Section B: Information Matching
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on your Answer Sheet.
The spoken web
[A] We're growing more used to chatting to our computers, phones and smart speakers through voice assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana. Blind and partially sighted people have been using text-to-speech converters for decades.
[B] Out of these assistants, Siri is the most well-known. The assistant uses voice inquiries and a natural-language user interface to answer questions. The software adapts to users' individual language usages, searches, and preferences, with continuing use.
[C] Some think voice could soon take over from typing and clicking as the main way to interact online. But what are the challenges of moving to “the spoken web”?
[D] What use is written online content if you can't read? That is the situation facing illiterate African farmers. They are often denied crucial information the web offers many others. With a literacy rate in some parts of Africa at only 22.6%, farmers are often “underpaid for their produce because they might be unaware of the prevailing prices,” says Francis Dittoh, a researcher behind Mr Meteo, a speech-based weather information service.
[E] “The most frequently heard complaint is about rainfall predictions,” says Mr Dittoh, who lives in Tamale, northern Ghana. “They tell us the methods their forefathers used to predict the weather don't seem to work as well these days.” This is down to climate change, he believes. Yet knowing when it's going to rain is vital for farmers wanting to sow seeds, irrigate crops or take their animals out to the fields to feed on grass.
[F] Mr Dittoh says the idea of converting online weather reports into speech came from the farmers themselves, after a workshop in the village of Guabuligah. “They came up with this,” he says. Mr Meteo takes the online weather forecast, converts it to a short recording in the appropriate language and makes it available on a basic phone. Farmers ring up to receive the information. The local language Dagbani is spoken by 1.2 million people but is not served by any online translation applications. The service was designed to be cheap and easy to run, says Mr Dittoh. He plans to begin field tests this month, working with Tamale's Savanna Agricultural Research Institute.
[G] The spoken web could also help the one-in-five adults in Europe and the U.S. with poor reading skills. But building the spoken web — web-to-voice and voice-to-web — isn't straightforward. For software to understand pizza is served at Italian restaurants is easy. To cover multiple domains and to be able to have a conversation with users on every single topic is still a long way off.
[H] So although many computer assistants can answer simple questions about the weather and play music for us, anything resembling a wide-ranging human conversation is decades away. Artificial intelligence just isn't smart enough yet. Even turning your voice into text — automatic speech recognition — is one of the hardest problems to solve, as there are as many ways to pronounce things as there are people on the planet.
[I] Siri has often been praised for its ability to interpret our casual language and deliver very specific and accurate results, sometimes even providing additional information. But it is still somewhat restricted, particularly when the language moves away from stiffer commands into more human interactions. In one example, the phrase “Send a text to Jason, Clint, Sam, and Lee saying we're having dinner at Silver Cloud restaurant” was interpreted as sending a message to Jason only, containing the text “Clint Sam and Lee saying we're having dinner at Silver Cloud restaurant”. It has also been noted that Siri lacks a proper editing function, as saying “Edit message to say: we're at Silver Cloud restaurant and you should come find us” generates “Clint Sam and Lee saying we're having dinner at Silver Cloud restaurant to say we're at Silver Cloud restaurant and you should come find us”.
[J] Using voice interaction feels far more intimate than surfing the net the old-fashioned way. This is intentional as the informal tone of the assistant helps create an emotional attachment. But if something speaks, it must also listen. Our phones are always near us and they are collecting data about us all the time. This has already raised privacy concerns. The American Civil Liberties Union has stated that digital assistants create a threat to privacy from hackers. Some people have other concerns. They worry assistants will one day be used to deliver advertising directly to us.
[K] But digital voices need more personality to make them popular. Robots are not yet witty, Siri is boring. The benefits of using voice instead of tapping fingers obviously depend on the context. Doctors completing online forms about their patients by speech, for example, can dictate 150 words a minute, three times faster than typing on a keyboard. This enables them to spend less time on administration and more time with patients.
[L] Last year, speech recognition company Nuance helped a doctors' surgery in Dukinfield, near Manchester, set up a speech system for the practice's six doctors. Now they can dictate notes on a patient's health condition and treatment and a smart assistant automatically enters the information into the right fields on a web form. Previously, the doctors made voice recordings that were then transcribed by secretaries — a process that was costly and likely to cause delays. The new system means letters to patients now have more detail.
[M] Using voice also makes sense when you're doing other things with your hands. Think about when you're cooking, and you just want to know what the next step in the recipe is. Your hands are covered with oil; you're not going to get on the iPad, so it's a lot more natural to talk. And speech obviously makes sense when you're driving. In the U.S., 29% of drivers admit they surf behind the wheel, according to insurance firm State Farm. This is up from 13% in 2009. No wonder using mobile phones while driving causes more crashes a year than drink driving, says the U.S. National Safety Council.
