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Clever Computer 聪明电脑

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IBM announces advances toward a computer that works like a human brain  IBM宣布拟人脑电脑的研发工作已有进展

In an area when PCs perform like supercomputers, and supercomputers carry out inhuman feats of calculation, some of the brightest minds in Silicon Valley say there are still crucial ways in which a computer can’t match the problem-solving abilities of our own brains.

在当今这个时代，个人电脑已经表现得有如超级电脑，而超级电脑更是可执行人类无法办到的高超运算技能，但硅谷才智最顶尖的菁英却指称，电脑在许多关键层面，仍然比不上人脑解决问题的能力。

But researchers from IBM and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory say they have performed a computer simulation that matches the scale and complexity of a cat’s brain, and project members from IBM and Stanford have developed an algorithm for mapping the human brain at new levels of detail. Eventually, scientists hope that detailed knowledge will help them build a computer that replicates the more complex workings of a human brain.

不过，IBM和劳伦斯柏克莱国家实验室的研究人员指出，他们进行了一项电脑仿真，其规模和复杂度皆不下于猫的大脑；而来自IBM和史丹福大学的项目成员也研发出一种算法，能够更精细地测知人脑的构造。科学家期盼这种详尽的知识最终将可协助他们打造出能模仿人脑复杂运作的电脑。

The developments are early milestones on a long road that could one day yield applications for business, science or even the military. Still, veteran computing analyst Rick Doherty at the Envisioneering Group called the scale and significance of their progress “jaw-dropping.”

这条漫长（的研发）之路，终有一天可能会产生出可供商业、科学乃至军事使用的应用装置，而前述发展只不过是这条路上的初期里程碑。尽管如此，远观集团资深运算分析师里克．多尔提却声称，这些进展的规模与重要性「令人瞠目结舌」。

The simulation, for example, did not exactly mimic what a real cat does in catching a mouse. But it surpassed earlier efforts that simulated the much simpler brain structure of a creature the size of a mouse.

举例而言，该项模拟虽然并没有精确模仿真实的猫儿捕捉老鼠的行为，但已经超越了先前（一些其他研究）的努力成果，因为先前（研究）所仿真的大脑结构（比猫）简单得多，拥有那种大脑的生物只和老鼠同样大小。

Small yet powerful  体积小但功能强大

The work is part of a federally funded effort to study what’s known as cognitive computing, starting with what IBM project manager Dharmendra Modha calls “reverse-engineering the human brain,” or designing a new computer by first getting a better understanding of how the brain works.

前述研发工作隶属于（美国）联邦政府资助的计划，目的是研究所谓的认知运算，首先由IBM项目经理达曼德拉．莫哈所称的「人脑反向工程」做起，也就是先进一步了解大脑的运作方式，以便设计新式的电脑。

“The brain is amazing,” said Modha, a computer scientist who can wax poetic about the capabilities of human gray matter. “The brain has awe-inspiring capabilities. It can react or interact with complex, real-world environments, in a context-dependent way. And yet it consumes less power than a light bulb and it occupies less space than a two-liter bottle of soda.”

「大脑非常了不起，」莫哈说。这位电脑科学家一谈起人脑的灰质就滔滔不绝地美言起来。「大脑的能力令人惊叹不已。因为大脑能够依据情境而对复杂的现实环境起反应或互动，但所消耗的能量却比一颗灯泡还少，所占据的空间也还不到一只两公升的汽水瓶。」

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advance [ədˋvæns] n. 发展; 进步

inhuman [ɪnˋhjumən] adj. 非人（类）的；超人的

simulation [͵sɪmjəˋleʃən] n. 模拟  a model used to predict the characteristics of a system

algorithm [ˋælgə͵rɪðm] n. 运算法则; 演算法 a set of mathematical instructions that must be followed in a fixed order, and that, especially if given to a computer, will help to calculate an answer to a mathematical problem

map [mæp] v.（为制地图而）勘测

cognitive computing 认知运算 the development of computer systems which have been modeled after the human brain thoroughly studying or analyzing the brain in order to gain an accurate knowledge of how it functions

reverse [rɪˋvɝs] adj. 相反的；反向的

wax [wæks] v. 畅谈

context [ˋkɑntɛkst] n.（事件的）来龙去脉，背景

context-dependent 按照情况而反应的; 视情况而定的 referring to a response that is conditional upon the situation within which something exists or happens, and that can help explain it

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A key difference between human brains and traditional computers, Modha says, is that current computers are designed on a model that differentiates between processing and storing data, which can lead to a lag in updating information. The brain works on a more complex physical structure that can integrate and react to a constant stream of sights, sounds and other sensory information.

