听力文本

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.

The American computer company IBM says it has developed a microprocessor -- a computer chip -- that works much like the human brain.

IBM calls the chip TrueNorth. It is the size of a postage stamp. The chip has 5.4 billion tiny parts that work like the human brain's neurons and synapses. Neurons and synapses are the cells and electric forces that carry messages to and from the brain.

TrueNorth has 1 million neurons and 256 million synapses. The human brain has 100 billion neurons and up to 150 trillion synapses. IBM says it can program the new chip to understand difficult problems and then solve them as humans would.

The company says the TrueNorth chip could be used as a brain for search-and-rescue robots. It can also be used for controlling new kinds of wheelchairs or for recording conversations involving several people and then making a printed record of those conversations.

TrueNorth is still being tested. But IBM says it could be available for public use in two to three years.

The chip is just one example of machines becoming more and more like humans. This field of study is called artificial intelligence, or AI. Some experts believe computers will someday become more intelligent than humans.

Researchers are trying to develop ways for humans and computers to work together more closely. Someday, humans and computers may be joined. The combination of a human and a computer is called a cyborg.

Jonathan Mugan has written a book about the relationship between humans and computers, called "The Curiosity Cycle." He told VOA by email that it is time to prepare for a future where computers have more control over our lives.

In his words, "machines are technology. And technology expands as human knowledge expands. By contrast, human intelligence developed through evolution, which is a much slower process."

Mr. Mugan believes that smarter computers are good for humans. He says intelligent machines can help humans solve many of our most difficult problems.

But he says "once computers become broadly smarter than humans, it's hard to predict what will happen."

And that's the VOA Learning English Technology Report. For more technology stories, go to our website. You can email comments to us atlearningenglish@voanews.com. You can also watch videos on the VOA Learning English YouTube channel. I'm Jonathan Evans.

VOA英文文本来自51VOA，译文由可可原创，未经许可请勿转载m19mYXpyxu。

词汇学习

1.available adj. 可用的，可获得的

Although there is technology available for secure e-mail, widespread deployment is still problematic.
虽然已有技术可用于安全的电子邮件，但广泛部署仍是个问题sx7tO+3wMPSOLUB。

2.artificial adj. 人造的；人工的

The crystal is natural, not artificial.
这块水晶是天然的，不是人造的lpXz=Bl=]Qs!lH]^,8l@。

3.someday adv. 将来有一天

I solemnly vowed that someday I would return to live in Europe.
我郑重发誓，总有一天我将回到欧洲生活fH-Vg!2tW5。

4.combination n. 结合；联合体

They competed for power through a combination of parliamentary and extra-parliamentary methods.
他们在议会内外同时下手争夺权力%%@o[|bbX53e)QKoK。

5.evolution n. 演变；进化

It has passed through an interesting procedure of evolution.
它经过了一个有趣的进化过程q5SiD4Iq.*Kv;QlhBy^。

6.broadly adv. 宽广地；完全地

This overview page is optimized more broadly because it covers the entire series.
这个概述页面将得到更广泛的优化，因为它涵盖整个系列R|kV[CP*ubTn。

7.predict vt. 预言，预测

You can never predict what would happen next.
谁也无法预料接着会发生什么事hA10c3H=Fj(.X6sE#;Zq。

内容解析

1.The human brain has 100 billion neurons and up to 150 trillion synapses.

up to多达

I can take up to four people in my car.
我的汽车最多能坐四个人#|4Ghu);TC。

2.By contrast, human intelligence developed through evolution, which is a much slower process.

by contrast相比之下； 相形之下

The private sector, by contrast, has plenty of money to spend.
相比之下，私营部门就有很多钱可供开销i@Ula&3mpR。

参考翻译

美国之音慢速学英语节目，这里是科技报道ykDVRt*rgxy*R7J。

美国计算机公司IBM表示，他们研制出一种微处理器——一个电脑芯片——可以像人脑一样工作a^Wig;rMjjzTRDzS。

IBM公司称这种芯片为TrueNorth，约为邮票大小,Iz~_j*_M,6。这枚芯片含有54亿个微小的部分，像大脑的神经元和神经键那样工作&+9YbV6uh3d]b5.@cz7。神经元和神经键就是从大脑传送和接收信息的细胞和电力47rRgiqJy9=4s#。

TrueNorth含有100万神经元和2.56亿神经键(!t8wP63P_Xayr^F。人脑含有1000亿个神经元和多达150兆神经键.S)g&b;%fiE。IBM表示，他们可以为这款新的芯片编程，让它理解困难的问题，然后像人脑一样解决问题0.)a;d9b%|;u3。

该公司表示，TrueNorth芯片可以像人脑一样用于搜救机器人，还可用于控制新型轮椅或记录多人参与的对话，然后打印出对话录音-r;3)_@VdpuP。

TrueNorth仍在接收测试*KHt.HL2~ww。但是IBM表示，两到三年之内TrueNorth芯片可付诸公共使用IkB_Lvl)p_@mJ#q。

这款芯片仅仅是越来越像人类的机器的一个例子+kMpwS.*x)-eC08FHsO-。该研究领域称为人工智能，或AIm78f_6;M@EW.。一些专家相信，电脑有一天会比人类更加智能ieV|w-_uSVHN8Z0x@o^。

研究人员试图开发人类和电脑更密切合作的方法[v*Oeu5-_FGs2K。总有一天，人类和电脑可以联合起来ukj)0X5XY1VnPLwz。人类和电脑的结合叫做赛博格LgdMS4E%96H.XBlf_4W。

Jonathan Mugan曾经写过一本关于人类和电脑之间关系的书，叫做The Curiosity Cyclen]u%ix8b]@Q。他通过电子邮件告诉VOA，是时候做好准备，迎接电脑更多的控制人类生活的未来了_S6pvU1ys@8。

用他的话说，“机器是科技u;SbCm)r(2qE-NO;]eI。随着人类知识的拓展，科技也在拓展tFHbAgfcUYo^。相对而言，人类的智慧通过进化来发展，该过程则缓慢得多wcs%H^Jgu,_7T。”

Mugan相信，越来越智能化的电脑对人类有益46A!vfeHukOh#1Pl(7gP。他表示，智能机器可以帮助人们解决许多最困难的问题N66Hs7jIxRmfa。

但是他表示，“一旦电脑普遍比人类更聪明，很难预测会发生什么HtDZ8fF0~M_%bZN;。”

以上就是今天的美国之音慢速英语科技报道3n@b_QwIpziVd0)。要了解更多科技报道，请登录我们的网站查看o6=lUe520%p0c5C。你还可以通过电子邮件发送评论道我们的网站!0jOhT~]HA~CNqI+YK。也可以登录YouTube慢速英语频道观看视频a)E+~x]#xV(。我是Jonathan Evans1r6R8+sY!-Ik@6ra。

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