高考英语科技类阅读理解专项练习30篇附答案

第第页共67页高考英语科技类阅读理解专项练习30篇Passage1SolidBatteriesforaNewAgeofCarsForthirtyyears,almosteveryphone,laptopandelectriccarhascarriedthesamequietworkhorseinside:thelithium-ionbattery.Itstoresenergywell,yetitcarriesahiddenweakness.Itstwoelectrodesswiminaliquidelectrolyte（电解质）thatisflammable（易燃的）.Whentheliquidissqueezed,puncturedorovercharged,itcanignite,andthefireisdifficulttoextinguishbecauseitmanufacturesitsownoxygenasitburns.Engineershavelongdreamedofremovingtheliquidaltogether.Inasolid-statebattery,theelectrolyteisaceramicorsulphidematerialthatcannotleakandcannotcatchfireinthesameway.Thegainisnotonlysafety.Solidelectrolytesallowtheuseofpurelithiummetalatoneelectrode,whichcanholdfarmorechargepergramthanthegraphiteusedtoday,liftingtheenergydensity（能量密度）ofthewholepackbyhalformore.Adenserbatterychangesthearithmeticoftransport.Acarthattodaytravelsfourhundredkilometresononechargecouldtravelsixhundredwiththesameweightofcells,ortravelthesamedistancewithalighter,cheaperpack.Aircraftdesigners,whocounteverykilogram,takeaspecialinterest:short-hopelectricplanesbecomeplausibleoncetheenergyperkilogramcrossesacertainline.Thereisalsospeed.Solidcellstoleratemuchhigherchargingcurrentswithoutgrowingdendrites（枝晶）,themetalfingersthatcanpiercealiquidcellandshortitfrominside.Adrivermightrefillthebatteryintenminutesratherthanforty,whichremovesoneofthelastpracticalobjectionstoelectricmotoringforfamilieswhodrivelongdistances.Yetthelaboratorypromisehasbeenslowtoreachtheroad.Solidelectrolytesarebrittle;acellthatissqueezedduringmanufacturecancrack,andacrackisapermanentdefect.Worse,theboundarywherethesolidelectrolytemeetstheelectroderesiststheflowofions,warmingthecellandwastingenergy.Researcherscoatthesurfaceswithultrathinlayerstoeasethecontact,buteachaddedstepaddscost.Materialsareanotherhurdle.Thebestsulphideelectrolytesreactwithmoistair,sofactoriesmustbekeptdrierthanadesert,whichisexpensive.Somepromisingchemistriesrelyongermaniumorraremetalswhosesupplychainsarethin.Abatterymeanttomaketransportcleanercannotaffordadirtyorfragilesupplylineofitsown.Progressisnonethelessvisible.Severalmanufacturershavebuiltpilotlines（中试线）thatproducethousandsofsamplecells,andsomeelectricscootersanddronesalreadycarrysmallsolidpacks,wherethepremiumpriceistolerable.Theusualpatternofbatteryhistory—firstinsmalldevices,laterinvehicles—seemstoberepeating.Thetransitionwillbegradualratherthanrevolutionary.Liquidcellskeepimprovingtoo,andtheirfactoriesrepresentaninvestmentofhundredsofbillionsthatwillnotbeabandonedovernight.Manyanalystsexpectamixeddecade,inwhichthetwotechnologiessharethemarketandevensharecars,solidcellspoweringaperformancemodelwhileliquidcellsservethemassmarket.Whatiscertainisthedirection.Everyseriouscarmakernowmaintainsasolid-stateprogramme,andthequestionshaveshiftedfromwhethertowhen.Whenthedaycomes,thechangewillbeinvisible—abatterylooksthesamefromoutside—yetthecarthatcarriesitwillbesafer,lighterandabletodrivefarther,whichishowthebesttechnologiestendtoarrive:quietly.1.Whatisthemaindangerofliquidelectrolytes?A.Theyfreezeeasily B.TheycatchfireC.Theyleakslowly