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microscopicmess39阅读理解：第二十九篇Ill Be Bach（2014年新文章） Composer David Cope is the inventor of a computer program that writes original works of classical music. It took Cope 30 years to develop the software. Now most people cant tell the difference between music by the famous German composer J. S. Bach1 (1685-1750) and the Bach-like compositions from Copes computer. It all started in 1980 in the United States, when Cope was trying to write an opera. He was having trouble thinking of new melodies, so be wrote a computer program to create the melodies. At first this music was not easy to listen to. What did Cope do? He began to rethink how human beings compose music. He realized that composers1 brains work like big databases. First,they take in all the music that they have ever heard. Then they take out the music that they dislike. Finally, they make new music from what is left. According to Cope，only the great composers axe able to create the database accurately,remember it,and form new musical patterns firom it.Cope built a huge database of existing music. He began with hundreds of works by Bach. 1 he software analyzed the data： it broke it down into smaller pieces and looked for patterns. It then combined the pieces into new patterns. Before long, the program could compose short Bach-like works. They werent good,but it was a start. Cope knew he had more work to do-he had a whole opera to write. He continued to improve the software. Soon it could analyze more complex music. He also added many other composers， including his own work,to the database. A few years later，Copes computer program,called “Emmy”，was ready to help him with his opera. The process required a lot of collaboration between the composer and Emmy. Cope listened to the computers musical ideas and used the ones that he liked. With Emmy, the opera took only two weeks to finish. It was called Cradle Fallingttind it was a great success! Cope received some of the best reviews of his career,but no one knew exactly how he had composed the work. Since that first opera, Emmy has written thousands of compositions. Cope still gives Emmy feedback on what he likes and doesnt like of her music,but she is doing most of the hard work of composing these days!词汇：original /9 Vicinal/ adj.有独创性 coHaboration /ka丨laebdreijan / n.合作review/ rivju:/ n.评论 feedback /fi:db®k / n.反馈注释： 1. J. S. Bach:约翰塞巴斯蒂安巴赫(德语:Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685 年3 月 31 日一 1750年7月28 H),巴洛克时期的德国作曲家，杰出的管风琴、小提琴、大键琴演奏家,同作曲家亨德尔和泰勒曼齐名。巴赫被普遍认为是音乐史上最重要的作曲家之一，并被尊称为“西方现代音乐之父”,也是西方文化史上最重要的人物之一。练习： 1. The music composed by David cope is about A classical music. B pop music.C drama. D country music.2. By developing a computer software,David Cope aimedA to be like Bach. B to study Bach.C to write an opera. D to create a musical database3. What did Cope realize about a great composersbrain?A It forms new musical patterns all by itself. B It writes a computer program.C It can recognize any music patterns. D It creates an accurate database.4. Who is Emmy? A a database B a computer softwareC a composer who helped David D an opera5. We can infer from the passage that A David Cope is a computer programmer. B David Cope loves music. C Bachs music helped him a lot. D Emmy did much more work than a composer. 