I think it certain that in decades, not centuries, machines of silicon (硅)will arise first to rival and then exceed their human ancestors. Once they exceed us they will be capable of their own design. In a real sense they will be able to reproduce themselves. Silicon will have ended carbon’s long control. And we will no longer be able to claim ourselves to be the finest intelligence in the known universe.
As the intelligence of robots increases to match that of humans and as their cost declines through economies of scale we may use them to expand our frontiers, first on earth through their ability to withstand environments, harmful to ourselves. Thus, deserts may bloom and the ocean beds be mined. Further ahead, by a combination of the great wealth this new age will bring and the technology it will provide, the construction of a vast, man-created world in space, home to thousands or millions of people, will be within our power.
練習題：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1.1.In what way can we make a machine intelligent?
A. By making it work in such environments as deserts, oceans or space.
B. By working hard for 10 or 20 years.
C. By either properly programming it or changing its structure.
D. By reproducing it.
2.What does the writer think about machines with human-like ability?
A. He believes they will be useful to human beings.
B. He believes that they will control us in the future.
C. He is not quite sure in what way they may influence us.
D. He doesn’t consider the construction of such machines possible.
3.The word “carbon” (Line 4, Para.2) stands for _________.
A. intelligent robots
B. a chemical element
C. an organic substance
D. human beings
4.A robot can be used to expand our frontiers when _______.
A. its intelligence and cost are beyond question
B. it is able to bear the rough environment
C. it is made as complex as the human brain
D. its architecture is different from that of the present ones
5.It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. after the installation of a great number of cells and connections, robots will be capable of self-reproduction
B. with the rapid development of technology, people have come to realize the possibility of making a machine with human-like ability
C. once we make a machine as complex as the human brain, it will posses intelligence
D. robots will have control of the vast, man-made world in space
1.[C] 事實細節(jié)題。第1段末提到，使機器具有智能的方法有兩種，要么安裝合適軟件，要么改變其架構，故C正確。
2.[A] 觀點態(tài)度題。作者在最后一段提到智能機器人可為人類做很多好事，故他對機器人態(tài)度是肯定的，故A正確，同時排除C。文中只是說機器人會超越人類,但并未提到會控制人類，故B排除;D與第1段末的that too will happen矛盾，故錯誤。
3.[D] 詞義理解題。文中提到“硅”將會終結“碳”的長期統(tǒng)治地位，聯(lián)系上文可知，“硅”指的是智能機器人，再結合上文的機器人會超越人類，故可確定“碳”指代的是人類。
4.[A] 事實細節(jié)題。第3段首提到，智能機器人能幫助開發(fā)邊遠地區(qū)的條件是intelligence.... increase to match thatof humans和cost declines,A與此相對應,故正確。
5. [B] 推理判斷題。綜觀全文，作者討論制作智能機器人的可能性及其影響，B所述與此相符。文中指出智能機器人的自我繁殖就是設計自己，故A錯誤;第1段指出在制作出與人腦一樣復雜的機器人后，還必須花很長時間安裝軟件或改變架構后才能使其擁有智能，故C錯誤;D中的控制人造世界屬過度推斷，文中并未提及。
