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人工智能拉开科技竞赛序幕(中)
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周二，在一个挤满了近100名记者、编辑和摄影师的房间里，微软展示了新的必应搜索引擎。
双语精读
On Tuesday, in a room crowded with nearly 100 reporters, editors and photographers, Microsoft showed off a new Bing search engine.
周二，在一个挤满了近100名记者、编辑和摄影师的房间里，微软展示了新的必应搜索引擎。
Yusuf Mehdi, a corporate vice president at Microsoft, used a new conversational interface to search for a 65-inch television suited to video games.
微软公司副总裁尤瑟夫·梅迪用新的对话界面搜索适合视频游戏的65英寸电视。
As the service listed television, he asked it to pare the list to the cheapest models. It quickly did.
各种电视列出来后，他要求搜索引擎筛选出最便宜的型号。任务很快就完成了。
He then used the chatbot to plan a Mexican vacation and research Japanese poets.
然后，他用聊天机器人做了去墨西哥度假的攻略，并研究了日本诗人的资料。
With a short query, he could ask the system to translate results from Spanish to English or show a particular haiku poem.
只需一个简短的提问，他就可以让系统将搜索结果从西班牙语翻译成英语，或者显示一首特定的俳句。
"You see, this is just so much better than today's search," Mr. Mehdi said. Mr. Mehdi also unveiled a new version of the company's Edge web browser that offers its own chatbot service.
"你看，这比现在的搜索引擎要好用得多。"梅迪说。梅迪还发布了新版Edge浏览器，这版浏览器中有自己的聊天机器人服务。
After loading a news release, he asked the bot to summarize the document.
在输入了一份新闻稿后，他要求机器人总结新闻内容。
He also asked it to write a social media post about the new Bing search engine and had it generate a snippet of computer code for a new software program.
他还要求机器人写一篇关于新的必应搜索引擎的社交媒体帖子，并让它为一个新的软件程序生成一小段计算机代码。
Microsoft released its new version of Bing to a limited number of people on Tuesday. Each user will be able to run a limited number of queries and people can join a wait list for access to the full version of the service.
周二，微软小范围地发布了新版必应搜索引擎。每个用户将能够进行数量有限的查询，还可以加入访问完整版引擎的等待名单。
The company plans to expand access to millions more people by the end of the month. Mr. Nadella said in an interview that Microsoft was working in a "frantic pace" to incorporate the new technology into its products.
微软计划在本月底之前将服务范围扩大到数百万人。纳德拉在接受采访时表示，微软正在以"疯狂速度"将这项新技术融入其产品之中。
By releasing a new search tool--what he called "the most used product on the planet"--people will see how their "everyday habit" could lead to "something magical."
发布新的搜索工具之后----纳德拉称之为"地球上使用人数最多的产品"----人们将看到他们的"日常习惯"会如何带来"神奇的东西"。
It is important, he added, that Microsoft doesn't act like it is "shackled by our old businesses" when working with the new technology.
他补充说，重要的是，微软在使用新技术时，没有表现得像是"被我们的旧业务束缚住了"。
But when it comes to search engines, Microsoft, with just a 3 percent share of the global market, doesn't have a lot to lose.
但就搜索引擎而言，只占全球市场3%份额的微软是不会吃太大亏的。
Other companies have also jumped into the chatbot race. On Monday, Google announced that it would soon offer a chatbot called Bard and started adding chatbot technology into its own search engine.
其他公司也迅速加入了聊天机器人的竞赛。周一，谷歌宣布将很快推出一款名为Bard的聊天机器人，并开始在其搜索引擎中加入聊天机器人技术。
Meta, Facebook's parent company, is fast-tracking efforts to release similar technology in various products.
脸书的母公司Meta也在加快脚步，在各种产品中推出类似技术。
And countless start-ups are building their own generative A.I. products, the name for technologies that generate words, images and other media on their own.