答案与题解： 1. A第一段的第一句:David Cope发明了一个可以编写出古典音乐的电脑软件。2. C从第二段的第一句可以看出,David编写电脑软件的目的是写歌剧。A、B和D都属于创作歌剧的一部分。 3. D第二段的后半部分讲的是伟大的歌剧作者与一般的歌剧作者的不同之处是通过对数据进行淮确的构建、记忆而后创作出新的音乐形式。 4. B从第五段第一句可知Emmy是一计笄机软件。 5. D从本文第一句可知David是一个作曲家,不是计算机程序员,所以排除A;B、C内容没有提及;从本文的第五段和第六段可知,Emmy大大提高了 David的创作速度。我也能成为巴赫作曲家大卫科普发明了一个电脑软件，它能编写出古典音乐的原创作品。科普花了 30年才 完成这个软件，现在，科普的电脑写出的作品与德国著名作曲家J.S.巴赫写的作品很相似，很少 有人能分辨出其中不同。这一切始于1980年的美国，那时科普正在写一部戏剧，但是他无法创作出新的旋律.于楚他 编写了一个电脑软件来帮他编曲。最开始的时候，软件写出的乐曲并不动听。科普是怎么做的呢？ 他幵始重新考虑人们作曲的方式。他认识到作曲家的大脑就像一个大数据库，他们先是吸收他们 听过的所有音乐，然后去除他们不喜欢的，最后再根据留下的音乐来创作出新的旋律。科普认为， 只有伟大的作曲家才能建立好的数据库，并且能熟记于心，从而创造出新的音乐。科普根据现有的音乐建立了庞大的数据庳，最开始的时候，数据库包含了几百部巴赫的作品。 科普的软件将这些数据进行分析：首先它将音乐拆解成小的片段，从中找出固定模式，然后将片 段组合成新的模式。不久，这个软件就能够写出和巴赫风格很像的小曲子。它们并不完美，但这 只是个开始。科普知道，他要做的还有很多一他得写出一整部歌剧。他进一步完普他的软件，不久它就 能够写出更复杂的音乐了。他还在数据库中加人了一些其他作曲家的作品，其中也包括他自己的作品。几年后，科普的软件“艾米”已经能够帮助他创作歌剧了。创作过程餹要作曲家和艾米共同 配合。科赘聆听艾米写出的音乐片段，从中选取他认为好的。有了艾米的帮助，科蓊只用了两个 星期就完成了这部歌剧，叫做摇篮坠落。演出获得巨大成功，科普也得到了他有生以来最高 的评价，但是没有人知道他究竟是怎样创作出这部歌剧的。从那以后，艾米已经写了上千部作品。科普现在依然会给艾米反馈，吿诉她自己哪些音乐是 他喜欢的，哪些是不喜欢的，但是现在大部分艰巨的工作是由艾米来完成的！第十九篇Musical Robot Companion Enhances Listener Experience Shimi, a musical companion developed by Georgia Techs Center for Music Technology, recommends songs, dances to the beat and keeps the music pumping based on listener feedback. The smartphone-enabled, one-foot-tall robot is billed as an interactive “musical friend”. “Shimi is designed to change the way that people enjoy and think about their music，” said Professor Gil Weinberg, the robots creator. He will unveil the robot at the June 27th Google I/O conference in San Francisco. A band of three Shimi robots will perform for guests, dancing in sync with music created in the lab and composed according to its movements. Shimi is essentially a docking station with a “brain” powered by an Android phone. Once docked, the robot gains the sensing and musical generation capabilities of the users mobile device. In other words, if theres an “app” for that, Shimi is ready. For instance, by using the phones camera and face-detecting software，Shimi can follow a listener around the room and position its “ears”，or speakers, for optimal sound. Another recognition feature is based on rhythm and tempo. If the user taps a beat, Shimi analyzes it, scans the phones musical library and immediately plays the song that best matches the suggestion. Once the music starts，Shimi dances to the rhythm. “Many people think that robots are limited by their programming instructions, said Music Technology Ph. D. candidate Mason Bretan. “Shimi shows us that robots can be creative and interactive. Future apps in the works will allow the user to shake their head in disagreement or wave a hand in the air to alert Shimi to skip to the next song or increase/decrease the volume. The robot will also have the capability to recommend new music based on the users song choices and