In a few years, you might be able to speak Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, and English -- and all at the same time. This sounds incredible, but Alex Waibel, a computer science professor at US' s Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Germany' s University of Karlsruhe, announced last week that it may soon be reality. He and his team have invented software and hardware that could make it far easier for people who speak different languages to understand each other.
One application, called Lecture Translation, can easily translate a speech from one language into another. Current translation technologies typically limit speakers to certain topics or a limited vocabulary. Users also have to be trained how to use the programme.
Another prototype (雛形機(jī)) can send translations of a speech to different listeners depending on what language they speak. "It is like having a simultaneous translator right next to you but without disturbing the person next to you," Waibel said.
Prefer to read? So-called Translation Glasses transcribe (轉(zhuǎn)錄) the translations on a tiny liquid-crystal(液晶) display (LCD) screen.
Then there' s the Muscle Translator. Electrodes (電極) capture the electrical signals from facial muscle movements made naturally when a person is mouthing words. The signals are then translated into speech. The electrodes could be replaced with wireless chips implanted (植入) in a person' s face, according to researchers.
During a demonstration (演示) held last Thursday in CMU' s Pittsburgh campus, a Chinese student named Stan Jou had 11 tiny electrodes attached to the muscles of his cheeks, neck and throat. Then he mouthed -- without speaking aloud -- a few words in Mandarin(普通話) to the audience. A few seconds later, the phrase was displayed on a computer screen and spoken out by the computer in English and Spanish: "Let me introduce our new prototype".
This particular gadget (器械), when fully developed, might allow anyone to speak in any number of languages or, as Waibel put it, "to switch your mouth to a foreign language". "The idea behind the university' s prototypes is to create 'good enough' bridges for cross-cultural exchanges that are becoming more common in the world," Waibel said.
With spontaneous (自發(fā)的) translators, foreign drivers in Germany could listen to traffic warnings on the radio, tourists in China could read all the signs and talk with local people, and leaders of different countries could have secret talks without any interpreters there.
1. What kind of prototype did the Chinese student named Stan Jou try?
A. Lecture Translation. B. Translation Glasses.
C. Muscle Translator. D. We don' t know.
2.What is the purpose of inventing the translators?
A. To help students to learn English.
B. To help people to watch foreign TV programs.
C. To help people travel in foreign countries.
D. To promote cultural exchanges between countries.
3. What is the best title of this text?
A. Speak different languages at the same time?
B. Flow to learn to speak foreign languages?
C. New ways to learn foreign languages
D. You' re welcome to learn foreign languages
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Cole Bettles had been rejected by a number of universities when he received an e-mail from the University of California, San Diego, last month, congratulating him on his admission and inviting him to tour the campus. His mother booked a hotel in San Diego, and the 18-year-old Ojai high school senior arranged for his grandfather, uncle and other family members to meet them at the campus for lunch during the Saturday tour.
“They were like ‘Oh my God, that’s so awesome (棒的)’, ” Bettles said. Right before he got in bed, he checked his e-mail one last time and found another message saying the school had made a mistake and his application had been denied.
In fact, all 28, 000 students turned away from UC San Diego, in one of the toughest college entrance seasons on record, had received the same incorrect message. The students’ hopes had been raised and then dashed (破滅) in a cruel twist that shows the danger of instant communications in the Internet age.
UCSD admissions director Mae Brown called it an “administrative error” but refused to say who had made the mistake, or if those responsible would be disciplined (受訓(xùn))。
The e-mail, which began, “We’re thrilled that you’ve been admitted to UC San Diego, and we’re showcasing (展示) our beautiful campus on Admit Day, ” was sent to the full 46, 000 students who had applied, instead of just the 18, 000 who got in, Brown said.
The error was discovered almost immediately by her staff, who sent an apology within hours.
“It was really thrilling for a few hours; now he’s crushed (壓垮), ” said Cole’s mother, Tracy Bettles. “It’s really tough on them.”
