Some of the old worries about artificial intelligence were closely linked to the question of whether computers could think.The first massive electronic computers,capable of rapid calculation and little or no creative activity,were soon dubbed(取绰号)"electronic brains".A reaction to this terminology quickly followed,computers were called"high speed idiots",an effort to protect human vanity.But not everyone realized theimplications of the high-speed idiot tag.It has not been pointed out enough that even the human idiot is one of the most intelligent life forms on earth.If the early computers were even that intelligent,it was already a remarkable state of affairs.
One consequence of speculation about the possibility of computer thought was that we were forced to examine with new care the idea of thought in general.It soon became clear that we were not sure what we meant bysuch terms as thought and thinking.We tend to assume that human beings think,some more than others,though we often call people thoughtless or unthinking.Dreams cause a problem,partly because they usually happen outside our control.They are obviously some type of mental experience,but are they a type of thinking?And the question of nonhuman life forms adds further problems.Many of us would maintain that some of the higheranimals-dogs,cats,apes,and so on-are capable of at least basic thought,but what about fish and insects?If thinking is demonstrated by evident electrical activity in the brain,then many species are capable of thought.Once we have formulated clear ideas on what thought is in biological creatures,it will be easier to discuss the question of thought in artifacts(人工制品).And what is true of thought is also true of the many other mental processes.One of the immense benefits of a research is that we are being forced to scrutinize,with new rigor,the working of the human mind.
It is already clear that machines have superior mental abilities to many life forms.No fern or oak tree can play chess as well as even the simplest digital computer,nor can frogs weld car bodies as well as robots.It seems that,viewed in terms of intellect ,the computer should be set well above plants and most animals.Only the higher animals can compete with computers with regard to intellect and even then with diminishing success.
1.What did people think of the early computers?
2.According to the author,the early computers is__________________than human idiots.
3.As a result of speculating whether computer could think,we had to research more carefully to get_____________________.
4.Why do dreams cause the problem whether they are a type of thinking,according to the author?
5.What does the author want to illustrate by mentioning the fern and the oak tree?
答案：
1.[They were called"high speed idiots"/They can calculate rapidly but are idiots.]
[定位]第1段第2、3句。
解析：此题有关人们对早期电子计算机的看法。从第1段第2、3句所提到的计算机的两个绰号“electronic brains”和“high speed idiots”可推理得出：人们对于当时出现的计算机其实是持嘲讽和轻蔑态度的，认为它们虽然运转速度快，但是很笨。
2.[less intelligent]
[定位]根据early computers查找到第1段最后一句。
解析：原文倒数第2句提到，即使是human idiot，也是最intelligent的生命形式。接着最后一句用if“假设”说明了早期的计算机并没有白痴的人聪明，由此可知题目应填入less intelligent。
3.[the idea of thought in general]
[定位]根据result of speculating查找到第2段第1句。
解析：题目中的前半部分是对原文主语的同义改写，主句中的had to research toget...相当于原文中的were forced toexamine...，因此examine后面的宾语就是答案所在。
4.[Because they usually happen outside our control./Because they are usually beyond our control.
[定位]根据dreams cause a problem查找到第2段第4句。
解析：原文提到Dreams cause a problem后即明确解释原因：partly because they usually happen outside our control，答案可以照搬原文，也可以用介词beyond进行同义改写。
5.[Machines have superior mental abilities to many life forms./Computers are more intelligent than plants and most animals.]
[定位]末段前三句。
解析：末段第2句提到的内容是支持该段首句和第3句观点的具体例子。这两句话的观点是相同的，说的都是“机器比很多生物具有更强的思考能力”。由此可见。可照搬首句中that引导的主语从句作为答案，也可以结合第3句作同义改写。
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