provide feedback on the music play list. Weinberg hopes other developers will be inspired to create more apps to expand Shimis creative and interactive capabilities. “I believe that our center is ahead of a revolution that will see more robots in homes.” Weinberg said. Weinberg is in the process of commercializing Shimi through an exclusive licensing agreement with Georgia Tech. Weinberg hopes to make the robot available to consumers by the 2013 holiday season. “If robots are going to arrive in homes, we think that they will be this kind of machines一small, entertaining and fun，Weinberg said. “They will enhance your life and pave the way for more intelligent service robots in our lives.”词汇：pump v.用抽水机抽;不断播放（音乐）scan v.扫描;浏览skip v.轻跳，跳跃sync n.同步，同时;v.使同步tempo n.速度;节奏注释：1. Georgia Tech:全称是Georgia Institute of Technology,佐治亚理工学院，建于1885 年，位于亚特兰大市中心。佐治亚理工学齒是美国南部最大的公立理工学院,也是全美最顶尖的理工学院之一，排名仅次于麻省理工学院(MIT)和加州理工学院(CalTech)。2. pump:不断播放(音乐）。例如:This radio station recently pumps out pop music. (这家广播电台近来连续播放流行音乐。)3. smartphone-enabled:由智能手机系统支持的4. is billed as:相当于is advertised as，意为“被标榜为”。5. docking station: 插接站,扩充基座，扩展插口-6. Android:(科幻小说里的)机器人。本文指用于智能手机和便携式计算机移动设备的一种以Linus为基础的开放源代码操作系统，通过接口和插槽连接多种外部设备。目前Android 尚未有统一中文译名，国内较多人翻译成“安卓”或“安致”。据2012年2月数据, Android 占据全球智能手机操作系统市场52.5%的份额,中国市场占有率为68.4%。7. dock：对接8. the sensing and musical generation capabilities:传感和音乐生成能力9. app:应用程序（=application)10. if the user taps a beat:如果用户打出某个(音乐）拍子11. in the works:正在准备阶段;在进行中或准备中12. intelligent service robots:智能服务型机器人练习：1. Which of the following is NOT true according to the first three paragraphs?A Shimi is a one-foot tall robot.B Shimi is the creator of the musical companion.C Shimi is a docking station with a“ brain” powered by an Android phone.D Shimi can gain the sensing and musical generation capabilities of the users mobile device.2. What does Shimi do if the user taps a beat?A It stores the beat in the musical library.B It transmits the beat to the docking station.C It positions its speakers for optimal sound.D It selects a perfectly-matched song and plays it in sync with that beat.3. Which of the following about Shimi is true?A Robots are limited by their programming instructions, and Shimi is no exception.B Present apps allow the user to shake their head to alert Shimi to skip to the next song.C Existing apps allow the user to wave a hand to alert Shimi to turn up/down the volume.D Shimi can be creative and interactive.4. What does the author want to tell us?A The research center is developing a stronger and more versatile Shimi.B Weinberg only expects staffs from Georgia Tech. to develop more apps for Shimi.C Shimi is not yet technologically ready for commercialization.D Robots such as Shimi are created for large corporations rather than homes.5. Which of the following is Weinbergs assertion?A Shimi as a robotic musical companion can be applied to all types of smart phones.B human lives will be filled with more fun if Shimi is going to arrive in homes.C Shimis creative and interactive capabilities are appreciated by most of its users.D Weinberg has reached an agreement with Georgia Tech to commercialize Shimi.