The admissions director said she was in the office on Monday until midnight answering e-mails and phone calls from disappointed students and their parents. She said she took full responsibility for the error. “We accessed the wrong database. We recognize the incredible pain receiving this false encouragement caused. It was not our intent.”
How many students received an admission e-mail from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)?
A. 18, 000 B. 28, 000 C. 46, 000 D. 18
Which of the following statements is TRUE about the wrong e-mail message?
A. The mistake was made on purpose to cause pain among the applicants.
B. It was UCSD admissions director Mae Brown who made the mistake.
C. UCSD admissions staff got information from the wrong database.
D. Staff did not discover the mistake until next Monday.
The admissions director Mae Brown did what she could to __________.
A. protect the person who made the mistake
B. punish herself for the mistake
C. make up for the mistake
D. help the disappointed students enter the university
What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Cole Bettles was admitted to the UCSD.
B. Cole Bettles was rejected y a famous university.
C. USCD admissions office often makes “administration errors”。
D. False admission information raised the students’ hopes and then dashed them.
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
閱讀下面短文,從短文后各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)(ABCD)中,選出可以填入空白的最佳答案,并在答題卡上將該選項(xiàng)涂黑。
In order to separate loving parents from their freshman sons, Morehouse College in Atlanta has held a/an ___36_____"Parting Ceremony."
When University of Minnesota freshmen ____37_____ at the end of this month, parental separation will be a little trickier: mothers and fathers will be ___38_____ to a reception elsewhere ___39_____ students can meet their roommates and talk about dorm room space -- _____40_____ adult breaking in.
In the latest wave in which superinvolved parents ____41_____ their children to college, universities are ____42_____activities ____43_____to speed the separation. In the age of MSN and twice-daily texts home, ___44______colleges are urging "sticky parents" to leave sooner so students can ___45____independence.
Grinnell College here, like others, has found it ____46____ to make it clear when parents _____47__ say goodbye. After computer printers and bags had been carried to dorm rooms, everyone gathered in the gymnasium, students on one side, _____48____on the other.
Shortly____49______, mothers and fathers were urged to leave campus.
Moving their students in usually takes a few hours. Moving on? Most deans can tell _____50_____of parents who hang around campus for days. At Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y. "We recognize it's a ____51______ day for families," Beverly Low, the dean(學(xué)監(jiān)) of first-year students said.___52___, during various parent meetings on Colgate's move-in day, Ms. Low and other officials plan to tell the parents ____53_____ that "activities for the class of freshmen begin at 4 on time, so parents should leave before 4." she said.
Formal departure ceremonies are unusual __54___ growing in popularity, said Joyce Holl, head of the National Orientation Directors Association. A more common method is for colleges to limit the hour for last hugs.____55_____, the parents of Princeton freshmen learn from the move-in schedule, "the rest events are intended for students only."
A formal B informal C casual D grand
A move out B move in C move around D graduate
A sent B driven C invited D called on
A so B but C still D yet
A with B as C where D without
A rescue B deliver C bring D release
A running out B taking out C carrying out D picking out
A wanted B meant C devoted D prepared
A in which B which C how D where
A form B create C increase D develop
A necessary B unimportant C useless D difficult
A will B need C must D would
A teachers B police C professors D parents
A before B after C later D passed
A news B comments C stories D shadows
A little B huge C long D large
A Still B Therefore C Thus D Whereas
A rudely B directly C conveniently D hardly
A and B but C however D so
A For the time beingB For a long time C For example D For a change
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科目:高中英語 來源:2011—2012學(xué)年甘肅省天水市三中高三級第五次檢測考試英語試卷 題型:閱讀理解
From the beginning rivers have played an important in the life of man.Man of the earliest times used the rivers as a means of travel.Today rivers still serve as a great waterway for the transport and people.
In ancient times, man settled near rivers or on river banks and built up large empires.
Water is nature’s most valuable gift to man.Man needs water to irrigate his crops, to cook and to wash.In nations all over the world, rivers mean life and wealth.They feed and clothe the nations around them.
