查看文章 |
第一篇苹果味的梨子写的英文摘要 Original Passage
Dog-bot: Our New Best Friend?
ST. LOUIS, Missouri (Achieve3000, February 29, 2008).
Dogs have long been called "man's best friend." But now, canines might have competition for that title—robotic competition. A study by St. Louis University found that a pooch named Sparky and a robotic dog, AIBO, were equally effective at alleviating the loneliness of nursing home residents.
AIBO, which stands for "Artificial Intelligence Robot," was developed by Sony Entertainment to demonstrate a variety of anthropomorphic attributes. AIBO will show expressions of joy, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and discontentment. For example, if AIBO cannot find anyone to play with, the dog will demonstrate sadness by making whining sounds. In contrast, when AIBO is playing with a ball, he will exhibit joy by wagging his tail and yipping happily.
The recent research expanded on a study conducted in 2002 by Dr. William Banks, a professor from St. Louis University. In that study, Banks found that weekly, half-hour visits with real dogs helped to reduce the loneliness of nursing home residents.
To test whether residents responded better to real dogs or artificial dogs, researchers divided 38 nursing home residents into three groups. For a seven-week period, one group had weekly, 30-minute one-on-one visits with Sparky, a trained therapy dog. A second group had similar visits with AIBO. A control group did not visit with either dog.
At the beginning and end of the seven weeks, researchers asked participants a series of questions to check their degree of loneliness. By the end of the seven weeks, researchers had concluded that both dogs were equally effective at helping the nursing home residents to feel less lonely. Many participants had even fostered close relationships with their canine callers—real and artificial—some developing emotional attachments.
Marian Banks, Dr. Banks' wife and co-researcher, delivered the dogs to the nursing home each week. She observed that the residents responded quickly to Sparky, treating him as a friend and even telling him, according to Banks, "their life story."
"He listened attentively, wagged his tail, and allowed them to pet him," said Banks.
Those who were visited by AIBO were slower to warm up to their metallic visitor. But after about a week, many study participants grew comfortable with AIBO and began petting and talking to the robotic dog. AIBO responded by wagging his tail, vocalizing, and blinking his lights.
The research could mean, according to Dr. Banks, that robotic dogs could become a feasible substitute for real dogs in helping people.
But other researchers, such as Sara Kiesler, professor of computer science and human-computer relationships at Carnegie Mellon University, are skeptical.
The study infers, Kiesler said, that it was the robotic dog that reduced the loneliness of the residents and not the human who brought the dog into the room. Kiesler questions this. Although Marian Banks did not communicate with the nursing home residents when she delivered the dogs, Kiesler suspects that it was Banks' presence each week that caused the boost in morale. Kiesler said that it would be interesting to conduct another study. That study should compare a visit from AIBO with visits from a human.
Others, however, are excited about the study's results. Andrew Ng, who is leading an effort to design a home-assistance robot, said the strength of the research is very encouraging. If humans can develop an emotional bond with robots, these mechanical pets might "not just be our assistants," said Ng, "but also our companions."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Summary
St.Louis University (has) done a study which found that a robotic dog, Artificial Intelligence Robot(AIBO), was equally effective at reducing the loneliness of nursing home residents with(/as) a pooch named Sparky. It means that canines might have take place of the real dogs to become man's best friends. (原文中并没有直接表示出这个意思，我觉得文章摘要不宜加入自己的评论或观点) Sony Entertainment developed AIBO to demonstrate a variety of human-like attributes. AIBO can express (show expressions) like a real dogs. In 2002, Dr. William Banks expanded a research on a study. The study shows that visits (with) real dogs helped to reduce the loneliness of nursing home residents. Now the researchers want to know if the real dogs or the artificial dogs responded better. (这句有逻辑错误) So the researchers divided 38 nursing home (residents) into three groups and begin(began) the 3 different studies for seven-week period. Researchers asked participant questions to check their degree of loneliness. And the researchers found that participant warm up slower to AIBO, but at the end, they developed emotional attachment to both the real and artificial dogs. However, some other researchers are skeptical about the study. Sara Kiesler was one of those researchers. Kiesler said that the study should compare a visit from AIBO with visits from a human because the people who bought the dog might affect the result.(很聪明很棒的处理方法，那么一大堆内容，三个字概括了。) Still, some other person(复数) believe(时态) that one day, these mechanical pets might become our companions.