答案与题解：1. B在前三段中均可找到与选项A、C、D相应的句子，强调Shimi是一种电子设备;B与原文不符, Shimi不是该机器人的发明者,Gil Weinberg教授才是the robots creator。2. D选项D简要地表述了第三段的倒数第二句“If the user taps a beat, Shimi analyzes it, scans the phones musical library and immediately plays the song that best matches the suggestion”的意思,所以是答案。选项A、B、C都不符合上述句子的含义。3. D选项A的意思与原文相反。虽然人们认为机器人受到程序指令的限制，但Shimi却表现出具有创造能力和互动能力，所以A不是答案。选项D的意思与原文相同，因而是答案。第四段第三句指的是未来的应用程序: future apps in the works,而选项B,C是指目前的应用程序，两者的表述均与原文有出入。4. A第三段介绍Shimi的多种功能，第四段和第五段说Weinberg还在开发更多的应用程序来丰富Shimi的功能，还希望其他研发者也参与开发，因此，A是答案。选项B说Weinberg 仅仅希望Georgia Tech员工参与开发更多的应用软件，这与原文不符。文章最后一段告诉我们,Weinberg正在与Georgia Tech进行有关Shimi商业化的谈判,选项C的意思与此相反，不会是答案。选项D也与原文不符。5. B选项A、C和D的内容Weinberg都没有说过。第三段告诉我们，Shimi是Android smart phone的扩充基座，并不适用于所有智能手机，所以A选项不正确；Shimi尚未进入市场，还谈不上公众对Shimi欣赏与否的问题，因此选项C不符合原意；Shimi正在进行商业化运作，但绝非已经完成，所以D也不是正确选项。本题的答案是B,依据是最后一段倒数第二句。译文：Shimi是由佐治亚理工大学音乐技术中心研发的一款音乐伴侣。它可以根据听者的反馈推荐合乎节拍的歌曲、舞蹈；并且不断播放音乐。这款髙1英尺的机器人是由智能手机系统支持的，因此被标榜为“一个可以互动的音乐朋友”。Gil Weinberg教授是该机器人的发明者，他解释说：“Shimi设计的宗旨是改变人们欣赏音乐、认识音乐的方式。”他将在今年6月27日在旧金山的谷歌I/O大会上展示这款机器人。一个由三个机器人组成的乐队将为来宾演奏，并伴随音乐起舞。而音乐是根据不同的运动形式编制的。Shimi实际上是一个扩充基座，它的“大脑”由安卓手机控制。一旦连接上，机器人便从用户的移动装置获得传感和音乐生成能力。换言之，只要有应用程序，机器人便能使用。例如，通过手机的照相机和辨认脸型的软件，Shimi就能在房间周围跟踪到听众，然后安置好它的“耳朵”或扬声器，以确保输送最佳声音。另外一种识别特征是基于节奏和速度。如果用户打出某个（音乐）拍子，Shimi会对此进行分析，然后浏览手机的音乐库，并立即演奏最符合要求的音乐。一旦音乐响起来，Shimi就随韵律起舞。“许多人认为机器人受到程序指令的限制，而Shiini给我们展示了机器人可以具有创造力和与人交互的能力。”音乐技术博士研究生Mason Bretan如是说。正在研发中的程序将使用户能沟通过摇头或摆手表示不同意，来提醒Shimi跳到下一首歌或增减音量。机器人还可根据用户对歌曲的选择推荐新音乐，并对音乐播放列表提供反馈。Weinberg希望其他研发者会因此获得灵感，开发更多的应用程序，来扩展Shimi的创新和交互功能。他说：“我认为我们中心正在引领这场将更多机器人应用到家庭中去的变革。”Weinberg正在通过获得佐治亚理工学院的独家授权来对Shimi进行商业推广。Weinberg希望到2013年的节日季消费者可购买到Shimi。Weinberg说：“如果机器人进入家庭，我们认为就应该是这种类型的机器人：小巧、令人愉快和有趣，它们能提高我们的生活质量，为更多智能服务型机器人进人我们的生活做好准备。第二十篇Explorer of the Extreme DeepOceans cover more than two-thirds of our planet Yet，just a small fraction of the undcrwaler world has been uxplored Now，Scientists at the Woods Hole1 Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts are building an underwater vehicle hat will carry explorers as deep as 6,500 meters (21,320 feet)The new machine，known as a manned submersible or human-operated vehicle (HOV)，will replace another one named Alvin2 which bas an amazing record of discovery，playing a key role in various important and famous undersea expeditionsAlvin has been operating for 40 years but can go down only 4,500 meters (14,784 feet)Its about time for an upgrade，WHOI researchers sayAlvin was launched in 1964Since then，Alvin has worked between 200 and 250 days a year，says Daniel Fornari，a marine geologist and director of the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute at WHOIDuring its lifetime，Alvin has carried some 12,000 people on a total of more than 3,000 dives A newer，better versions of Alvin is bound to reveal even more surprises ahout a world that is still full of mysteries，Fornari saysIt might also make the job of exploration a little easier“We take so much for granted on land,” Fornari says“We can walk around and see with our eyes how big things are We can see colors，special