For decades, science-fiction writers have envisioned a world in which speech is the most commonly used interface between humans and machines. This is partly a result of our strong desire to make computers behave like human beings. But it is more than that. Speech is natural --- we know how to speak before we know how to read and write. Speech is also efficient --- most people can speak about five times faster than they can type and probably 10 times faster than they can write. And speech is flexible --- we do not have to touch or see anything to carry on a conversation.

The first generation of speech-based interfaces is beginning to emerge, including high-performance systems that can recognize tens of thousands of words. In fact, you can now go to various computer stores and buy speech-recognition software for dictation. Products are offered by IBM, Dragon Systems, Lernout & Hauspie, and Philips. Other systems can accept extemporaneously generated speech over the telephone. AT&T Bell Labs pioneered the use of speech-recognition systems for telephone transactions, and now companies such as Nuance, Philips and SpeechWorks have also entered the field. The current technology is employed in virtual-assistant services, such as General Magic's Portico service, which allows users to request news and stock quotes and even listen to email over the telephone. But the Oxygen project will need far more advanced speech-recognition systems.

1. As human beings, which of the following skill do we acquire first?

A. read  

B. write

C. speak

D. sing

2. Which of the following is not a trait (特征) of speech?

A. natural

B. efficient

C. flexible

D. effective

3. Which of the following company lead the use of speech-recognition systems for telephone transactions?

A. AT&T Bell Labs

B. Nuance

C. IBM

D. Dragon Systems

【Vocabulary】

decade   n. 十年

envision   v. 想象

flexible   adj. 可变通的

generation   n. 一代

recognition   n. 识别

dictation   n. 命令

science fiction   科幻小说

interface   n. 界面，接口

【Background Information】

本文的作者Victor Zue是MIT(麻省理工学院) 电气工程和计算机科学系教授，他的这篇关于和机器人对话的文章于1999年发表于《科学美国人》杂志，文章前瞻性地提出了人机对话的可能，通过语音识别系统可以实现这种可能。

答案：

1. C，文章中提到we know how to speak before we know how to read and write,所以我们最先学会的是说话这项技能。

2. D，文章提到了话语的三大优点，natural, efficient以及flexible, 千万不要混淆effective和efficient. effective是“有效的”，efficient是“有效率的”。

3. A， 文章中提到贝尔实验室是pioneer(领导，起先锋带头作用) 语音识别系统这项技术的。故选择A.