D.Theycosttoomuch2.Whydoaircraftdesignersfollowsolid-statebatterieswithparticularinterest?A.Becauseplanesalreadyusesmallsolidpacksandtheearlyadoptionshowsthetechnologyismatureenoughforlargeraircraft.B.Becauseplanescanrechargeinmid-air,sotheslowerchargingspeedofearlysolidcellswouldnotmattertothem.C.Becauseaircraftearnorlosetheirusefulnessbyweight,andadenserpackcouldfinallymakeshortelectricflightspractical.D.Becauseaircraftfiresattractmorepublicattentionthancarfires,sosafetyimprovementsmattermostinaviation.3.Whatmakessolidelectrolytesdifficulttohandleduringmanufacturing?A.Theymustbekeptindarkness,sincelightslowlydegradestheceramicstructureoftheelectrolytelayer.B.Theymustbekeptcold,becauseatroomtemperaturetheionsmovetooslowlyforanyusefultesting.C.Theymustbekeptunderpressureatalltimes,orthesulphidelayersseparateandthecellstopsworkingentirely.D.Theymustbekeptextremelydry,becausethebestsulphidematerialsreactchemicallywithmoistureintheair.4.Whatistheauthor'sviewofthecomingtransitiontosolid-statebatteries?A.Itwillbeslowandmixed,withbothtechnologiessharingthemarketforadecadebeforethechangecompletes.B.Itwillbesudden,becauseliquid-batteryfactorieswillbeconvertedwithinafewyearsofthefirstsolidcellsappearing.C.Itwillfail,becausetheinterfaceresistanceproblemhasnopracticalsolutionandcostswillneverfallfarenough.D.Itwillbeledbyaircraft,becauseaviationhasthestrongestsafetymotivesandcanbearthehighestprices.

Passage2TypingwithThought:BrainInterfacesReachtheBedsideTheideaofmovingacursorbypurethoughtoncebelongedtofiction.Itnolongerdoes.Inhospitaltrials,volunteerswithspinalcordinjurieshavereceivedimplantsthesizeofasmallcoin,placedonthesurfaceofthebrain,andlearnedtoguidearoboticarm,towriteonascreenand,mostmovingly,toconversewiththeirfamiliesatnormalspeed.Thesciencerestsonasimpleobservation.Wheneverapersonthinksaboutmovingahand,hundredsofthousandsofneurons（神经元）fireinthemotorcortex（运动皮层）inpatternsthatcorrespondtotheimaginedmotion.Electrodesplacednearbycaneavesdroponthischatter.Softwarethentranslatesthepatternintoaninstruction:moveup,click,selectaletter.Earlysystemswerepainfullyslow.Apatientmightspellthreewordsaminutethroughavirtualkeyboard,enoughforbasicneedsbutfarbelowtheflowofordinaryconversation.Thebreakthroughcamefromborrowinganideafromhandwriting.Insteadofsteeringacursor,theuserimagineswritingletterswithahandthatnolongermoves;aneuralnetworktrainedontheseimaginedstrokesdecodesthemintotextatuptosixtycharactersaminute.Speechisthenextfrontier.Ratherthandecodingeveryworddirectly,researchersmapthemovementsofthetongue,lipsandthroatthatproducespeech,sincethebrainplansthesemovementswhetherornotthemusclescanact.Anexperimentalsystemreconstructedwholesentencesfromimaginedspeaking,completewithpausesandquestionmarks,atarateclosetonaturalconversation.Theequipmentitselfisbecominggentler.Theearliestimplantspiercedthebrainwithneedlesthewidthofahair;theygatheredsharpsignalsbutscarredslowlyovertheyears.Newerdesignsrestonthesurfacelikeasticker,readingthesummedactivityofmillionsofneurons.Thesignalsarefainter,butthesurgeryisshorter,therisklower,andthedevicemaylastmuchlonger.Seriousquestionstravelwiththetechnology.Whoownsthedatastreamingfromaperson'sthoughts,andhowisitstored?Couldanemployerorinsurereverdemandaccess?Andwithinahospitalward,whogivesconsentwhentheveryabilitytocommunicateisimpaired?Ethicsboardsnowsitalongsideengineersineveryseriousprogramme,andseveralteamspublishtheirdatapoliciesopenly.Costisthenearerobstacle.Today'ssystemsinvolvecustomimplants,hoursofsurgeryandmonthsofpersonalisedtraining,placingthemfarbeyondroutinemedicine.Supporterscomparethetrajectorytocochlearimplants（人工耳蜗）,whichbeganascostlyexperimentsandnowservehundredsofthousandsofdeafpeople;criticsanswerthatthebrainisafarmoredelicateaddress.Thepatientsthemselvestendtowardpatience.Manydescribethefirstdecodedsentencearrivingonascreenasthemomenttheirworldreopened.Onevolunteer,askedwhathewishedtosayfirstaftermonthsofsilence,typedagreetingtohiswifeandthenacomplaintaboutthehospitalfood,andhisfamilylaughedforthefirsttimeinayear—whichis,perhaps,thebestmeasureofwhatthetechnologyrestores.1.Whatdoestheimplantreadtoproduceinstructions?A.Bloodpressurewaves B.NeuronfiringpatternsC.Eyemovements D.Muscletwitches2.Howdidthehandwritingapproachimproveonthevirtual-keyboardmethod?A.Itallowedpatientstospellroughlysixtycharactersaminutebyimaginingpenstrokes,alargestepbeyondcursorsteering.B.Itremovedtheneedforanyimplant,sincehandwritingcouldbecapturedbysensorswornoutsidetheskullentirely.C.Ittaughtpatientsanewalphabetofgesturesthatwaseasierforthedecodertorecognisethanstandardletters.D.Ittransferredthedecodingworkfromhospitalcomputerstoasmallprocessorcarriedbythepatient.3.Whydonewerspeechinterfacestrackmouthandthroatmovementsratherthanwordsdirectly?A.Becausespokenwordsaretoolongforthesoftware,whilesinglemovementsofthemoutharemuchshortersignals.B.Becausethemovementsofthetongueandlipsareidenticalineverylanguage,whichmakesonedecoderuniversal.C.Becausethebrainplansthosemovementsevenwhenthemusclescannotcarrythemout,sothesignalsexisttoberead.D.Becausemouthmovementsproducemusclesignalsstrongenoughtobereadwithoutanyimplantatall.4.Whatdoestheclosingstoryaboutthevolunteerillustrate?A.Thatthetechnologyworksbestwithpatientswhoretainsomeabilitytomovetheirhands.B.Thathospitalfoodisauniversalcomplaintamonglong-termpatientsinclinicaltrials.C.Thatfamilymembersadapttodecodedconversationfasterthanthepatientsthemselves.D.Thatthedeepestvalueoftheinterfaceliesinrestoringordinaryhumanexchange,humourincluded.

Passage3AnInternetintheSky,ThousandsofSatellitesStrongLookuponacleareveningshortlyaftersunsetandyoumaycatchathinmovingstarcrossingtheskyinsilence.Itisprobablynotanaturalsatellitebutoneofseveralthousandlaunchedinthepastfiveyearstoprovidebroadbandinternetfromloworbit.Whatbeganasaboldengineeringgambleisquietlyredrawingthemapofglobalconnectivity.Traditionalcommunicationsatellitessitinageostationary（地球静止轨道的）ringabout36,000kilometresup,wheretheyhoveroveronespotoftheEarth.Theheightbringscoveragebutalsodelay:asignalmakestheroundtripinabouthalfasecond,enoughtomakevideocallsfeelstiffandonlinegamesunfair.Low-orbitsatellites,flying500to1,200kilometresup,cutthatdelaytoathirtieth,bringingthefeelofagroundline.Thepriceoftheloworbitisthatthesatellitesneverstandstill.Eachonecirclestheplanetinaboutninetyminutes,soaconnectionmustbehandedfromspacecrafttospacecraftastheypass—ataskmanagedbysoftwarethatsteerstheantennas（天线）oftheuserterminalautomatically.Thousandsofsatellitesareneededsothatatleastafewarealwaysoverhead.Buildingandflyingsomanyspacecraftbecamepossibleonlywhenthreecostsfellatonce.Miniaturisedpartsdesignedforphonesreplacedcustomspacehardware.Reusablerocketscutthepriceoflaunchdramatically.Andassembly-lineproduction—onefactorynowshipsseveralsatellitesaday—turnedthefleetfromanationalprojectintoanindustrialproduct.Thesocialpromiseisreal.Remoteislands,mountainvillagesandpolarstationsthatneverjustifiedafibrecablecannowbuyservicefromthesky,andschoolsindistantregionsjoinonlineclassrooms.Duringfloodsandearthquakesthatsevergroundnetworks,thesatelliteshavekeptemergencyteamsconnectedwithinhours,arrivingonatruckratherthanaftermonthsofcablerepair.Thereisashadowside,however.Astronomersprotestthatthebrighttrainsofsatellitesruinlong-exposurephotographsoftheskyandinterferewithradioobservationsoftheuniverse.Space-debrisexpertswarnthatloworbitisfilling;acollisiontherescattersfragmentsthatcanstrikeothercraftforyears.Operatorsanswerwithdarkercoatingsandautomaticavoidancemanoeuvres（规避机动）,andregulatorshavebeguntowritethefirsttrafficrules.Competitionisalsoarriving.Severalnationalandregionalconstellationsareunderconstruction,partlyforcommercialreasonsandpartlybecausewhoevercontrolstheorbitcontrolsastrategicasset.Somecountriesseedependenceonaforeignnetworkasasovereigntyquestion,inthewaythatearliergenerationstreatedunderseacables.Fortheuser,thetransformationisalreadyordinary.Aherdingfamilyonthegrasslandstreamsalesson;aresearchvesselintheSouthernOceansendsdatahomehourly;avillageclinicuploadsitsrecordsbeforetheweeklysupplytruckarrives,andafishingcrewchecksthestormchartsoverbreakfast.Theinternetwassupposedtobeborderless;agenerationafterthepromisewasmade,theskyisfinallykeepingit,onequietsatellitecrossingatatime,nightafternight.1.Whyweresatellitesplacedveryhighoriginally?A.Tosavefuel B.TocoverawideareaC.Toavoidstorms D.Tolastlonger2.Whatproblemofgeostationarysatellitesdolow-orbitsystemsmainlysolve?A.Theycosttoomuchtoinsureagainstmeteordamageduringtheirdecadesofservice.B.Theycoveronlytheequator,leavingthepolarregionsentirelywithoutanysignal.C.Theirdistancecreatesdelaythatspoilsreal-timeusessuchascallsandgames.D.Theirsignalsaretooweakforsmallantennasmountedonordinaryhomes.3.Whatdoesthepassageidentifyasthekeytoflyingthousandsofsatellites?A.Discoveringaneworbitthatletseachsatelliteremainoveronecountryforweeksatatime.B.Inventionofsolarpanelslightenoughtopowerasatellitefortwentyyearswithoutreplacement.C.Atreatyamongspacefaringnationsthatsharesthecostofconstellationsacrossmanygovernments.D.Simultaneousfallsinthecostofcomponents,oflaunch,andofmassproductiononassemblylines.4.Howhaveoperatorsrespondedtocriticismfromastronomersanddebrisexperts?A.Theyhavedarkenedthesatellitesandaddedautomaticavoidancemoves,whileregulatorsdraftrules.B.Theyhavestoppedlaunchingoverinhabitedcontinentsandnowserveonlyoceansandpoles.C.TheyhavefundednewobservatoriesonthefarsideoftheMoontocontinuetheaffectedresearch.D.Theyhavedeniedthatthetrainsofsatellitesarebrightenoughtoaffectanyscientificobservation.