arrangements”Size-wise，the new HOV will be similar to AlvinItll be about 37 feet longThe setting area inside will be a small sphere，about 8 feet wide，like Alvin，itll carry a pilot and two passengersIt will be just as maneuverableIn most other ways，it will give passengers more opportunities to enjoy the view，for one thingAlvin has only three windows，the new vehicle will have five，with more overlap so that the passengers and the pilot can see the same thingAlvin can go up and down at a rate of 30 meters every second，and its maximum speed is 2 knots (about 23 miles per hour)，while the new vehicle will be able to ascend and descend at 44 meters per secondItll reach speeds of 3 knots，or 35 miles per hour词汇：fraction/5frAkFEn/n一部分 dive/daiv/v n潜水；跳水underwater/5QndE5wC:tE(r)/adj bound/baund /adj受约束的，一定的水下的；adv在水下sphere/sfiE(r)/n球体；范围 manned/5mAnd/adj载人的maneuverable/mE5nu:vErEbl/adj undersea/5QndEsi:/ adj海底的，机动的，可调动的 submersible/sQb5mE:sEbl/n潜艇；潜水器overlap /5EuvE5lAp/v n重叠 upgrade/5Qpreid/n升级ascend/E5send/ v上升 geologist/dVi5ClEdVist/n地质学家注释：1 Woods Hole：美国马萨诸塞州的一个渔村，但同时拥有许多重要研究机构，如：the Marine Biological Laboratory，the Sea Education Association以及the Woods Hole Oceanographic lnstitution。2 Alvin：世界上第一个深海潜水器，它最有名的深海探测包括1986年对泰坦尼克号残骸的测量工作。练习：1 What is Alvin?A A research instituteB A transporting vehicleC A submersibleD A scientist2 Which of the following statements is NOT a fact about Alvin?A It can carry explorers as deep as 6,500 metersB It has played a key role in various important undersea expeditionsC It was launched in the sixties of the twentieth centuryD It has been used for more than 40 years3 “a world that is still full of mysteries” refers toA the earthB out spaceC the oceanD Mars4 In what aspects are the new HOV and Alvin similar?A SizeB SpeedC CapacityD Shape5 In what aspects are the new HOV and Alvin different?A Offering better viewsB SpeedC SizeD Both A and B答案与题解：1 C 短文第一段的第四、第五句提供了答案2 A 文章第一段从第三句开始说，科学家正在研制一艘可将研究人员带到6 500米深处的潜水装置，而它将替代Alvin，因为Alvin只能潜到4 500米深处。A不是事实，所以是正确选择。3 C 本文讨论探索海底世界的潜水装置，所以“充满神秘色彩的世界”指的就是海洋。4 D 第三段的头三个句子告诉我们，HOV和Alvin在体积上和容量上相似。所以D是正确选择。5 D 第三段最后两句告诉我们，Alvin只有三个窗户，而HOV有五个。最后一段告诉我们，两艘潜水装置的上下活动速度和行进速度有所差别。所以D是正确选择。译文：深海探索器海洋覆盖了我们地球三分之二的面积，但被开发的地下水却只有很小一部分。目前，马萨诸塞木洞海洋研究所的科学家们正在开发一种能载探索家们深入水下6 500米(21 320英尺)的水下交通丁具。作为一种载人潜艇或人T操作丁具，这种新的机器将替代世界上第一个深海潜水器Alvin。Azui”潜水器已经保持了惊人的纪录，在各种重要的深海考察中发挥着重要作用。Alvin潜水器已经运行了40年，但它只能深人水下4 500米(14 784英尺)。术洞海洋协会的研究家们说，潜水下具陔升级了。Alvin潜水器下水始于1964年。海洋地质学家兼木洞海洋学研究所深海探索协会主任Daniel其不意Fornari说，自1 964年后，Alvin潜水器每年运行200250天。在整个航程巾，它载12 000人进行过3 000多次潜水。Fornari说，新式的Aluin潜水器必将揭示这个依旧充满神秘的水下世界的许多奇妙之处。它也可能会使水下探索更容易些。Fornari说：“我们在陆上把许多东两想当然，我们会四处行走，用我们的双眼看周同的东两的大小。我们会看到各种颜色，各种特殊的布置。”这种新的人工操作机器与Aluin潜水器很相似，大小适中。长约37英，里面环境将是个小球体，约8英尺宽。和Azum一样，它将载一名宇航员和两名乘客。可渊动。其他方面。它将使乘客有更多机会欣赏风景，闪为旧式Aluin潜水器只有三个窗，“，新式的将有五个窗户，其中有很多折叠，乘客和宇航员可以看见相同的事物。旧式Aluin抽潜水器可以每秒上下30米最快时速是2节(约23英里小时)；衙新式潜水器将能每秒上下44米，它最快时速将达到3节(35英曜/小时)。