Lamanna, an executive who oversees the applications that Microsoft builds for businesses.
在接下来的几个月里，微软计划平均每周都发布具有生成式人工智能技术的特色功能，负责微软企业版应用软件的高管查尔斯·拉曼纳这样表示。
feature n. & v.
1. 作名词：特色；特征
【例】Teamwork is a key feature of the training program.
团队合作是这项训练计划的重要特点。
Which features do you look for when choosing a mobile phone?
你挑选手机时看重哪些特点？
2. 作动词：以……为特色
【例】The new type engines feature high speed and economical operating costs.
这种新型发动机以高速和操作费用低廉为特色。
oversee v. 监督；管理
【例】As marketing manager, her job is to oversee all the company's advertising.
作为市场部经理，她的工作就是监督公司的所有广告宣传。
【近义词】supervise v. 监督；管理；指导
【拓展】overlook v. 忽视；未注意到
【例】He seems to have overlooked one important fact.
他好像忽略了一个重要的事实。
He compared this new wave of A.I. technologies to the rise of the internet or personal computing. "Everybody is in a room with the lights out trying to feel what the heck this market and this opportunity actually looks like," he said in an interview last week.
他将当前的新一波人工智能技术与互联网或个人电脑的兴起进行类比。他在上周的一次采访中表示："每个人都像在一个熄了灯的房间里，试图去感受这个市场和这个机会到底是什么样子。"
compare A to B 将A和B类比
【例】Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
我能否将你比作夏天？
【拓展】contrast A with B 将A和B对比
【例】In this book the writer contrasts good with evil.
在这本书中，作家对比了善与恶
课后练习
The examples of self-driving cars and wearable technologies are used to show that ____.
A. innovation is the driving force of the tech industry
B. chatbots could reshape everyday life in similar ways
C. there have been many novel but disappointing inventions
D. good technologies should withstand the test of real life
Which of the following is true about GPT-4?
A. It will be launched after the new search engine.
B. Much of its information remains undisclosed.
C. It was released by OpenAI two months ago.
D. There is widespread suspicion about its effectiveness.
One of the characteristics of the new search engine is that ____.
A. it rates the usefulness of the chatbot service
B. it enhances the authenticity of the chatbot service
C. it corrects the mistakes made by the chatbot
D. it prioritizes the latest information over the old one
According to Charles Lamanna, ____.
A. applications with generative A.I. mainly cater to businesses
B. there is fierce competition in the area of new A.I. technology
C. the prospect of the new A.I. technology is not clear yet
D. there is a lack of confidence in the market of generative A.I.