Water is also a source of energy and power.Man build huge dams across the rivers to control the water for irrigation and get the energy needed to drive generators.The electrical power is then directed to homes, cities, factories and television stations.
Man uses water each day.In a small way rivers help to keep man in good health and provide for his amusements.Various forms of water sports keep man strong and healthy.
【小題1】Rivers have been important to man _______.
A.since they came into being | B.since the last century |
C.since a few hundred years ago. | D.since the beginning of BC |
A.by air | B.by sea | C.by train | D.by bus |
A.to direct electrical power | B.to control the water |
C.to produce electricit | D.to build dams y |
A.People get energy by building bridges across rivers. |
B.In ancient times large empires grew up near dams. |
C.People can be provided with amusements in small rivers. |
D.Large rivers are still useful for transportation in modern times. |
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科目:高中英語 來源:2012-2013學(xué)年福建省三明一中高一第一次月考英語試卷(帶解析) 題型:填空題
閱讀下面短文,根據(jù)以下提示:1)漢語提示,2)首字母提示,3)語境提示,在每個(gè)空格內(nèi)填入一個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)挠⒄Z單詞,并將該詞完整的寫在右邊相對應(yīng)的橫線上。所填單詞要求意義準(zhǔn)確,拼寫正確。
I went out to see a film with my brother after supper.
On our _______ to the cinema, we met an American girl 86. ____________
named Alice, who had got l and looked very worried. 87. ____________
We went up to see _______ the matter was. We then took her 88. ____________
to the hotel. While _______(去) there I told her the great changes 89. ____________
that had taken place in our city in the past few y 90. ____________
and Alice told us m about the young people in America. 91. ____________
Although we ________(錯(cuò)過) the film, we felt very happy 92. ____________
________ we had not only helped Alice get out of trouble but also 93. ____________
l something about the United States. We see that English 94. ____________
can strengthen the understanding and ________(友誼). 95. ____________
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科目:高中英語 來源:2013-2014學(xué)年福建省莆田一中漳州一中高三上學(xué)期期末聯(lián)考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解
A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house, the same house I grew up in, I had a sudden, scary realization. When my parents bought the house, in 1982, they were only two years older than I am now. I tried to imagine myself in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.
??? It seemed ridiculous. On a practical level, there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon. More importantly, I wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure where I’ll be living in two years, or what kind of job I’ll have. And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.
??? So this is probably the generation gap that divides my friends and me from our parents. When our parents were our age, they’d gotten their education, chosen a career, and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.
??? My friends and I – “Generation Y” – still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. Whatever we end up doing, we want to make sure we’re happy doing it. We’d rather take risks first, try out different jobs, and move from one city to another until we find our favorite place. We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.
??? This casual attitude towards responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”, “impatient”, and “overprotected”. Some of these complaints have a point. As children we were encouraged to succeed in school, but also to have fun. We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cellphones, the Internet, instant messaging, and video games.
??? Our parents looked to rise vertically(垂直的)– starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply to my generation.
??? Because of that, it may take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire to find satisfaction, we will work harder, struggle for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parents’ generation did.??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
1.What is the main “generation gap” between the author and her friends and their parents according to the article?
A. Their ways of gaining experience.
B. Their attitude towards responsibility.
C. Their attitude toward high technology.
D. Their ways of making their way to the top.
2.Which of the following might the author agree with?
A. It involves too much effort to rise vertically.
B. It’s better to take adult responsibility earlier.
C. It’s all right to try more before settling down.
D. It’s ridiculous to call her generation “arrogant”.
3. What can we conclude from the article?
A. The author is envious of her parents enjoying a big house at her age.
B. “Generation Y” people don’t want to grow up and rush into adulthood.
C. Growing up in a hi-tech world makes “Generation Y” feel insecure about relationships.
D. The author wrote this article so that others would be able to understand her generation better.
4.What is the main theme of the article?
A. Criticisms of the young generation.
B. The sudden realization of growing up.
C. A comparison between lifestyles of generations.
D. The factors that have changed the young generation.
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