Prose
今天看到微信公共号也可以插入语音了，这让我很久以来的愿望开始启动，即给自己传送的文字加上语音讲解，应该是在8月中旬开始，暂且起名：古凤夜评。读者尽可期待。 这个暑假里，每天我将推送一篇美文（取材近三年江苏高考完形填空来源书刊，直接和命题人的选材来源保持一致），并且进行点评，希望同学们加以体会。另外送上一篇和高考阅读D篇类似的文学文章，难度比较大，希望同学们能提前适应。由于江苏高考文章来源书刊网上无处可寻，因而非常珍贵。最后送上一篇最新的英语时文。
Prose
Don’t Wait
BY SANDRA LEWIS
When I was younger and relatively untouched by tragedy or pain, my understanding of miracles was that they were administered randomly, by God, to people with impossible life situations. These miracles were rare — or at least very rarely reported — and never seemed to happen to anyone I actually knew. I had a neighbor dying of cancer; I knew a family whose children were a source of endless worry and trouble; a local man lost his business and committed suicide. No miracle presented itself to these people. I assumed, then, that God’s mysterious ways were indeed that — mysterious — and that the chance of obtaining a miracle in one’s own life was exceedingly unlikely. This was not entirely disconcerting to me, as my life was rich and full. Trouble was a stranger to me, and my life’s course appeared happily set.
Six years ago, I was a homeopathic doctor, living with my husband and two children, and feeling a sense of satisfaction one feels when life runs along “as it should.”
Two years later, the landscape changed forever, as one of my precious children was diagnosed with a serious, chronic disease for which conventional medicine had no acceptable solutions. I poured myself into research and scientific and holistic networking, in search of the holy grail that would remove my child from suffering and harm, and to reclaim the sense of peace and “normalcy” with which I had previously felt safely connected. With the administrations of countless remedies, supplements, special diets, and medical and alternative consultations, my child gradually improved, although symptoms remained, and with them the unrelenting threat of worse days to come. However, I slowly began to allow myself cautious optimism, which came to a shuddering halt when my other child was also diagnosed. My sense of normalcy, control, “fairness,” and understanding of how the world is “supposed” to be shattered around me, and this new paradigm brought me face-to-face with who I really am, what I am really capable of, and what the world really is — and can be — about. This new reality would prove to be the beginning of a brandnew understanding, and it would joyfully remove forever the mystery surrounding “miracles.”
But in the stillness, and although I was immersed in self-pity and foggy desperation, a clarity slowly dawned. Had I really used everything I had, and done everything I possibly could, to help my children heal? Or was I losing faith too early, not realizing I was on the cusp of a pivotal discovery? If miracles really existed, had I laid sufficient groundwork to create or attract such an event? I felt a burst of energy, and with it, a renewed glimmer of confidence and hope. I searched through shelves of medical and spiritual books and saw Dr. Bernie Siegel’s face on one of them. Of course! I had read many of his books and knew him to be an extraordinarily wise, gifted man. Before I lost my newfound courage, I wrote to him, telling him about my children and what I had done for them so far. I asked if there was anything he might know of that I had missed that might help set my children on a more secure path.
I felt alive again, with a new sense of empowerment, even though I was still alone in my office! Just seeing Bernie’s face on one of his books reminded me that we are a global village — whether we ever meet each other or not, we are all connected, and this understanding and wisdom has the power to reignite our spirit and illuminate our greatest potentials, leading us to our greatest achievements. I didn’t really expect that Bernie would personally receive my note. And so I was stunned to receive a warm reply a short while later, and with it, information and encouragement from several of Bernie’s friends whom he had contacted on my behalf. The paradigm had shifted unexpectedly and profoundly.
That was just over three years ago. I had several conversations with Bernie and his friends, and over a fairly short period of time, my life was relaunched in a brilliant new direction, as I came to understand that the true miracle lies within us all. I relaunched my search for answers, breaking down walls of resistance and weaving together a myriad of opinions, research, knowledge, and experience, and I crafted a plan. My brave, loving children have been completely well for three years — there is no longer any sign of disease. Now when troubles arise (and as we know, they always do), I take hold of my inner resources, and I move with confidence and love to the best possible solution. “No” will never again be an acceptable answer.
Bernie once wrote to me, “When you are in premature labor, God steps in, … but be ready when you are full term to rebirth yourself.” And so the ripple effect continues: I changed careers, wrote and published a book, and became a life coach, choosing to devote myself to helping other people solve life issues and discover their hidden power. You see, I have learned that miracles are not something we wait for. The potential for miracles continually surrounds us. The key ingredients to make those miracles happen — love, courage, and an ever-present reminder that we are all connected — all lie within us. I believe that these are the only three things we need to create miracles every day. When your heart is open to possibility and love, and you awaken your courage, you open yourself to the possibility of your own miracles, and teach others by your example.