Comment
1. 原文的字数在580字，这一篇摘要的字数在220字，似乎还可以删除更多的细节使摘要更加简练一些。（比如”Sony Entertainment developed AIBO to demonstrate a variety of human-like attributes”这样具体的细节可以压缩甚至省略）
2. 原文大致分为三个部分a.对AIBO的简要介绍b.实验内容与结果c.对试验的正反两方面的评论. 要在不遗漏这三个要点的基础上压缩原文是个比较难的事情，但是梨子同学把握的很不错。在b部分，对试验结果概括的简略并且有效，但是试验内容的细节过多。C部分反面观点（也就是关于Kiesler那几句）还是略有一些冗繁，其实我觉得也可以尝试将它合并成一个复合句。
3. 摘要一般要求用自己的语言对原文进行再创造。梨子在这方面做的很好。就是有些时态，单复数这样小小的错误，以后要仔细仔细哦~~:)
4. 其实我以前也是超级害怕写summary，但是现在越来越觉得这种练习对于提高阅读效率真是太有帮助了。对于考试复习，这也是至关重要的技巧(*^_^*) 嘻嘻……
第二篇Ashres的尼采墓志铭
~ Written from the perspective of Friedrich Nietzsche himself, based on the curious thought that he may have faked his whole schizophrenia deal. It would be very like him, though the world will never know… ~
The decision was a difficult one to make, much more so than it should have seemed at the time, though now I look back upon it with glee. There is much relief to be found in isolation, and in madness I am freed from the delusion of Judgment. Let there be neither grief nor resentment, for the prophet and the soothsayer had had their say. Give me neither pity nor disdain, for I have joined what was holiest and mightiest that the world has yet possessed in death, as He had forsaken His faith in life. Why go the length of the low road and pass away as this God had, mired in His infinite compassion for Man? Take your empty penitence and faithful promise and bury them with my passing, for there exists no one truth that is The Truth in the worlds of the Higher Man. Take your bird-wisdoms and soar whichever way, but leave be the prison of my mind.The Murderer of God had declared his victory; there remains no solace for the thrice-condemned begging in His Name. There is no shame in celebrating tragedy’s end. Now, rise up, rise up, and pronounce your judgment, what you think of it all, and grant none great mercy! And hope! And rejoice!
假如投稿的练笔都是这样的文章，我决定把栏目的标题篡改成”奇文共赏”了^-^Helena会批准的吧。感觉能够在第一期收到这么一篇奇文真是个很幸运的事情。作为一篇尼采的墓志铭，不论是内容还是题材都超出了monolog的知识范围。这个….路过的同学们就自己发表观点吧:)
1. 文章本身的语言运用相当的成熟流畅，。通篇优美的长句像是” 弦弦掩抑声声思”，随后的一串短句与感叹句的运用又给人” 大弦嘈嘈如急雨”的节奏感。
2. 此外，这篇文章有着尼采诗一般的语言风格。但是我觉得文章前半部分祈使句后面加了几个for，这个语气比起尼采仿佛略显得柔和且缺乏自信了。（写到这里我莫名地想到那句：彪悍的人生不需要解释….）
3. 内容上来看，墓志铭这个创意本身就值得鼓掌啦。这篇文章对尼采的很多观点都有提到，关于真理，关于上帝的死…..可是我不懂T T，所以保持沉默了。不过去猜想尼采的墓志铭真是个有趣的事情。等我以后鼓起勇气了解过尼采再来和ashres请教啦。
|
