Can you tell the difference between a computer and a human? You think you certainly can, but listen to this radio program about new “human” robot and try to communicate with him to answer this question.

 

1. Pre-listening activities

 

a) Match the proper names to their definitions:

Cleverbot	a) a programmer who made the first human computer
Rollo Capenter	b) a scientist who constructed the test identifying if a machine is clever enough to full people in thinking it is human
Alan Turing	c) a computer program that can communicate with people like human

 

b) Study new vocabulary (e-flashcards can be found on: https://quizlet.com/81301275/flashcards):

human – relating to a person;

intelligent – having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree;

scientist – a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences;

to pass a test – to be successful in satisfying a test or its requirements;

computer programme – a sequence of instructions that a computer can interpret and execute;

to communicate – to transmit information;

conversation – speech used for informal exchange of views;

text conversation – communicating by the means of texting or typing;

to record – to make an electronic copy, to register electronically;

relatively – by comparison to something else;

reply – the speech act of continuing a conversational exchange;

to seem human – to give a certain impression relating to person;

to search – to seek, look for, try to locate or discover;

the meaning of life – the message, the main idea of life;

to pick – to choose, to select carefully.

 

c) Remember new vocabulary: http://quizlet.com/81301275/learn

 

d) Write a dictation: http://quizlet.com/81301275/speller

 

e) Have some fun: scatter-game: http://quizlet.com/81301275/scatter,
race-game: https://quizlet.com/81301275/spacerace

 

f) Take a test: http://quizlet.com/81301275/test

 

2. While-listening activities

 

Listening for general information

 a) Listen to the program and complete the following exercise (e-test can be found on: http://www.quia.com/quiz/5317795.html):

Say if the sentences are true or false:

1.Alan Turing predicted that some time a computer will fool people into thinking it is human.

2.Cleverbot was the first computer to pass Turing test.

3.The first phrase that Cleverbot learnt was “How are you?”.

4.Cleverbot was recording conversations with Carpenter and his friends for 11 years.

5.Cleverbot can have conversations with 3 million people at the same time.

6.Cleverbot gives you the best answer from his database.

7.People don’t believe that that Cleverbot is a computer program.

8.There is no computer in the world that passed Turing test.

9.A Technology festival took place in India.

10.Cleverbot’s answers are very intelligent.

11.ou can make Cleverbot answer the question instead of you.

b) What do these numbers refer to? (e-test can be found on: http://www.quia.com/quiz/5317797.html):

1950	a) Cleverbot was reconstructed into a website
1987	b) people voted at the festival
a few thousand	c) lines of conversation were “learnt” by Cleverbot
1997	d) Cleverbot was built
5 million	e) people have text conversation with Cleverbot a month
200.000	f) of the time Cleverbot was thought to be human while voting
3 million	g) Alan Turing invented his test
334	h) replies Cleverbot gives an hour
59%	i) conversations Cleverbot recorded with the help of its developer

 

Listening for detail

 

с) Listen again and complete the text (e-test can be found on: http://www.quia.com/quiz/5317872.html):

Can you tell the difference between a computer and a human? As computers become more 1 _______, it will become more difficult to say which is 2 ­­­­_______. In 1950, a scientist named Alan Turing 3 _______ that machines would one day become intelligent and able to think. He made a test called the 4 _______ _______. According to this test, a machine is intelligent, if it can 5 _______ people into thinking it is human.

Last year, a computer program called Cleverbot6 _______ this test. Cleverbot was made by Rollo Carpenter in 1987. It was a 7 _______ _______ _______ _______that learns how to communicate from having 8 _______with people.

When Carpenter first started making Cleverbot, the program didn’t know 9 _______. He began having text conversations with the program and it 10 _______ what he said. If he said “hello”, Cleverbot learned the word “hello”. If he said, “How are you?” Cleverbot learned the phrase, “How are you?”

Carpenter also had his 11 _______ make conversation with Cleverbot, and these conversations were also recorded. Between 1988 and 1997, Cleverbot recorded 12 _______ _______ _______conversations with Carpenter and his friends. This was 13 _______ very little information, and not enough to make the program seem human.