无数初创企业正在打造自己的生成式人工智能产品，即能够自行生成文字、图像和其他媒介信息的技术。
词汇预习
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
code [高考]
美[koʊd] | 英[kəʊd]
n. 密码；法规；准则 v. 制成法典；把 ... 编码
countless [高考]
美[ˈkaʊntləs] | 英[ˈkaʊntləs]
adj. 无数的；多的数不清的
corporate [高考]
美[ˈkɔːrpərət] | 英[ˈkɔːpərət]
adj. 法人的；公司的；社团的；共同的；全体的
generate [高考]
美[ˈdʒenəreɪt] | 英[ˈdʒenəreɪt]
vt. 产生；发生；引起
summarize [高考]
美[ˈsʌməraɪz] | 英[ˈsʌməraɪz]
v. 概述；摘要而言
conversational [高考]
美[ˌkɑnvərˈseɪʃənl] | 英[ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃənl]
adj. 会话的；对话的；健谈的
media [高考]
美[ˈmiːdiə] | 英[ˈmiːdiə]
n. 传播媒介；(medium的复数)媒体；新闻媒介
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
pace [高考]
美[peɪs] | 英[peɪs]
n. 速度；步伐；(一)步 v. 踱步；(用步)测；(马)溜蹄走 prep. 用在人名前(礼貌的表达不同意见)
document [高考]
美[ˈdɑːkjumənt , ˈdɑːkjument] | 英[ˈdɒkjumənt , ˈdɒkjument]
n. 文件；公文；文档 vt. 记载；(用文件等)证明
expand [高考]
美[ɪkˈspænd] | 英[ɪkˈspænd]
v. 使 ... 膨胀；详述；扩张；增加；张开
inch [高考]
美[ɪntʃ] | 英[ɪntʃ]
n. 英寸；少量 v. 慢慢移动
software [高考]
美[ˈsɔːftwer] | 英[ˈsɒftweə(r)]
n. 软件
vice [高考]
美[vaɪs] | 英[vaɪs]
n. 缺点，恶习；堕落，邪恶；罪行；老虎钳 v. 握住；钳紧 adj. 副的；代替的，代理的 prep.代替
access to [高考]
美[ˈæksɛs tu] | 英[ˈækses tu:]
接近，有权使用；进入，通向…的路口
by the end of [高考]
美[baɪ ði ɛnd ʌv] | 英[bai ðə end ɔv]
到 ... 时为止； 在 ... 之前
limited [高考]
美[ˈlɪmɪtɪd] | 英[ˈlɪmɪtɪd]
adj. 有限的；被限制的
would [高考]
美[wʊd , wəd] | 英[wʊd , wəd]
aux. 将；可能；大概；总会；愿意；will的过去式
pare [四级]
美[per] | 英[peə(r)]
v. 削减；剥或削（某物）的皮；修剪（某物）边缘
to the full [四级]
美[tu ði fʊl] | 英[tu: ðə ful]
adv. 充分地(完全地)
browser [四级]
美[ˈbraʊzɚ] | 英[ˈbraʊzə(r)]
n. [计算机]浏览器；浏览(书本等)的人；食草动物
crowded [四级]
美[ˈkraʊdɪd] | 英[ˈkraʊdɪd]
adj.水泄不通的;拥挤的;肩摩踵接
incorporate [六级]
美[ɪnˈkɔːrpəreɪt] | 英[ɪnˈkɔːpəreɪt]
v. 合并；组成公司 adj. 合并的；公司组织的
interface [六级]
美[ˈɪntərfeɪs] | 英[ˈɪntəfeɪs]
n. 界面；接口 v. 连接；作接口
query [六级]
美[ˈkwɪri] | 英[ˈkwɪəri]
n. 疑问；质问；疑问号 vt. 质问；对 ... 表示怀疑
frantic [六级]
美[ˈfræntɪk] | 英[ˈfræntɪk]
adj. 疯狂的；狂乱的；急忙的
Spanish [专八]
美[ˈspænɪʃ] | 英[ˈspænɪʃ]
adj. 西班牙的；西班牙人的；西班牙语的 n. 西班牙语；西班牙人
snippet [托福]
美[ˈsnɪpɪt] | 英[ˈsnɪpɪt]
n. 小片；小部分；（消息或文章等的）片段
generative [雅思]
美[ˈdʒenərətɪv] | 英[ˈdʒenərətɪv]
adj. 生殖的；生产的；有生殖力的
重点讲解
On Tuesday, in a room crowded with nearly 100 reporters, editors and photographers, Microsoft showed off a new Bing search engine.