Passage4ScreensThatFoldLikePaperThemosteye-catchingfeatureofamodernfoldingphoneisthecreasedownitsmiddle—visible,faintlyannoying,and,toengineers,adailyreminderofunfinishedwork.Behindthatlineliesoneofthehardestmaterialsproblemsofthedecade:makingarigid,brittleelectronicdisplaybendtensofthousandsoftimeswithoutfailing.Adisplayisasandwich.Ontopsitsacoverlayer;beneathit,twosheetsofglasscarryingthin-filmtransistors（薄膜晶体管）andtheorganiclight-emittingmaterialthatglows.Glassissuperbforflatscreens—hard,clear,stable—butitcannotsurviveasharpfold.Theanswerwaspolymer（聚合物）film,whichflexeslikefilminacamerayethadtobeengineeredtostayclearandtoblockmoisture,becausetheorganiclayerinsidespoilsatthefirsttasteofdampair.Manufacturerslearnedthroughfailure.Earlyfoldingphonesofseveralyearsagodevelopedbrightlinesanddeadpatcheswherethetransistorlayercracked.Thefixeswereincremental:thinnerglass,elasticallyrecoveringpolymers,adropofadhesivetunedlikeaspringsothefoldregioncanshiftmicroscopically,andawater-drophingethatletsthescreenfoldintoateardropcurveinsteadofaknife-edgecrease,spreadingthestrainoveragentlearc.Thepayoffisanewcategoryofdevice.Aphonethatopensintoatabletturnsacommuteintoareadingroom;alaptopwhosescreenrollsawayvanishesintoabag.Hotelsandairlineshavebeguninstallingflexibledisplaysoncurvedwalls;cardashboardswraparoundthedriver;ande-paperlabels,thequietcousinsofthesescreens,nowtrackpricesonmillionsofsupermarketshelves.Materialsscientistsarealreadylookingpastthefoldtotheroll.Displaysthatunrolllikeaposterneedfilmsthatendurefartighterradii,andonepromisingrouteisastretchysubstrate（基板）modeledonskin,whichtoleratesstretchingaswellasbending.Prototypeshavesurvivedbeingwrappedaroundapencil—somethingnosheetofglasswilleverdo.Costsremainthebrake.Afoldingdisplaystillrequiresmorelayersthanaflatone,moredelicateassemblyindust-freerooms,andyields—thefractionofpanelswithoutadefect—thatonlyrecentlybecamerespectable.Thisiswhyfoldingphonescarrypremiumprices,andwhyanalystswatchtheyieldstatisticsmorecloselythananymarketingevent.Durability,too,ismeasuredwithunusualpatience.Testmachinesfoldasampleahundredthousandtimeswhilecameraswatchforthefirsthairlinecrack,anddust—agrainofsandcaughtinahinge—hasendedmoreprototypesthananylaboratorystress.Everyimprovementinsealingthereforemattersasmuchasanyimprovementinbrightness.Noneoftheseobstacleshasslowedthedirectionoftravel.Thefoldableisnolongeracuriosity;itisagrowingsliceofthepremiummarketandashowcaseofhowelectronicsescapetherectangle.Thescreenofthefuture,engineersliketosay,willnotsitinaframe—itwillbetheframe,thetableitlieson,eventhesleeveittravelsin.Thecreaseissimplythefrontierlineofthatfuture,retreatingalittleeachyear.1.Whatmustthepolymerfilmblocktoprotectthescreen?A.Sunlight B.Moisture C.Dust D.Heat2.Whydoesthewater-drophingematterinfolding-phonedesign?A.Itletsthescreenbendintoagentlecurve,spreadingthestraininsteadofforcingasharpknife-edgefold.B.Itspraysafinemistofwaterthatkeepstheorganiclight-emittinglayercoolduringlongperiodsofuse.C.Itallowsthetwohalvesofthephonetoseparatecompletely,soeachhalfcanberepairedorreplacedalone.D.Itdrainsrainawayfromthemicrophonewhenthephoneisopenedoutdoorsinwetweather.3.Whatdoesthepassagesaydeterminesthepriceoffoldingphones?A.Thescarcityofthespecialmetalsusedinthelight-emittinglayerofeachflexiblepanel.B.Thepatentfeespaidtothefirstinventorsofthewater-drophingeandthepolymercoverfilm.C.Theextralayers,delicateassemblyandyieldratesthathaveonlyrecentlybecomeacceptable.D.Thecostofthedurabilitytestmachines,whicheachmanufacturermustbuildbeforeshipping.4.Whatdoesthefinalparagraphsuggestaboutthefutureofdisplays?A.Displayswilldisappearentirelyasvoiceinterfacesreplacevisualinformationindailylife.B.Rigidflatscreenswillremaindominantbecausefoldablescannotpassdurabilitystandards.C.Displayswillbereplacedbydirectprojectionontotheretinathroughlightweightglasses.D.Flexiblesurfaceswillexpandbeyondphones,withscreensbuiltintowalls,dashboardsandeverydayobjects.