莫哈指出，人脑和传统电脑的一项关键差异，就是当前电脑设计所依据的基础模式，是把信息的处理和储存区隔开来，因此信息的更新就可能会有所延迟。人脑的运作基础是更为复杂的生理结构，能够整合持续不断的一连串影像、声音及其他感官讯息，并且对此做出反应。

“The data can be very ambiguous. When we see a friend’s face in a crowd,” Modha said, “she could be wearing a red sweater or a blue dress, or her hair could be styled differently, but we’re able to get to the fundamental essence of the pattern and recognize this is our friend.”

「大脑接收到的数据可能非常含糊不清。我们如果在人群中看见一位朋友的脸，」莫哈说：「她也许穿着红色毛衣或蓝色洋装，也可能换了发型，但我们还是能够抓住对方样貌的精髓本质，而认出她是我们的朋友。」

Modha imagines a cognitive computer that could analyze a flood of constantly updated data from trading floors, banking institutions and even real estate markets around the world – sorting through the noise to identify key trends and their consequences.

莫哈希望未来能出现一种认知电脑，能够分析大量不断更新的讯息，可使用在证券交易所、金融机构，甚至世界各地的房地产市场中──以便从各种不同的混杂信息中，过滤辨认出关键趋势及其后果。

“As our digital and physical worlds collide, there is a tsunami of information,” Modha said. “There is a need for a new kind of intelligence that can sort through, prioritize and extract the most important information, much like how the brain deals with sight, sounds, tastes, touch and smell.”

「数字和实体世界一旦交会，就会产生大量信息，」莫哈说：「我们需要一种新式的智能，它具有过滤信息的能力，能优先拣选出最重要的信息，就和人脑处理影像、声音、口味、触觉及气味的方式差不多。」

Research that’s rewarding  值回票价的研究工作

Stanford psychology professor Brain Wandell, who studies neuroscience, was on the team that developed a new algorithm for interpreting data from a kind of noninvasive brain scan. Using supercomputers, the team has used that data to measure and map the structure of axons, or thin white threads that help carry brain signals.

史丹福大学心理学教授布莱恩．王德尔专精神经科学，他参与的团队研发了一种新式算法，可用于诠释一种非侵入性脑部扫描所取得的数据。藉由超级电脑，这个团队已利用这种方式取得的数据来测量并描绘出轴突的结构。所谓轴突，也就是协助传送大脑讯号的白色细线。

Understanding these structures could lead to better knowledge of conditions such as multiple sclerosis or autism, Wandell said.

王德尔表示，明了这些结构可以让我们更加了解多发性硬化症或自闭症之类的疾病。

“When you see how something is laid out, you get insights about how something actually functions,” he added. “So seeing the wiring diagram of the brain will be helpful for understanding how the brain functions.”

「你一旦看到一件事物的构造，即可深入理解这件事物实际的运作方式，」他补充说：「所以，一旦看到大脑的联机图，也将有助于了解大脑的功能。」

−by Brandon Bailey

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lag [læg] n. 落后；滞后

flood [flʌd] n. 一大批，大量[（+of）] an overwhelming number or amount

sort through 查看(某些事物)并加以分类整理

interpret [ɪnˋtɝprɪt] v. 理解; 说明，诠释

noninvasive [nɑnɪnˋvesɪv] adj. 非侵害的，非侵入性的 referring to a medical technique that does not cut into the body

axon [ˋæksɑn] n.【解】（神经细胞之）轴索

sclerosis [͵skləˋrosɪs] n.【医】硬化症；硬化

autism [ˋɔtɪzəm] n. 自闭症

lay out 展开; 展示 to display

insight [ˋɪn͵saɪt] n. 洞悉；深刻的理解

wiring diagram 接线图

wiring [ˋwaɪrɪŋ] n. 布线; 配线 the system of how something is structured

diagram [ˋdaɪə͵græm] n. 图表；图解

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Vocabulary Focus

feat [fit] n. 壮举, 功绩 something difficult, requiring a lot of skill or bravery to achieve it

veteran [ˋvɛtərən] adj. 经验丰富的 a person who has had a lot of experience in a particular activity or job

jaw-dropping [dʒɔˈdrɑpɪŋ] adj. 惊人的 very surprising or shocking

wax poetic 滔滔不绝地美言… to talk about something with a lot of interest or excitement

awe-inspiring [ˋɔɪn͵spaɪərɪŋ] adj. 令人起敬畏心的；令人惊叹的 causing you to feel great respect or admiration

integrate [ˋɪntə͵gret] v. 使成一体，使结合，使合并 to combine two or more things in order to become more effective

ambiguous [æmˋbɪgjʊəs] adj. 含糊不清的 having or expressing more than one possible meaning