周二，在一个挤满了近100名记者、编辑和摄影师的房间里，微软展示了新的必应搜索引擎。
show off
1. 炫耀；展示
【例】He likes to show off how well he speaks French.
他喜欢向人展示他法语讲得有多好。
2. 使显得漂亮；衬托
【例】a dress that shows off her figure 衬托出她优美身材的连衣裙
Yusuf Mehdi, a corporate vice president at Microsoft, used a new conversational interface to search for a 65-inch television suited to video games.
微软公司副总裁尤瑟夫·梅迪用新的对话界面搜索适合视频游戏的65英寸电视。
suited adj.
1. 合适的；适宜的
【例】He is not really suited for a teaching career.
他不大适合当老师。
【搭配】be suited to/for sth 适合某事
2. 般配的
【例】a well suited couple 很般配的一对
As the service listed television, he asked it to pare the list to the cheapest models. It quickly did.
各种电视列出来后，他要求搜索引擎筛选出最便宜的型号。任务很快就完成了。
pare v. 削减；缩减
【例】to pare a list of 600 applicants down to 120 把一份有600个申请人的名单削减到120人
【搭配】pare sth back/down to... 把某物削减到……
【近义词】cut/scale sth back/down to... 把某物削减到……
【反义词】scale sth up 增加，扩大（数量）
【例】The company is scaling up its operations in India.
这家公司在扩大他们在印度的业务。
He then used the chatbot to plan a Mexican vacation and research Japanese poets.
然后，他用聊天机器人做了去墨西哥度假的攻略，并研究了日本诗人的资料。
pare v. 削减；缩减
【例】to pare a list of 600 applicants down to 120 把一份有600个申请人的名单削减到120人
【搭配】pare sth back/down to... 把某物削减到……
【近义词】cut/scale sth back/down to... 把某物削减到……
【反义词】scale sth up 增加，扩大（数量）
【例】The company is scaling up its operations in India.
这家公司在扩大他们在印度的业务。
With a short query, he could ask the system to translate results from Spanish to English or show a particular haiku poem.
只需一个简短的提问，他就可以让系统将搜索结果从西班牙语翻译成英语，或者显示一首特定的俳句。
query n. & v.
1. 作名词：疑问；询问
【例】Our assistants will be happy to answer your queries.
我们的助理很乐意回答诸位的问题。
2. 作动词：
（1）询问
【例】The police queried him on his whereabouts the night of the crime.
警方问他出事的那晚在什么地方。
（2）怀疑；表示疑虑
【例】We queried the bill as it seemed far too high.
账单上的费用似乎太高了，我们对此表示怀疑。
【近义词】inquiry n. 询问；打听；调查；探究
【例】make inquiries about the job/a murder inquiry 对工作的询问/谋杀案的调查
"You see, this is just so much better than today's search," Mr. Mehdi said. Mr. Mehdi also unveiled a new version of the company's Edge web browser that offers its own chatbot service.
"你看，这比现在的搜索引擎要好用得多。"梅迪说。梅迪还发布了新版Edge浏览器，这版浏览器中有自己的聊天机器人服务。
load n. & v.
1.作名词：负载物；装载量；负担
【例】The plane took off with a full load.
