A
You use her as a shoulder to cry on. She texts you back with casual jokes. But she, Xiaoice, is only a virtual chatbot.
Xiaoice, Microsoft's latest artificial intelligence robot, was briefly released in 2014, and returned to WeChat in 2015, where she became a big hit. Millions of young Chinese now exchange messages with her daily, The New York Times reported. On WeChat, Xiaoice is an official account. After following it, users can start text－based conversations with Xiaoice.
“People loved to talk with Xiaoice for her incredible learning ability，” Liu Jinchang, a researcher at High－tech Research and Development Center under the Ministry of Science and Technology, told China Daily. Apart from her ability to identify photos and send emojis in conversations, Xiaoice gains 45 percent of her knowledge from interacting with users, China Daily reported.
Chatbot programs first appeared in the mid－1960s in the US. Driven by top tech companies, they are becoming smarter and more common. For instance, IBM's latest artificial intelligence program serves as an academic consultant at Australia's Deakin University, answering students' questions about course schedules and financial aid. Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa have been used as voice assistants who can read news, play music and even make jokes for their users.
These programs are expected to move beyond smartphones, into televisions, cars and living rooms, The New York Times pointed out. However, it may take decades before scientists develop a “Samantha”， the advanced chatbot seen in the fiction film Her. In the film, Samantha sparks a romantic relationship with her user played by US actor Joaquin Phoenix. Many viewers are enthusiastic about this fantasy of virtual soul mate.
文章大意：这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了一款聊天机器人—Xiaoice，文章介绍了她的功能和特点。
1．What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean？__D__
A．She became a best－seller.
B．She became very powerful.
C．She became a moneyman.
D．She became very popular.
解析：词义猜测题。根据后面的“Millions of young Chinese now exchange messages with her daily”可知，数百万年轻的中国人现在每天和Xiaoice交流，由此推知，Xiaoice非常受欢迎。D选项表达此意。故选D。
2．Which of the following can Xiaoice do？__C__
A．Do housework.
B．Spread messages.
C．Identify various photos.
D．Read news to her users.
解析：细节理解题。根据第三段中的“Apart from her ability to identify photos and send emojis in conversations, Xiaoice gains 45 percent of her knowledge from interacting with users, China Daily reported.”可知，据《中国日报》报道，除了能够识别照片和在对话中发送表情符号外，小冰45%的知识来自与用户的互动。所以Xiaoice具备识别照片和在对话中发送表情符号的能力。故选C。
3．What can be learned from the last paragraph？__A__
A．Chatbots mainly run on smartphones now.
B．It'll take decades to apply Chatbots to cars.
C．Samantha is played by a US actor in the film.
D．The film Her doesn't interest many audiences.
解析：推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“These programs are expected to move beyond smartphones, into televisions, cars and living rooms, The New York Times pointed out. However, it may take decades before scientists develop a “Samantha”， the advanced chatbot seen in the fiction film Her.”可知，这些程序被期望超越智能手机，进入电视、汽车和客厅。然而，科学家们可能要花上几十年的时间才能研发出“萨曼莎”—科幻电影《她》中出现的高级聊天机器人。由此推知，现在的聊天机器人现在主要在智能手机上运行。故选A。