36. According to Francis Dittoh, their speech-based weather information service was meant to be inexpensive and easy to use.
37. Using voice instead of typing enables doctors to spend more time taking care of patients.
38. It is extremely difficult to convert voice into text because of different pronunciations.
39. African farmers unable to read often don't have access to important information conveyed online.
40. Some phone users worry advertisers will take advantage of voice assistants to send ads directly to them.
41. The spoken web is helpful when one's hands are occupied.
42. Some people believe online interaction would soon depend mainly on voice.
43. Setting up a spoken web is by no means an easy task.
44. Weather information is extremely important to farmers.
45. Some people are concerned about privacy because their phones are constantly collecting their personal information.
Answers & Explanations
36. F。解析：题干中的 inexpensive and easy to use（不贵且易于使用）对应 [F] 段的 The service was designed to be cheap and easy to run（该服务被设计为便宜且易于运行）。
37. K。解析：题干中的 spend more time taking care of patients（花更多时间照顾病人）对应 [K] 段末句的 spend less time on administration and more time with patients（在行政上花更少的时间，在病人身上花更多的时间）。
38. H。解析：题干中的 extremely difficult to convert voice into text because of different pronunciations（因为发音不同，将声音转化为文本极其困难）对应 [H] 段末句的 turning your voice into text... is one of the hardest problems to solve, as there are as many ways to pronounce things as there are people on the planet（将声音转化为文本是最难解决的问题之一，因为地球上有多少人就有多少种发音方式）。
39. D。解析：题干中的 African farmers unable to read often don't have access to important information（无法阅读的非洲农民通常无法获取重要信息）对应 [D] 段的 illiterate African farmers. They are often denied crucial information the web offers（文盲非洲农民。他们经常被剥夺了网络提供的关键信息）。
40. J。解析：题干中的 advertisers will take advantage of voice assistants to send ads directly to them（广告商会利用语音助手直接向他们发送广告）对应 [J] 段末句的 They worry assistants will one day be used to deliver advertising directly to us（他们担心助手有一天会被用来直接向我们投放广告）。
41. M。解析：题干中的 helpful when one's hands are occupied（当一个人的手被占用时很有帮助）对应 [M] 段首句的 Using voice also makes sense when you're doing other things with your hands（当你的手在做其他事情时，使用语音也很有意义）。
42. C。解析：题干中的 online interaction would soon depend mainly on voice（在线互动很快将主要依赖语音）对应 [C] 段首句的 voice could soon take over from typing and clicking as the main way to interact online（语音很快就能取代打字和点击，成为主要的在线互动方式）。
43. G。解析：题干中的 by no means an easy task（绝不是一项容易的任务）对应 [G] 段的 isn't straightforward（并不简单/不直接）以及 is still a long way off（还有很长的路要走）。
44. E。解析：题干中的 Weather information is extremely important to farmers（天气信息对农民极其重要）对应 [E] 段的 knowing when it's going to rain is vital for farmers（知道何时下雨对农民来说至关重要）。
45. J。解析：题干中的 concerned about privacy because their phones are constantly collecting their personal information（担心隐私，因为他们的手机在不断收集他们的个人信息）对应 [J] 段的 Our phones are always near us and they are collecting data about us all the time. This has already raised privacy concerns（我们的手机总是在我们身边，它们一直在收集关于我们的数据。这已经引起了对隐私的担忧）。