Literatue
The Great Gatsby
了不起的盖茨比
[美] 费 ·司各特·菲茨杰拉德（F.Scott Fitzgerald）
《了不起的盖茨比》通过完美的艺术形式描写了20年代贩酒暴发户盖茨比所追求的“美国梦”的幻灭，揭示了美国社会的悲剧。 盖茨比与黛西的恋爱和分手本来是个很普通的爱情故事。但作者出手不凡，把盖茨比热恋的姑娘当作青春、金钱和地位的象征，当作靠手段追求富裕物质生活的“美国梦”。盖茨比为了追求黛西耗尽了自己的感情和才智，最后葬送了自己的生命。他天真地以为：有了金钱就能重温旧梦，赎回失去的爱情。可惜，他错了。他看错了黛西这个粗俗浅薄的女人，他看错了表面上灯红酒绿而精神上空虚无聊的社会。他生活在梦幻之中，被黛西抛弃，被社会冷落，最终酿成了无法挽回的悲剧。
I spent my Saturday nights in New York because those gleaming，dazzling parties of his were with me so vividly that I could still hear the music and the laughter，faint and incessant， from his garden，and the cars going up and down his drive. One night I did hear a material car there，and saw its lights stop at his front steps. But I didn’t investigate. Probably it was some final guest who had been away at the ends of the earth and didn’t know that the party was over.
On the last night，with my trunk packed and my car sold to the grocer，I went over and looked at that huge incoherent failure of a house once more. On the white steps an obscene word， scrawled by some boy with a piece of brick，stood out clearly in the moonlight，and I erased it，drawing my shoe raspingly along the stone. Then I wandered down to the beach and sprawled out on the sand.
Most of the big shore places were closed now and there were hardly any lights except the shadowy，moving glow of a ferryboat across the Sound. And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors’eyes— a fresh， green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees，the trees that had made way for Gatsby’s house，had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams；for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent，compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired，face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.
And as I sat there brooding on the old，unknown world，I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock . He had come a long way to this blue
lawn，and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him，somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city， where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.
Gatsby believed in the green light，the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then，but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster，stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning...
So we beat on，boats against the current，borne back ceaselessly into the past.
每星期六晚上我都是在纽约度过的，因为盖茨比举办的那些灯火辉煌、光彩炫目的宴会使我记忆犹新，所以我仍然可以听到微弱的音乐声和欢笑声不断地从他的园子里飘过来，还有一辆辆汽车在他的车道上开来开去。一天晚上我确实听见那儿有一辆汽车，也看见车灯照在他门前的台阶上。我没有去调查。那大概是最后一位客人，刚从天涯海角归来，还不知道宴会早已收场了。
在最后那个晚上，我的行李已经收拾好了，车子也卖给了杂货店老板，我走过去又看了一眼那座庞大而零乱的、意味着失败的房子。白色台阶不知被哪个男孩用砖头写了一个脏字儿，映在月光里分外醒目，于是我把它擦了，鞋子在石头上蹭出沙
沙的响声。然后我又漫步到海边，仰天躺在沙滩上。
那些海滨大别墅现在大多已经关闭了，除了海湾上一只渡船的幽暗漂移的灯光，四周几乎没有灯火。当明月上升的时候，那些微不足道的房屋慢慢消逝，我逐渐看见了当年曾令荷兰水手眼睛大放异彩的这个古岛 ——一片清新碧绿的新世界。它那些消失了的树木，那些为盖茨比的别墅让路而被砍伐的树木，曾经一度迎风飘拂，在这里低声响应着人类最后的也是最伟大的梦想；在那个昙花一现的神妙的瞬间，人在面对这个新大陆时一定屏息惊异，不由自主地堕入他既不理解也不企求的一种美学的观赏中，在历史上最后一次面对着和他感到惊奇的能力相称的奇观。
当我坐在那里缅怀那个古老的、未知的世界时，我也想起了盖茨比第一次认出了黛西的那个码头的尽头的那盏绿灯时所感到的巨大惊奇。他经历了漫漫长路才来到这片草坪上，那时候他的梦一定就近在眼前，他几乎不可能抓不住的。他不知道那个梦已经丢在他背后了，丢在这个城市不知何处的一片无垠的混沌之中了，在那里，美利坚合众国的黑黝黝的田野在夜色中向前伸展。
盖茨比信奉这盏绿灯，这个逐年在我们眼前渐渐远去的极乐未来。它从前逃脱了我们的追求，不过没关系 ——明天我们跑得更快一点，把手臂伸得更远一点 ……总有一天 ……
于是我们奋力向前划，逆流向上的小舟，不停地倒退，进入过去。
实战提升
作者介绍
费·司各特 ·菲茨杰拉德（1896-1940），美国小说家。1920年出版了长篇小说《人间天堂》，从此出了名，小说出版后他与吉姗尔达结婚。婚后携妻寄居巴黎，结识了安德逊、海明威等多位美国作家。1925年《了不起的盖茨比》问世，奠定了他在现代美国文学史上的地位，成了 20年代“爵士时代 ”的发言人和 “迷惘的一代 ”的代表作家之一。
名句大搜索
那大概是最后一位客人，刚从天涯海角归来，还不知道宴会早已收场了。
他不知道那个梦已经丢在他背后了，丢在这个城市不知何处的一片无垠的混沌之中了，在那里，美利坚合众国的黑黝黝的田野在夜色中向前伸展。
于是我们奋力向前划，逆流向上的小舟，不停地倒退，进入过去。
News
BBC - 自动化欺诈，幽灵式推客。
BBC - Automated deceit, phantom tweeters
BBC - What chatbots are fully capable of in everyday life is interesting. We’re already surrounded by bots capable of tricking us into thinking they are real people, and they don’t enter competitions.
Some are sophisticated enough to infiltrate social networks and perhaps even influence public opinion.
Although most people think of the web as a place primarily frequented by humans, the reality turns out to be quite different. A recent report found that 61.5% of internet traffic is generated by automated programs called bots.
The bots most likely to fool us employ colourful trickery, explains Richard Wallace of Pandorabots, which makes chatbots for customer service and other uses. Wallace is the creator of a bot called Alice, which on three occasions has won the Loebner Prize – in a contest in which chatbots vie to convince judges that they are human.
“The people who are the most skilful authors of these bots are not computer programmers, they are people who work in a creative field,” says Wallace. “That’s really the key to creating a believable chatbot – writing responses which are believable, entertaining and engaging.”
Sometimes, bots can even trick the web-savvy… If a bot’s presence and interactions appear natural enough, we simply assume from the outset that it’s human.
The implications of this are not trivial. “If socialbots could be created in large numbers, they can potentially be used to bias public opinion, for example, by writing large amounts of fake messages and dishonestly improve or damage the public perception about a topic.”
It’s a problem known as ‘astroturfing’, in which a seemingly authentic swell of grass-root opinion is in fact manufactured by a battalion of opinionated bots...
The ramifications of astroturfing are in fact so serious that the US Department of Defense has jointly funded research into software which can determine whether a Twitter account is run by a bot.
But a lead researcher on the project admits that the system may already be outdated. It’s possible that today’s best bots could still evade detection.“Now bots are more sophisticated.” “They are better at disguising their identity and looking more like humans.”
(原文选自BBC新闻)
BBC双语新闻 - 聊天机器人程序在日常生活中究竟能做些什么，颇为引人入胜。我们已经被机器人程序包围，它们有本事骗得我们相信: 它们是真人，不是参加比赛的机器人程序。
有些机器人程序复杂到可以渗透社交网络，。
虽然大多数人都把网络看成主要由人类光临的地方，但现实却大相径庭。最近的一份报告发现，61.5%的互联网流量是自动化程序 - 或称机器人 - 生成的，
最可能愚弄我们的机器人，采用的骗术多姿多彩，“潘多拉机器人软件公司”的华莱士解释道。该公司专门制造客户服务等等用途的聊天机器人程序。华莱士设计过“爱丽丝”机器人。这款机器人三次赢得勒布纳奖 - 竞赛内容，是聊天机器人让裁判相信自己是人类。
“最擅长制作这些机器人程序的写手，不是电脑程序员，而是创意领域的工作人员，”华莱士说。“这才是创作可信的聊天机器人的关键 - 要写出有可信度、有娱乐性、有吸引力的回答来。”
有时，机器人甚至能忽悠网络达人......如果机器人的出现和互动显得足够自然，我们从一开始就会想当然地认为它就是真人。
这一现象的影响，不容小觑。“如果社交机器人可大量制造，，例如，通过撰写大量虚假信息，言不由衷地改善或损害某一话题的公众形象。”
这个问题，，，实际上是被灌输了特定观点的机器人大军制造出来的......
实际上，，以致美国国防部联合资助了某软件的研究 - 以辨别推特账户是否由机器人在操作。
但该项目的领头研究员承认，这个软件系统可能已经过时了。很可能，今天最好的机器人，依然可以蒙混过关。“现在的机器人更加精密复杂了。” “它们更善于伪装身份，看起来更像人了。”
(原文选自BBC新闻）