1、Unit 5 单元主题语篇训练AIn 1957, Max Vernon Mathews wrote the first computer program called Music, which enabled a computer to create sound and play it back.He was then working as an engineer at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey.It enabled a large IBM computer to play a seventeensecond piece of music he had w
2、ritten.The computer was so slow that it took an hour to play the seventeensecond piece of music.So Mathews moved the work to a tape player to play the music at a normal speed.He later said that the sound quality of the musical notes was not great, but the technical importance of the music was huge.T
3、he sciencefiction writer Arthur CClarke visited Bell Laboratories in the 1960s.He heard a computer “sing” the song Daisy Bell on devices (设备) and learned about the programs developed by Mathews and other engineers.Clarke noted this technology in his book 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was later made i
4、nto a movie.Mathews continued creating other versions of the Music program.He became interested in how computers could help musicians outside recording studios.The Groove program he developed was the first computer program made for live performances.He also developed an electronic device he called t
5、he Radio Baton, which looks like two drum sticks.It enables the user to control the speed and sound levels of orchestral music (管弦乐) played on a computer by moving the two sticks on a special electronic surface.Mathews said he believed modern musicians were not making full use of the power of comput
6、er music.He said a violin always sounds like a violin.But with his Music, the way a violin sounds is unlimited.He did not want computer sounds to replace live music, but he hoped computers would one day be considered serious instruments.语篇解读:本文是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了Max Vernon Mathews把音乐与计算机结合起来,创造了魅力无穷的计算机音乐。
7、1Why did Clarke visit Bell Laboratories?ATo make his book into a movie.BTo help Mathews develop Music.CTo satisfy his own curiosity about music.DTo gather materials for his literary creation.解析:选D推理判断题。根据第三段的内容可知,Clarke之后在他的一本书里涉及了Mathews的计算机音乐技术。由此可推知,Clarke主要是为获取文学创作素材才去Bell Laboratories的。2What el
8、ectronic music tools did Mathews create?ASomething used to record live music.BSomething used to create special sound.CSomething used to improve computer music.DSomething used to create computer music.解析:选C细节理解题。根据第五段的内容可知,制作计算机音乐时,Radio Baton可以用来控制管弦乐的速度、声级等,从而改进计算机音乐。3What does Mathews think of his
9、 Music?AIt is more pleasant to the ear.BIt can help make more sounds.CIt will finally replace the violin.DIt is more popular than live music.解析:选B细节理解题。根据最后一段的内容可知,一般小提琴只能发出一种声音,用Mathews的Music可以让小提琴发出多种声音。4What can we learn about Mathews?AHe is the father of computer music.BHis creation succeeded on
10、 the first try.CHe wrote Music to replace instruments.DHe changed the functions of computers.解析:选A推理判断题。通读全文可知,是Mathews首先创造了计算机音乐,进而发展出一系列与音乐相关的电子产品,在音乐界掀起了一场革命,故他是计算机音乐之父。BMusic has a great effect on everyone.But does music affect plants, too?People have been experimenting with music for almost thr
11、ee decades.From schoollevel projects to higherlevel scientific experiments, the effect of music on plants has been a confusing and debatable topic.We know music is sound and sound is nothing more than a wave.Plant growth is a result of the cell division that takes place within the cells.But why is m
12、usic associated with plant growth?In humans, music has a strong effect on our health and mood, and over the years, people have claimed that the same effect has been observed on plants, too.Plants are sensitive by nature, and many people claim that they have feelings just as humans do.There are stori
13、es about plants shedding tears.Although scientists do not support these as facts, these myths have led them to take up various experiments on plants.Various studies have proved that plants respond to acoustic (音响的) energy.It increases their rate of growth and their size, and influences their overall
14、 health.Dan Carlson, after a thorough study over a span of many years, has reached a conclusion that music helps plants absorb nutrients more efficiently.It took Dan about fifteen years to develop a foliage spray (叶面喷剂) that is used beneficially with the sound frequencies.Carlson calls this spray “S
15、onic Bloom”His findings have proved to be beneficial for countless farmers and have resulted in according to Guinness Book of World Records the largest indoor plant on record.The Purple Passion was treated with the Sonic Bloom process.It grew to be 1,300 feet tall and was alive even after 25 years.I
16、ts normal lifespan, however, is 18 months and it grows not more than 18 feet tall.The book, Secret of the Soil, writes about Sonic Bloom and its results.Sonic Bloom is also sold in the market.语篇解读:本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了音乐不仅对人类有影响,而且对植物也有很大的影响。5What inspired scientists to experiment with plants?AThe effect
17、s of music on humans.BPlants are sensitive by nature.CThe cell division taking place within the cells.DPeoples unscientific description of plants.解析:选D细节理解题。根据第二段中的“these myths have led them to take up various experiments on plants”可知,激发科学家们对植物进行实验的是这些神话传说,也就是人们对于植物的不科学的描述。6What is the main idea of
18、Paragraph 3?ANutrients are important to plants.BMusic can have some good effects on plants.CHow the rate of growth of plants can be improved.DWhat kinds of music can contribute to the growth of plants.解析:选B段落大意题。通读第三段可知,本段主要讲的是植物对于声能的反应,声能对于植物是有好处的,也就是音乐对植物有着好的影响。7What did Dan Carlson develop?AA spr
19、ay called “Sonic Bloom”BA method to grow larger plants.CA special plant that grows very fast.DAcoustic energy that plants respond to.解析:选A细节理解题。根据倒数第二段第一句可知,Dan Carlson花费了十五年的时间研制出了一种名为Sonic Bloom的叶面喷剂。8Why is the Purple Passion included in Guinness Book of World Records?AIt is the oldest indoor pla
20、nt.BIt is the largest indoor plant.CIt gives off the most pleasant smell.DIt can grow in the toughest conditions.解析:选B细节理解题。根据倒数第二段第三句以及最后一段对The Purple Passion的描述可知,The Purple Passion是作为世界上最大的室内植物而被载入吉尼斯世界纪录的。CClaude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci .the art world has never lacked talent.