全文翻译
[A] 我们越来越习惯于通过亚马逊的 Alexa、苹果的 Siri 和微软的 Cortana 等语音助手与电脑、手机和智能音箱聊天。盲人和视力受损者使用文字转语音转换器已有数十年。[B] 在这些助手中，Siri 最为知名。该助手使用语音查询和自然语言用户界面来回答问题。随着持续使用，该软件会适应用户的个人语言习惯、搜索和偏好。
[C] 有些人认为语音可能很快会取代打字和点击，成为在线互动的主要方式。但转向"语音网络"面临的挑战是什么？
[D] 如果你不识字，在线文字内容有什么用？这就是非洲不识字农民面临的困境。他们常常被剥夺了网络为许多人提供的关键信息。在非洲部分地区识字率仅为 22.6% 的情况下，农民经常"因为不知道当前价格而让自己的农产品被低估"，Mr Meteo（一项基于语音的天气信息服务）的研究员 Francis Dittoh 说。
[E] "最常听到的抱怨是关于降雨预测，"生活在加纳北部 Tamale 的 Dittoh 说。"他们告诉我们，他们祖先用来预测天气的方法如今似乎不再那么有效了。"他认为这是由于气候变化。然而，对于想要播种、灌溉作物或将牲畜带到田野吃草的农民来说，知道何时降雨至关重要。
[F] Dittoh 说，将在线天气预报转换为语音的想法来自农民本身，那是在 Guabuligah 村一次研讨会之后。Mr Meteo 获取在线天气预报，将其转换为适当语言的短录音，并在基础手机上提供。农民打电话来接收信息。当地语言 Dagbani 有 120 万人使用，但没有任何在线翻译应用程序服务。Dittoh 说，这项服务的设计目标是便宜且易于运行。他计划本月与 Tamale 的萨凡纳农业研究所合作开始实地测试。
[G] 语音网络也可以帮助欧洲和美国五分之一的阅读能力差的成年人。但建立语音网络——网页转语音和语音转网页——并不简单。软件理解 pizza 在意大利餐厅供应很容易。要覆盖多个领域并能与用户就每一个主题进行对话，还有很长的路要走。
[H] 因此，尽管许多电脑助手可以回答关于天气的简单问题并为我们播放音乐，但任何类似于广泛的人类对话的东西还需要数十年。人工智能还不够聪明。即使将你的语音转换为文本——自动语音识别——也是最难解决的问题之一，因为地球上有多少人就有多少种发音方式。
[I] Siri 经常因能够解释我们的随意语言并给出非常具体和准确的结果而受到赞扬，有时甚至提供额外信息。但它仍然有些受限，特别是当语言从更生硬的命令转向更人性化的互动时。在一个例子中，短语"给 Jason、Clint、Sam 和 Lee 发短信说我们在 Silver Cloud 餐厅吃饭"被解读为只给 Jason 发消息，内容是"Clint Sam and Lee saying we're having dinner at Silver Cloud restaurant"。还有人指出，Siri 缺乏适当的编辑功能。
[J] 使用语音互动比以传统方式上网感觉更加亲密。这是有意的，因为助手非正式的语气有助于建立情感依恋。但如果某物会说话，它也必须会倾听。我们的手机总是离我们很近，它们一直在收集关于我们的数据。这已经引发了隐私担忧。美国公民自由联盟表示，数字助手构成了来自黑客的隐私威胁。其他人有其他担忧。他们担心助手有一天会被用来直接向我们投放广告。
[K] 但数字语音需要更多的个性才能变得流行。机器人还不够机智，Siri 很无聊。用语音代替手指的好处显然取决于上下文。例如，医生通过语音完成关于患者的在线表格，每分钟可以口述 150 个词，比键盘打字快三倍。这使他们能够花更少的时间在行政工作上，更多时间与患者在一起。
[L] 去年，语音识别公司 Nuance 帮助曼彻斯特附近 Dukinfield 的一家医生诊所为其六名医生建立了一个语音系统。现在，他们可以口述患者的健康状况和治疗记录，智能助手会自动将信息输入网络表单的正确字段。以前，医生制作录音，然后由秘书转录——这一过程成本高且可能导致延误。新系统意味着给患者的信件现在包含更多细节。
[M] 当你的手在做其他事情时，使用语音也很合理。想象一下你在做饭，你只想知道食谱的下一步是什么。你的手上沾满了油；你不会去拿 iPad，所以说话自然得多。而开车时使用语音显然也说得通。在美国，根据保险公司 State Farm 的数据，29% 的司机承认在开车时上网。这比 2009 年的 13% 有所上升。难怪美国国家安全委员会说，开车时使用手机每年造成的车祸比酒后驾驶还多。
核心搭配与高分句型
【核心搭配与高频短语】
- take over from：接管，取代（voice could soon take over from typing）
- be unaware of：不知道，未察觉（unaware of the prevailing prices）
- be down to：归因于，由...引起（This is down to climate change）
- come up with：想出，提出（They came up with this）
- a long way off：距离还很遥远，还早得很（is still a long way off）
- take advantage of：利用（take advantage of voice assistants）
- by no means：绝不，一点也不（is by no means an easy task）
- make sense：有意义，合乎情理（Using voice also makes sense）
- behind the wheel：在方向盘后，驾驶汽车时（surf behind the wheel）
【亮点句型解析】
- What use is... if... (反问句引导的问题剖析)：
"What use is written online content if you can't read?"
（如果你不识字，写在网上的内容有什么用？）非常犀利的反问句，直接指出了书面互联网在文盲人群中的局限性，引出“有声网络”的必要性。在四级作文中，这种反问句常用于段首吸引读者注意力。 - As... as... (比较状语从句)：
"...there are as many ways to pronounce things as there are people on the planet."
（...地球上有多少人，就有多少种发音方式。）使用 `as many + n. + as` 结构，生动且夸张地描述了口音的多样性，说明了语音识别的难度极大。