题源文章精讲之科技发展类（4）

本文选自【经济学人】：机器学习的力量

背景知识  随着人工智能的发展，机器学习可以通过挖掘分析数据对某些情况作出预测。但正如所有的科技发展一样，这种基于电脑的预测也是一把双刃剑。工具本身无好坏，只有善用工具，工具才能更好地造福于人类。

Data analytics

数据分析法

The power of learning

学习的力量

Clever computers could transform government

聪明的电脑可以改变政府

        1 Governments are taking notice. 2 A London borough is developing an algorithm to predict who might become homeless. 3 In India Microsoft is helping schools predict which students are at risk of dropping out. 4 Machine-learning predictions can mean government services arrive earlier and are better targeted. 5 Researchers behind an algorithm designed to help judges make bail decisions claim it can predict recidivism so effectively that the same number of people could be bailed as are at present by judges, but with 20% less crime. 6 To get a similar reduction in crime across America, they say, would require an extra 20,000 police officers at a cost of $2.6 billion.

        7 But computer-generated predictions are sometimes controversial. 8 ProPublica, an investigative-journalism out?t, claims that a risk assessment in Broward County, Florida, wrongly labelled black people as future criminals nearly twice as often as it wrongly labelled whites. 9 Citizens complain that decisions which affect them are taken on impenetrable

grounds.

［词汇］

borough    /'b?r?/    n. 自治的市镇

algorithm    /'?lg?r?e(?)m/    n. 运算法则

homeless    /'h??ml?s/    adj. 无家可归的（2006年英语一完形考查过）

predict    /pr?'d?kt/    v. 预测

targeted    /'tɑ:ɡitid/    adj. 被定为目标的

bail    /be?l/     n./v.  保释

recidivism    /r?'s?d?v?z?m/     n. 再犯，累犯

controversial    /k?ntr?'v???(?)l/    adj. 有争议的

investigative    /?n'vest?g?t?v/    adj. 调查性质的

assessment    /?'sesm?nt/    n. 评估，评价

label    /'le?b(?)l/    v. 贴标签于

impenetrable    /?m'pen?tr?b(?)l/    adj. 不能通过的

［知识点］

1、take notice    注意，关注

2、drop out    辍学

3、help sb do    帮助某人做......

4、so...that...    如此......以致于......

5、the same A as B    像B一样的A

6、as A as B    像B一样的A

7、label...as...    把......贴标签为......

［逐句精讲］

1 Governments are taking notice.

分析 本句主干是Governments are taking notice。

翻译 政府也正注意到了机器学习的这一特点。

2 A London borough is developing an algorithm to predict who might become homeless. 

分析 本句主干是A London borough is developing an algorithm。who might become homeless是to predict的宾语从句。

翻译 伦敦的一个市镇正在开发一种算法，预测谁将无家可归。

3 In India Microsoft is helping schools predict which students are at risk of dropping out. 

分析 本句主干是Microsoft is helping schools predict。which students are at risk of dropping out引导的是predict的宾语从句。这里注意help sb do的用法，表示“帮助某人做某事”。

翻译 微软印度公司正帮助学校预测可能辍学的学生。

4 Machine-learning predictions can mean government services arrive earlier and are better targeted. 

分析 本句主干是Machine-learning predictions can mean government services arrive earlier and are better targeted。

翻译 基于机器学习的预测可以使得政府的服务更及时更有针对性。

5 Researchers behind an algorithm designed to help judges make bail decisions claim it can predict recidivism so effectively that the same number of people could be bailed as are at present by judges, but with 20% less crime. 

分析 本句主干是Researchers claim。designed to help judges make bail decisions修饰algorithm。claim后面的成分做claim的宾语从句，从句主干是it can predict recidivism，这里需要注意so...that...句型，表示“如此.......以致于......”。that从句中注意the same A as B 表示“像B一样的A”。

翻译 研究人员开发了一种帮助法官作出保释决定的算法。他们声称，这一算法可以有效预测累犯，与法官判定的被保释人数相同，犯罪率却下降了20%。

6 To get a similar reduction in crime across America, they say, would require an extra 20,000 police officers at a cost of $2.6 billion.

分析 本句主干是To get a similar reduction would require an extra 20,000 police officers。they say是插入语。

翻译 研究人员表示，要想使全美犯罪率降低20%，政府需要增加20,000名警力，花费26亿美元。

       

7 But computer-generated predictions are sometimes controversial. 

分析 本句主干是computer-generated predictions are sometimes controversial。

翻译 但电脑作出的预测有时也颇具争议。

8 ProPublica, an investigative-journalism out?t, claims that a risk assessment in Broward County, Florida, wrongly labelled black people as future criminals nearly twice as often as it wrongly labelled whites. 

分析 本句主干是ProPublica claims that。an investigative-journalism out?t对ProPublica解释说明，that引导的是claims的宾语从句，从句主干是a risk assessment wrongly labelled black people as future criminals。从句中as A as B 表示“像B一样的A”。

翻译 新闻调查机构ProPublica表示，在针对佛罗里达州布罗沃德县的风险评估中，电脑将预测潜在的犯罪分子，而黑人被错估为犯罪分子的概率是白人的两倍。

9 Citizens complain that decisions which affect them are taken on impenetrable grounds.

分析 本句主干是Citizens complain that。that引导的是宾语从句，从句主干是decisions are taken on impenetrable grounds。which affect them修饰decisions。

翻译 市民抱怨这些预测影响着他们，但其所基于的原理让他们捉摸不透。

亲们觉得老师讲的好，就打赏个铜板呗！！！你们的赏赞是对我劳动成果的最大肯定~~~打赏可按住二维码进行哦。