Passage5ASecondPairofEyes:AIReadstheScanEverymorning,hospitalimagingdepartmentsfaceamountain:thousandsofchestfilms,brainscansandtissueslides,andafixednumberofspecialiststoreadthem.Inrecentyearsanewcolleaguehasjoinedthereadingroom—softwarethatflagssuspiciouspixelsinseconds.Itsarrivalhasbeenneitheramiraclenoradisaster,butacarefulrenegotiationofwholooksatwhat.Thetechnologyrestsonpatternlearning.Engineersfeedaneuralnetwork（神经网络）thousandsofpastscans,eachlabelledbyseniordoctors:thisshadowisatumour（肿瘤）,thisisascar.Overmanyroundsthesoftwarelearnsthetexturesthatdistinguishdiseasefromnoise.Onsomenarrowtasksitnowmatchesexperiencedreaders;onalargescreeningstudyoflungfilms,thecomputerflaggedearlynodulesthatseveralhumanreadershadpassedover.Thecatchisbreadth.Amodeltrainedonscansfromthreehospitalsmayfailatafourthwhosemachinesandpatientsdiffer—onescanner'simagesaresharper,anotherregion'sdiseasepatternrarer.ThisdistributionshiftisthecentraltechnicalproblemofmedicalAI,anditexplainswhyasystemcanbedazzlinginatrialandunreliableinaclinicdowntheroad.Humanoversightthereforeremainsstructural,notsentimental.Inmostdeploymentsthesoftwarerankscasesbyurgencyandoutlinesregionsofinterest,butadoctorsignseveryreport.Earlytrialsoffullyautomaticreadingwereabandonedafterfalsealarmsburdenedpatientswithneedlessfollow-up;thecurrentmodel—computerscreenseverything,humanreviewswhatisflagged—catchesmorediseasewithfewerfalsereassurances.Thebenefitsaremoststrikingwherespecialistsarescarcest.Indistrictswithoutaresidentradiologist（放射科医师）,filmsoncetravelledbybustoaprovincialhospital,withresultsreturningindays.Nowalocaltechnicianscans,themodeltriageswithinminutes,andtheprovince'sspecialistsseeonlythecasesthatneedthem.Screeningprogrammesthatreachafewhundredpeopleayearcanreachtensofthousands.Datagovernancehasgrownintoadisciplineofitsown.Whoseconsentcoversascanusedfortraining?Howareimagesstrippedofidentity?Hospitalsandtechnologyfirmsnowsignagreementsthatspecifystorage,accessandaudit,andseveralcountriesrequirethatmodelsbevalidatedlocallybeforeanyclinicaluse—arulethatslowsdeploymentbuthascaughtrealfailuresbeforepatientsmetthem.Asubtlerriskisdeskilling.Ifjuniorsgrowupreadingscansbesideanalways-agreeableassistant,dotheylearnthehesitant,hands-oncraftoftheirseniors?Sometrainingprogrammesdeliberatelyrotateresidentsthroughsessionswiththemodelswitchedoff.Othersarguetheopposite:thatatirelesssecondreaderletsjuniorsseemorerarecasesinayearthantheirteacherssawinfive.Whatseemssettledisthedivisionoflabour.Themachineexcelsatattentionthatneverfatiguesatthreeinthemorning;thedoctorexcelsatcontext—thehistory,themedication,theanxiouspatientwhoneedsasentence,notastatistic.RadiologydepartmentsthatdescribetheirAIdeploymentshonestlyreportthesameconclusion:thesecondpairofeyeschangedthework,butitdidnotremovethereader.1.Howdoesthesoftwarelearntospotdisease?A.Fromlabelledpastscans B.FromphysicsformulasC.Frompatientinterviews