Whale communication has long been a puzzle for scientists, with their underwater sound — “click... click... click” — remaining largely unexplained. However, thanks to the surprising abilities of artificial intelligence (AI), researchers from a program can interpret the sounds of these amazing sea animals.
The program is called the Whale Translation Project (WTP), whose meaning is to know what whales are saying. Its goal is clear but very difficult to achieve. Understanding the communication of whales and other animals could inspire conservation (保护) efforts. For example, the discovery that humpback whales sing to each other in the 1960s led to successful conservation activities and laws.
The WTP started when Gruber, a biologist at Harvard University, turned to a computer scientist for help about dealing with a large amount of data on whale sounds. They thought of applying machine learning, used for improving human language translations, to whales. The sound of click, similar to a binary code (二进制), is easy for AI to analyze.
Scientists once presented the sounds of a whale using a series of lines to show the number of clicks per second. Now, with the help of AI, Gruber can quickly turn the thousands of whale sounds from hours of recordings into a new kind of pictures that look like musical notes. This method helps to find tiny differences in the sounds. Gruber can use AI to analyze the differences and the specific context, like the behavior of moving to the surface and hunting for food, and thus understand the meaning of the whale sound easily. He can also discover how whales interact, getting 99% right in predicting (预测) the next click.
This kind of work isn't limited to whales. Suresh Neethirajan, a computer science and agriculture professor, studies how farmers can use real-time observation to explain animal behaviors. He collects data, such as body temperature, paired with recorded sounds and videos,to understand whether animals are comfortable or not. With AI, he can recognise sick animals quickly, improving their well-being.
32. What is the purpose of mentioning the discovery in the 1960s?
A. To show the success of protecting the environment.
B. To explain the difficulty of saving humpback whales.
C. To stress the value of studying animal communication.
D. To introduce the challenge of understanding whale language.
33. How can AI help according to paragraph 4?
A. It records whale sound quickly.
B. It processes sound data effectively.
C. It reads musical notes correctly.
D. It promotes whale interactions directly.
34. What can we learn about AI according to the last paragraph?
A. It cures diseases of animals.
B. It improves farmers' well-being.
C. It aims to change animal behavior.
D. It helps to understand animals' needs.
35. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Scientists develop machine learning.
B. Scientists discover a new whale sound.
C. AI creates a unique type of musical note.
D. AI unlocks the secrets of animal language.
【答案】32. C 33. B 34. D 35. D
【解析】【导语】这是一篇说明文。本文主要介绍了鲸鱼的神秘性以及科学家如何利用人工智能技术来解读鲸鱼的声音。
【32题详解】推理判断题。根据文章第二段“For example, the discovery that humpback whales sing to each other in the 1960s led to successful conservation activities and laws.(例如,20世纪60年代座头鲸互相唱歌的发现导致了成功的保护活动和法律)”可知,提到20世纪60年代的发现的目的是为了强调研究动物交流的价值。故选C项。
【33题详解】推理判断题。根据文章第四段“Now, with the help of AI, Gruber can quickly turn the thousands of whale sounds from hours of recordings into a new kind of pictures that look like musical notes. This method helps to find tiny differences in the sounds.(现在,在人工智能的帮助下,格鲁伯可以迅速将数千条鲸鱼的声音从数小时的录音中转化为一种看起来像音符的新型图片。这种方法有助于发现声音中的细微差别)”可知,人工智能可以有效地处理声音数据。故选B项。
【34题详解】细节理解题。根据文章最后一段“He collects data, such as body temperature, paired with recorded sounds and videos, to understand whether animals are comfortable or not. With AI, he can recognise sick animals quickly, improving their well-being.(他收集体温等数据,并将其与录制的声音和视频相结合,以了解动物是否感到舒适。有了人工智能,他可以快速识别生病的动物,改善它们的健康状况)”可知,根据最后一段,关于人工智能我们可以了解到的是它有助于理解动物的需求。故选D项。
【35题详解】主旨大意题。根据文章第一段“Whale communication has long been a puzzle for scientists, with their underwater sound—“click... click... click” — remaining largely unexplained. However, thanks to the surprising abilities of artificial intelligence (AI), researchers from a program can interpret the sounds of these amazing sea animals.(长期以来,鲸鱼交流一直是科学家们的一个难题,它们在水下发出的声音——“咔嚓……咔嚓……咔嚓”——基本上没有解释。然而,由于人工智能(AI)的惊人能力,一个项目的研究人员可以解读这些神奇的海洋动物的声音)”可知,本文主要介绍了鲸鱼的神秘性以及科学家如何利用人工智能技术来解读鲸鱼的声音,所以本文的主旨是人工智能揭开了动物语言的秘密。故选D项。