In 1997, Carpenter made Cleverbot into a 14 _______. Over the next 10 years it recorded 5 million 15 _______ _______ _______. Cleverbot now makes 200,000 16 _______ _______ _______ and has text conversations with 3 million people a month. This has given Cleverbot so much 17 _______, it now seems very 18 _______.

If you ask Cleverbot a question, it 19 _______ through its records and finds the best answer. If for example, you ask Cleverbot, “What is the 20 _______ _______ _______?” you’ll get an answer that sounds like it’s coming from a human. It has heard this question thousands of times 21 _______ _______ _______ all over the world and will 22 _______ an answer that 23 _______ _______ your conversation. Now it may not be an intelligent answer, but it will24 _______ _______. Carpenter gets emails every day from people who think he’s 25 _______ and can’t believe that Cleverbot is really a computer program.

Last year, Cleverbot passed the Turing test at a 26 _______ _______ in India. During the 27 _______, 30 humans had a text conversation on a computer connected to a 28 _______. Half of the computers were connected to Cleverbot and half of the computers were connected with real people. The text conversations were then 29 _______ _______ _______ _______ TVs at the festival. 30 _______ people at the festival then 31 _______ which conversations they thought were with a human partner, and which conversations they thought were with a computer. The Cleverbot conversations were thought to be 100% human 59% of the time.

Try 32 _______ _______ _______ with this computer program at Cleverbot.com. Remember, Cleverbot has had millions of conversations with many 33 _______ _______ _______ _______. Some of these people were 34 _______, some were 35 _______, some were interesting, some were 36 _______ and some were just 37 _______. Cleverbot38 _______ _______ these conversations, so some of the things Cleverbot says will be stupid, boring, rude or use 39 _______ that are difficult to understand.

There are two things you can do if you don’t understand what Cleverbot says. You 40 _______ _______ it and change the topic, or there is a button that says, 41 _______ _______ _______ This will make Cleverbot answer its own 42 _______.

Before you go to Cleverbot and try it, tell us what you think in the comments.

Do you think you can tell the difference between a human and a computer?

 

3. After-listening activities

 a) Match words from each column to make collocations found in the program (e-test can be found on: http://www.quia.com/quiz/5317944.html):

 

1. to tell	a. test
2. to which	b. conversations
3. a scientist	c. of conversation
4. the Turing	d. through
5. to fool	e. human
6. to communicate	f. the difference
7. text	g. of times
8. relatively	h. program
9. lines	i. is which
10. to search	j. festival
11. to find	k. people
12. the meaning	l. partner
13. to seem	m. people into thinking
14. thousands	n. practicing your English
15. a computer	o. kinds of people
16. a technology	p. from having conversations
17. to be connected	q. idioms
18. real	r. difficult to understand
19. a human	s. and a computer
20. to try	t. the best answer
21. different	u. the topic
22. to use	v. into a website
23. to be	w. named Alan Turing
24. to change	x. of life
25. between a human	y. to Cleverbot
26. to make	z. very little information

 b) Choose the best option to complete the sentences (e-test can be found on: http://www.quia.com/quiz/5318040.html):

1.Is there _______ life in the universe.

clever

intelligent

knowing

human

2.This food is not fit for _______ consumption.

human

humanity

people

children

3.She’s a computer _______ at the University of Texas.

human

manager

scientist

science

4.She hasn’t _______ her driving _______ yet.

did exam

failed task

passed test

failed test

5.We only _______ by email.

speak

communicate

chat

talk

6.The main topic of _______ was the likely outcome of the election.

communication

communicate

talk

conversation

7.Did you remember to _______ that programme for me?

record

write

listen

watch

8.We had _______ few applications for the job.

nicely

relatively

well

good

9.We had over 100 _______ to our advertisement.

letters

answers

replies

calls

10.It _______ like a good idea at the time.

was

seemed

went

is

11.Firefighters _______ the buildings for survivors.

searched

build

bought

sold

12.Words often have several_______.

meanings

translations

pictures

stresses

13.He _______ his words carefully.

spoke

did

wrote

picked

14.The fall in retail sales _______ directly _______ with the decline in employment.

was driven

to be done

is connected

is transmitted

15.For current prices please visit our_______.

website

library

store

shop

16.He is a general _______ in a consulting firm.

participant

part taker

seller

partner