21、And now, a new painter is ready to join the list, although this one isnt even human.Next month, auction house (拍卖行) Christies Prints and Multiples will make history by offering the first piece of art created by artificial intelligence for sale. The painting is a portrait of a man called Edmond De Be
22、lamy, and is expected to be sold for up to $10,000 (69,000 yuan). The work, which features a man with a mysterious look on his face, was created by software developed by the French art group Obvious. LaugeroLasserre, an art collector from France, called the work “ridiculous and amazing at the same t
23、ime”. This isnt the first example of AIproduced artwork, as AI has already been used to write poems and compose songs. However, many people doubt whether it should be called art at all.According to Russian writer Leo Tolstoy (18281910), art is about creating emotion. Its “a means of .joining people
24、together in the same feelings”, he once said.So, if the emotion behind art is what makes the art, the ability to create and use tools is what makes human beings different from other species. And as a tool itself, the AI technology used to create the portrait is the result of a lot of effort made by
25、several designers. Together, they “fed” the AI a huge collection of paintings from the 14th to the 18th centuries, until it was able to work out how to make similar paintings of its own.The introduction of AI art could be the beginning of a new artistic movement. However, not everyone is ready to we
26、lcome these hightech artists just yet.语篇解读:本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了第一幅由人工智能绘制的画作将在下个月公开拍卖。9Why are Monet, Picasso and da Vinci mentioned at the beginning of the passage?ATo list world famous talented artists.BTo introduce a new painter as great as them.CTo show the prosperity of the art world.DTo highlight
27、the inhuman painter by contrast.解析:选D推理判断题。由第一段第二句可知,作者提到这些著名的画家是为了通过对比强调这个非人类的画家。10Why does the painting mentioned in Paragraph 2 gain special concern?AIts the first AIproduced artwork for sale.BItll be auctioned in a famous auction house.CIts the portrait of a man with mysterious look.DIts auction
28、 price is expected to be the highest.解析:选A细节理解题。由第二段第一句可知,这幅画得到特别关注是因为它是第一幅由人工智能创作的画作。 11Which of the following statement may Leo Tolstoy agree with?AAI technology is a tool for artistic creation.BAI is taught to express human emotions in art.CAI copied paintings of the 14th18th centuries.DAI art jo
29、ins people together in the same feelings. 解析:选A推理判断题。由第五段第二句可知,Leo Tolstoy认为人工智能是艺术创作的工具。12What might be the future of the new artistic movement?APopular. BUnclear.CPredictable. DUnacceptable.解析:选B推理判断题。由最后一段最后一句可知,并不所有人都欢迎这些高科技艺术家,所以这种新的艺术运动的未来是不清楚的。tips 根据正误选项特征解细节理解题(1)正确选项的三大特征同义替换。指对原文句子中的关键词句进行同义替换。语言简化。把原文中的复杂语言现象进行简化,设置为答案。正话反说。把原文中的意思反过来表达而成为正确选项。(2)干扰选项的五大特征张冠李戴。是原文信息,但不是题目要求的内容。无中生有。明显与文章内容不符或没有提及。曲解文意。与原文的内容极其相似,只是在某个细节处有些变动。颠倒是非。在意思上与原文大相径庭甚至完全相反。正误参半。部分正确,部分错误。例如上文第12小题,正确选项B是原文信息句“not everyone is ready to welcome these hightech artists just yet”的同义替换;选项A、C、D是曲解文意。