Question

Siri is the name of a new talking virtual(虚拟的) assistant feature on the latest iPhone that can tell you when you have an appointment, where to find a Thai restaurant and what the pollen count (花粉计数)will be.

I have friends who have the phone and love to ask Siri, "What's the meaning of life?" She has an answer, which is impressive. Maybe it takes a circuit board to recognize the special quality of life. But frankly, her answer sounds a little robotic.

Siri, which is a name for the California company that developed her, speaks in an electronically warm, friendly, female voice. So do most on-board navigations systems, voicemail prompts(提示), directory assistance greetings and Julie, the voice of Amtrak's automated reservation system.

Why are the voices that come from our machines often female?

Professor Clifford Nass said that humans develop a preference for female voices that begins when we overhear our mothers speaking while we wait in their wombs(子宫).

We hear our mothers say in a soft voice, "I love you" over our heads, so a woman's voice conveys comfort and security. We might hear a man's voice somewhere in the background asking, "Have you seen my shoes? or “Hey, where are the spoons?"

Researchers say that while a man's voice can sound "authoritative", a woman's voice may be taken as more friendly and cooperative.

Rebecca Zorach, director of the Social Media Project at the University of Chicago's Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, says that companies are probably only choosing the voices that focus groups and market surveys like most. "It's casting," she says.

But I don't want to begin any campaigns for more male mechanical voices. I prefer to think that the increase of the application of female robotic voices reflects some of the progress women have won in the struggle for equality. Women have achieved so much in so many ways, you can hear it everywhere.

64. The author mentioned Siri to prove that ________.

A. it can tell you the meaning of life.             B. most mechanical voices are female

C. it is a new application on the iPhone           D. it can let out a robotic sound

65. What can’t a female voice usually suggest?

  A. Love.       B. Safety.       C. Kindness.       D. Authority.

66. By saying “It’s casting”, Rebecca means __________.

  A. females play a key role in mechanical voices

  B. females are cleverer than males in some aspects

  C. females like talking with others more than males

  D. females know more about what people need

67.In the last paragraph, the author thinks that _______.

  A. women have much sweeter voices than men

  B. women have made progress in robot designing

  C. women have won more equal rights in society

  D. women are still prejudiced in robotic field

Answer 1

  BDAC