飞机满载起飞。
to bear the load of bringing up her family alone 担负起独自养家的重任
2.作动词：
（1）装载；装入
【例】to load the sacks onto the truck 把麻袋装上车
（2）装入（武器、相机等设备）；载入（数据或程序）
【例】to load film into the camera/to load the software 把胶卷装进相机/载入软件
After loading a news release, he asked the bot to summarize the document.
在输入了一份新闻稿后，他要求机器人总结新闻内容。
load n. & v.
1.作名词：负载物；装载量；负担
【例】The plane took off with a full load.
飞机满载起飞。
to bear the load of bringing up her family alone 担负起独自养家的重任
2.作动词：
（1）装载；装入
【例】to load the sacks onto the truck 把麻袋装上车
（2）装入（武器、相机等设备）；载入（数据或程序）
【例】to load film into the camera/to load the software 把胶卷装进相机/载入软件
He also asked it to write a social media post about the new Bing search engine and had it generate a snippet of computer code for a new software program.
他还要求机器人写一篇关于新的必应搜索引擎的社交媒体帖子，并让它为一个新的软件程序生成一小段计算机代码。
snippet n. 碎片；一小条（消息）；一则（新闻）
【例】On the bus I heard this interesting snippet of conversation.
在公共汽车上我听到了这么一小段有趣的谈话.
Microsoft released its new version of Bing to a limited number of people on Tuesday. Each user will be able to run a limited number of queries and people can join a wait list for access to the full version of the service.
周二，微软小范围地发布了新版必应搜索引擎。每个用户将能够进行数量有限的查询，还可以加入访问完整版引擎的等待名单。
frantic adj.
1. 紧张忙乱的
【例】Things are frantic in the office right now.
现在办公室里忙作一团。
2. 无法控制感情的；发狂似的
【例】be frantic with anger/a frantic applause 愤怒得发狂/狂热的掌声
【拓展】frenzy n. 疯狂；狂热；狂乱
【例】The speaker worked the crowd up into a frenzy.
演讲者把听众煽动得疯狂起来。
incorporate v. 将……包括在内；包含
【例】His book incorporates his earlier essays.
他的这本书里收录了他早年写的文章。
【搭配】incorporate sth in/into/within... 将某物并入……
【例】Suggestions from the survey have been incorporated into/in the final design.
调查中提出的建议已经纳入最终设计。
【近义词】include v.使包含 integrate v.使融入；使成为一体
The company plans to expand access to millions more people by the end of the month. Mr. Nadella said in an interview that Microsoft was working in a "frantic pace" to incorporate the new technology into its products.
微软计划在本月底之前将服务范围扩大到数百万人。纳德拉在接受采访时表示，微软正在以"疯狂速度"将这项新技术融入其产品之中。
frantic adj.
1. 紧张忙乱的
【例】Things are frantic in the office right now.
现在办公室里忙作一团。
2. 无法控制感情的；发狂似的
【例】be frantic with anger/a frantic applause 愤怒得发狂/狂热的掌声
【拓展】frenzy n. 疯狂；狂热；狂乱
【例】The speaker worked the crowd up into a frenzy.
演讲者把听众煽动得疯狂起来。
incorporate v. 将……包括在内；包含
【例】His book incorporates his earlier essays.
他的这本书里收录了他早年写的文章。
【搭配】incorporate sth in/into/within... 将某物并入……
【例】Suggestions from the survey have been incorporated into/in the final design.
调查中提出的建议已经纳入最终设计。
【近义词】include v.使包含 integrate v.使融入；使成为一体
By releasing a new search tool--what he called "the most used product on the planet"--people will see how their "everyday habit" could lead to "something magical."
发布新的搜索工具之后----纳德拉称之为"地球上使用人数最多的产品"----人们将看到他们的"日常习惯"会如何带来"神奇的东西"。
shackle n. & v.
