单选题 In the 1950s, the pioneers of artificial intelligence (AI) predicted that, by the end of this century, computers would be conversing with us at work and robots would be performing our housework. But powerful as computers are, they"re nowhere close to achieving anything remotely resembling these early aspirations for humanlike behavior. Never mind something as complex as conversation: the most powerful computers struggle to reliably recognize the shape of an object, the most elementary of tasks for a ten-month-old kid.
A growing group of AI researchers think they know where the field went wrong. The problem, the scientists say, is that AI has been trying to separate the highest, most abstract levels of thought, like language and mathematics, and to duplicate them with logical, step-by- step programs. A new movement in AI, on the other hand, takes a closer look at the more roundabout way in which nature came up with intelligence. Many of these researchers study evolution and natural adaptation instead of formal logic and conventional computer programs. Rather than digital computers and transistors, some want to work with brain cells and proteins. The results of these early efforts are as promising as they are peculiar, and the new nature-based AI movement is slowly but surely moving to the forefront of the field.
Imitating the brain"s neural (神经的) network is a huge step in the right direction, says computer scientist and biophysicist Michael Conrad, but it still misses an important aspect of natural intelligence. "People tend to treat the brain as if it were made up of color-coded transistors", he explains, "but it"s not simply a clever network of switches. There are lots of important things going on inside the brain cells themselves. " Specifically, Conrad believes that many of the brain"s capabilities stem from the pattern recognition proficiency of the individual molecules that make up each brain cell. The best way to build and artificially intelligent device, he claims, would be to build it around the same sort of molecular skills.
Right now, the option that conventional computers and software are fundamentally incapable of matching the processes that take place in the brain remains controversial. But if it proves true, then the efforts of Conrad and his fellow AI rebels could turn out to be the only game in town.

单选题 The author says that the powerful computers of today ______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。利用定位关键词可以定位到第一段“But powerful as computers are, they"re nowhere close to achieving anything remotely resembling these early aspirations for humanlike behavior”，即“尽管计算机很强大，但它们远未接近(close；near)实现(achieve；realize)早期被预期的那种像人的行为”。选项A中“are capable of reliably recognizing...”与短文中“struggle to reliably recognize...”(努力、竭力、试图)不是同义改写；选项B“close to”与原文(nowhere close to)信息完全相反；选项C(与50年代的电脑在表现上没什么差异)比较有迷惑性，但原文说到的是“humanlike behavior”方面没什么不同，而不是电脑的一般效能；选项D(仍旧不能使用语言跟人交流)为正确答案，即在像人的行为方面没什么区别，原文中“humanlike behavior”与“communicate with people in a human language”为同义改写。

单选题 The shortcoming in artificial intelligence research stems from ______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。利用定位关键词可以定位到第二段“A growing group of AI researchers think they know where the field went wrong. The problem，the scientists say, is that AI has been trying to separate the highest, most abstract levels of thought, like language and mathematics, and to duplicate them with logical, step-by-step programs”，即“越来越多的智能研究者认为，他们知道这个领域的毛病在什么地方。科学家说，问题的症结是人工智能一直试图脱离最高级、最抽象的思维层次，如语言和数学，而以一步一步的逻辑程序来复制它们”，由此可知人工智能研究的问题就是试图用逻辑程序复制抽象的思维层次，所以B(人工智能可以通过一步步的逻辑进行复制)是问题的根源，原文中的“wrong”“problem”与题干中的“shortcoming”为同义改写，因而该题的答案为B。

单选题 What"s the author"s opinion about the new AI movement?

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 态度题。利用定位关键词可以定位到第二段“The results of these early efforts are as promising as they are peculiar. and the new nature-based AI movement is slowly but surely moving to the forefront of the field”，其中的“promising”“surely”等都流露了作者的态度，即作者对新的人工智能研究运动是非常肯定的，选项B(是复制人类思维过程的突破)为肯定意义，而选项A中的“will soon die out”，C中的“like a game rather than”及D中“nobody is sure”等均含否定意思，所以该题的正确答案为B。

单选题 Conrad and his group of AI researchers have been making enormous efforts to ______.

单选题 Which of the following is closest in meaning to the phrase "the only game in town" ( Line 3, Para. 4) ?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 猜词题。阅读中词语的理解也不能脱离短文主题和语境。game一词有游戏、竞赛方法规则、策略、计谋、方针及行动步骤等多种释义，选项D是短语的简单改写，不可能作为答案，选项B重点在获奖，也与短文内容相距甚远，也应排除。容易混淆的是选项C，C侧重研究领域，即范围，而本文主要讨论研究方法即途径，所以选项A(建设人工智能电脑的唯一方式)为正确答案；the only game in town为固定搭配，意为“最好的，最重要的”。