D.Fromanatomytextbooks2.Whatismeantbythedistributionshiftproblemdescribedinthepassage?A.Radiologistsdistributetheirattentionunevenlybetweenmorningandeveningshifts.B.Modelsmayfailinnewhospitalswhosemachinesorpatientpopulationsdifferfromtrainingdata.C.Scansmustbedistributedamongseveralhospitalsbecausenosingleonehasenoughstorage.D.Patientsdistributetheirvisitsunevenly,soscreeningprogrammesfacelongwaitinglists.3.Whywasfullyautomaticreadingabandonedinearlytrials?A.Itreadfilmstooslowlytomakeanydifferenceinbusyhospitalimagingdepartments.B.Itcostmoretorunthanthesalariesofthejuniorradiologistsitwasmeanttoreplace.C.Falsealarmssentpatientsintoneedlessfollow-upproceduresanderodedclinicaltrust.D.Itrefusedtoreadscansfromhospitalsthathadnotcontributeddatatoitstraining.4.Whatdivisionoflabourdoesthepassagedescribeassettled?A.Machinesworkdayshiftsanddoctorsworknights,sofatigueneveraffectseitherparty.B.Machineshandleroutinescans,anddoctorshandleonlythelegalsigningofdocuments.C.Themachineflagsallcases,andacommitteeofdoctorsvotesoneverysinglereport.D.Themachineofferstirelessattentionwhilethedoctorcontributescontextandhumancommunication.

Passage6LostinTranslation?MachinesMeetHumanLanguageThesentenceonthescreenreadssmoothly,almostgracefully—andthenitcallsahospitalwardagarden.Machinetranslationhasreachedthepointwhereitsfailuresaremoreinstructivethanitssuccesses,becauseeacherrormarkspreciselywherelanguagerefusestobehavelikearithmetic.Modernsystemsarestatisticalgiants.Trainedonmillionsofparallelsentences—anovelwithitsauthorisedtranslation,theproceedingsofparliaments,thesubtitlesoffilms—aneuralnetworklearnstomapsequencesofonelanguageintoanother,oneprobabilityatatime.Nobodywritesthegrammarrulesanymore;themachineabsorbsthem,orsomethinglikethem,fromexamples.Withinitscomfortzonetheresultscanbestartling.Newsreports,productmanualsandeverydaycorrespondencecomeoutreadablewithinseconds,andthetechnologyhasquietlybecomeinfrastructure:atravellerpointsaphoneatamenu,adoctorreadsaforeignreferralletter,astudentchecksaparagraphagainsttheoriginal.Forthebulkoftheworld'sroutinetext,themachineisalreadygoodenough.Thetroublebeginswherecontextrules.Poetrydependsonsoundandrhythmthatnodictionarycarries.Humourdieswhenthesetupandthepunchlinelandindifferentcultures.Legalclausesturnonasinglewordwhosemeaningcourtshavedisputedforacentury.Andanytextwherethewritermeansmorethanthewordssay—anunderstatement,apoliterefusal,irony—invitesthemachinetoproduceatranslationthatisaccurateandentirelywrong.Somefailuresarecomicandharmless.Othersarenot.Amistranslateddosageinstruction,abotchedwarninglabel,adiplomaticnotethatflattensacarefulambiguityintoaprovocation—inthesearenastheindustryhasrespondedwithguardeddeployments:machineoutputpassedtoahumanreviewer,confidencescoresshowntotheuser,andharddomainssuchasmedicinegivendedicatedmodelstrainedoncurated,expert-checkedcorpora（语料库）.Thereisalsoaquieter,structuralworry:thedeathofsmalllanguages.SystemsshineonEnglishandChineseandSpanish,wheredataisabundant,andstumbleontonguesspokenbyafewhundredthousandpeople.Ifstudentsinthosecommunitiesfindthemachineonlyhalfunderstandstheirlanguage,theymaydrifttowardthelanguagesitserves—andeverylanguagethatlosesitsyoungspeakerslosesitsliteraturewiththem.Well-fundedprojectsnowracetodocumentanddigitiseendangeredlanguagesbeforethedriftcompletes.Forworkingtranslators,thechangehasbeenachangeofworkratherthananendofwork.