VOA慢速英语--2021年技术：Facebook报纸、新机器人和NFT的崛起

Technology 2021: ‘Facebook Papers,’ New Robots and Rise of NFTs

The past year's top technology news included stories about the release of secret Facebook documents, developments in robotics and the rise of NFTs. Here is a look back at some of those stories.

‘Facebook Papers'

In October, a former Facebook employee accused the company of ignoring its own research findings. A Facebook investigation¹ had found that its products and policies can harm users. The former data scientist, Frances Haugen, based her accusations² on secret Facebook documents she provided to media organizations and the U.S. Congress.

The documents became known as "The Facebook Papers." Haugen said the documents showed Facebook can amplify³ hate and misinformation and fuel political divisions. The documents also suggested the company was aware that its Instagram service could harm the mental health of girls and young women.

Haugen said Facebook had been dishonest in public declarations about its efforts to fight hate speech and misinformation. The company denied it had purposefully pushed content "that makes people angry for profit." Facebook also denied that it ignored research on the possible effects of its products.

Robotics progress

A video of dancing robots that went viral in early 2021 demonstrated the human-like abilities of the machines. Three robots, produced by American technology company Boston Dynamics⁴, took part in the full dance performance.

The chairman of Boston Dynamics, Marc Raibert, admitted the video was fun to watch. But he said the real success behind the experiment was the valuable lessons the project taught his team.

Boston Dynamics introduced another robot, called Stretch, which was designed for only one job - to move containers in large storage buildings. The company said the robot can move about 800 containers, weighing up to 23 kilograms each, in one hour.

In Hawaii, another Boston Dynamics robot was deployed⁵ by police to find people with high body temperatures in a homeless shelter in the capital, Honolulu. The effort was aimed at identifying homeless individuals who might be infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

In September, Italian researchers reported results from an experiment that examined how a robot's eyes can make the machines better connect with humans. They said the experiment showed that looks from a robot can trick people into thinking they are socially interacting with a human. They noted⁶ that the experience can affect a person's decision-making process and change how humans react to robots.

Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics announced plans to mass produce thousands of human-like robots, called humanoids. The company said the coronavirus pandemic had increased demand for robots designed to assist and interact with humans.

Rise of NFTs

One robot designed by Hanson, called Sophia, helped create a new form of artwork, called an NFT, or non-fungible token. This kind of digital art gained popularity in 2021.

An NFT is based on blockchain technology, which is also used with digital money. An NFT can be attached to a piece of digital artwork or other things in digital form. It can be used to provide proof that the pieces are real. While anyone can view the work, the buyer has official ownership rights over the pieces.

In March, American artist Beeple sold an NFT for nearly $70 million through Christie's Auction⁷ and Private Sales. It was the first sale by a major auction house of art that did not exist in physical form.

Even the man credited with inventing the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, decided⁸ to sell an NFT that included computer code he used to create the beginnings of the internet.

The NFT included 9,555 lines of code Berners-Lee used to start the World Wide Web. It also contained an animation⁹ of the code being written and a letter he wrote describing his thoughts on the code and his process for creating it. The NFT sold for $5.4 million.

Words in This Story

amplify – v. to make a feeling or opinion stronger or clearer

blockchain – n. a system used to make a digital record of all cryptocurrency activity

auction – n. a public sale at which things are sold to the people who offer to pay the most

code – n. written instructions for a computer

animation – n. a way of making a video or movie by using a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of objects

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

3 amplify   

vt.放大，增强；详述，详加解说

参考例句：

• The new manager wants to amplify the company.新经理想要扩大公司。
• Please amplify your remarks by giving us some examples.请举例详述你的话。

4 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

5 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。