1. 作名词：镣铐；枷锁；束缚
【例】to throw off the shackles of convention 摆脱传统的束缚
2. 作动词：给（某人）戴镣铐；束缚；阻挠
【例】He find himself shackled to a high-stress job.
他发现自己被一个高压的工作束缚住了。
【近义词】chain v.用锁链拴住；束缚 fetter v.戴上脚镣；束缚
It is important, he added, that Microsoft doesn't act like it is "shackled by our old businesses" when working with the new technology.
他补充说，重要的是，微软在使用新技术时，没有表现得像是"被我们的旧业务束缚住了"。
shackle n. & v.
1. 作名词：镣铐；枷锁；束缚
【例】to throw off the shackles of convention 摆脱传统的束缚
2. 作动词：给（某人）戴镣铐；束缚；阻挠
【例】He find himself shackled to a high-stress job.
他发现自己被一个高压的工作束缚住了。
【近义词】chain v.用锁链拴住；束缚 fetter v.戴上脚镣；束缚
But when it comes to search engines, Microsoft, with just a 3 percent share of the global market, doesn't have a lot to lose.
但就搜索引擎而言，只占全球市场3%份额的微软是不会吃太大亏的。
have nothing to lose 失败也无妨；不会吃亏
【例】You might as well apply for the job—you have nothing to lose.
你最好还是申请一下这份工作——就算不成功也吃不了亏。
【拓展】have everything to gain 肯定会受益
【反义词】have much to lose 很容易遭受损失
【例】Both countries have much to lose if there is a war.
如果战争爆发，两个国家都会蒙受损失。
Other companies have also jumped into the chatbot race. On Monday, Google announced that it would soon offer a chatbot called Bard and started adding chatbot technology into its own search engine.
其他公司也迅速加入了聊天机器人的竞赛。周一，谷歌宣布将很快推出一款名为Bard的聊天机器人，并开始在其搜索引擎中加入聊天机器人技术。
fast-track v. & adj.
1. 作动词：加速进程
【例】American regulators promise that they will fast-track its approval process.
美国监管机构承诺将加速审批进程。
【近义词】quicken/speed up/accelerate 使加速
【反义词】decelerate/slow down 使变慢
2. 作形容词：快速成功的
【例】the fast-track route to promotion 快速晋升之道
Meta, Facebook's parent company, is fast-tracking efforts to release similar technology in various products.
脸书的母公司Meta也在加快脚步，在各种产品中推出类似技术。
fast-track v. & adj.
1. 作动词：加速进程
【例】American regulators promise that they will fast-track its approval process.
美国监管机构承诺将加速审批进程。
【近义词】quicken/speed up/accelerate 使加速
【反义词】decelerate/slow down 使变慢
2. 作形容词：快速成功的
【例】the fast-track route to promotion 快速晋升之道
And countless start-ups are building**** their own generative**** A.I.**** products****,**** the name**** for technologies**** that**** generate**** words,**** images**** and other media on**** their own.****
无数初创企业正在打造自己的生成式人工智能产品，即能够自行生成文字、图像和其他媒介信息的技术。
课后练习
Which of the following is true about the new Bing search engine?
A. It has impressed reporters with its accuracy.
B. It features a multifunctional interface.
C. It can organize search results on demand.
D. It specializes in cross-cultural communication.
What is Microsoft’s plan for the chatbot technology?
A. Microsoft will use it to publish news for the company.
B. Microsoft will charge fees for access to the service.
C. Microsoft will improve the responsiveness of the chatbot.
D. Microsoft will integrate the chatbot into its products.
According to the author, Microsoft’s venture into the new technology ____.
A. could reshape people’s habits of searching online
B. could enlarge the market share of its search engine
C. could sacrifice the growth of its old businesses
D. could pose few risks to its search engine service
The attitude of other companies towards generative A.I. is ____.
A. skeptical
B. eager
C. cautious
D. determined