第十八篇Thirst for OilWorldwide every day, we devour the energy equivalent of about 200 million barrels of oil. Most of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun. In fact enough energy from the Sun hits the planets surface each minute to cover our needs for an entire year, we just need to find an efficient way to use it. So far the energy in oil has been cheaper and easier to get at. But as supplies dwindle, this will change, and we will need to cure our addiction to oil.Burning wood satisfied most energy needs until the steam-driven industrial revolution, when energy-dense coal became the fuel of choice. Coal is still used, mostly in power stations, to cover one quarter of our energy needs, but its use has been declining since we started pumping up oil. Coal is the least efficient, unhealthiest and most environmentally damaging fossil fuel, but could make a comeback, as supplies are still plentiful: its reserves are five times larger than oils.Today petroleum, a mineral oil obtained from below the surface of the Earth and used to produce petrol, diesel oil and various other chemical substances, provides around 40% of the worlds energy needs, mostly fuelling automobiles. The US consumes n quarter of all oil, and generates a similar proportion of greenhouse gas emissions.The majority of oil comes from the Middle East, which has half of known reserves. But other significant sources include Russia, North America, Norway, Venezuela and the North Sea. Alaskas Arctic National Wildlife Refuge1 could be a major new US source, to reduce reliance on foreign imports.Most experts predict we will exhaust easily accessible reserves within 50 years, though opinions and estimates vary. We could fast reach an energy crisis in the next few decades, when demand exceeds supply. As conventional reserves become more difficult to access, others such as oil shales and tar sands may be used instead. Petrol could also be obtained from coal.Since we started using fossil fuels, we have released 400 billion tonnes2 of carbon, and burning the entire reserves could eventually raise world temperatures by 130 C. Among other horrors, this would result in the destruction of all rainforests and the melting of all Arctic ice.注释:1. Alaskas Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:美国阿拉斯加北极国家野生动物保护区。 2001年，美国众议院通过了一项基于布什提出的在那里进行石油开采的议案。该议案遭到环境保护主义组织的反对。因此，目前在该区禁止开采石油。2. tonne:公吨(= 1,000公斤。不同于 ton。ton:在美国等于二千磅 (=0.907公吨)，所以称作 short ton:短吨。练习:1. “ we will need to cure our addiction to oil.”Why does the author say so? A Most of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun. B Oil supply is increasing all the time.C Demand for oil is increasing all the time.D Oil supply is decreasing.2. Which of the following statements is NOT meant by the author, according to the second paragraph? A Wood was the fuel of choice before coal.B The use of coal is declining. C Coal is the most environmentally unfriendly fuel next to oil. D Coal reserves are plentiful and will be likely to become the major fuel of choice.3. Which country is the biggest consumer of petroleum? A The United States. B Russia . C Norway. D Venezuela.4. What do experts say about the earths fuel reserves? A The earths fuel reserves will be accessible f
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