"Does my smile look big in this?" Future fitting-room mirrors in clothing stores could subtly adjust your reflection to make you look --- and hence feel --- happier, encouraging you to like what you see. That's the idea behind the Emotion Evoking System developed by Shigeo Yoshida and colleagues at the University of Tokyo in Japan. The system can manipulate, or in other word, control your emotions and personal preferences by presenting you with an image of your own smiling or frowning face. The principle that physiological changes can drive emotional ones ─ that laughter comes before happiness, rather than the other way around ─ is a well-established idea. The researchers wanted to see if this idea could be used to build a computer system that manipulates how you feel. The system works by presenting the user with a web-camera image of his or her face ─ as if they were looking in a mirror. The image is then subtly altered (改变) with software, turning the corners of the mouth up or down and changing the area around the eyes, so that the person appears to smile or frown. Without telling them the aim of the study, the team recruited 21 volunteers and asked them to sit in front of the screen while performing an unrelated task. When the task was complete the participants rated how they felt. When the faces on screen appeared to smile, people reported that they felt happier. On the other hand, when the image was given a sad expression, they reported feeling less happy. Yoshida and his colleagues tested whether manipulating the volunteers' emotional state would influence their preferences. Each person was given a scarf to wear and again presented with the altered webcam image. The volunteers that saw themselves smiling while wearing the scarf were more likely to report that they liked it, and those that saw themselves not smiling were less likely. The system could be used to manipulate consumers' impressions of products, say the researchers. For example, mirrors in clothing-store fitting rooms could be replaced with screens showing altered reflections. They also suggest people may be more likely to find clothes attractive if they see themselves looking happy while trying them on. "It's certainly an interesting area," says Chris Creed at the University of Birmingham, UK. But he notes that using such technology in a shop would be harder than in the lab, because people will use a wide range of expressions. "Attempting to make slight differences to these and ensuring that the reflected image looks believable would be much more challenging," he says. Of course, there are also important moral questions surrounding such subtly manipulative technology. "You could argue that if it makes people happy what harm is it doing?" says Creed. "But I can imagine that many people may feel manipulated, uncomfortable and cheated if they found out."(1)What's the main purpose of the Emotion Evoking System? ____ A. To see whether one's feeling can be unconsciously affected.B. To see whether one's facial expressions can be altered.C. To see whether laughter comes before happiness.D. To replace the mirrors in future clothing-store fitting rooms.(2)What can we learn about the web-camera image in the study? ____ A. It recorded the volunteers' performance in the task.B. It gave the volunteers a false image.C. It attempted to make the volunteers feel happier.D. It beautified the volunteers' appearance in the mirror.(3)What does Creed mention as a limitation of the technology? ____ A. It only changes the areas around the mouth and the eyes.B. It only works in clothing stores.C. It only makes subtle changes to people's expressions.D. It only deals with a limited number of facial expressions.(4)What does Creed's comment on the moral issues with this technology imply? ____ A. Nothing is more important than happiness.B. Technology is unable to manipulate people.C. People should make their decisions independently.D. People should neglect the harm of the technology.
That's the idea behind the Emotion Evoking System developed by Shigeo Yoshida and colleagues at the University of Tokyo in Japan. The system can manipulate, or in other word, control your emotions and personal preferences by presenting you with an image of your own smiling or frowning face.
The principle that physiological changes can drive emotional ones ─ that laughter comes before happiness, rather than the other way around ─ is a well-established idea.
The researchers wanted to see if this idea could be used to build a computer system that manipulates how you feel. The system works by presenting the user with a web-camera image of his or her face ─ as if they were looking in a mirror. The image is then subtly altered (改变) with software, turning the corners of the mouth up or down and changing the area around the eyes, so that the person appears to smile or frown.
Without telling them the aim of the study, the team recruited 21 volunteers and asked them to sit in front of the screen while performing an unrelated task. When the task was complete the participants rated how they felt. When the faces on screen appeared to smile, people reported that they felt happier. On the other hand, when the image was given a sad expression, they reported feeling less happy.
Yoshida and his colleagues tested whether manipulating the volunteers' emotional state would influence their preferences. Each person was given a scarf to wear and again presented with the altered webcam image. The volunteers that saw themselves smiling while wearing the scarf were more likely to report that they liked it, and those that saw themselves not smiling were less likely.
The system could be used to manipulate consumers' impressions of products, say the researchers. For example, mirrors in clothing-store fitting rooms could be replaced with screens showing altered reflections. They also suggest people may be more likely to find clothes attractive if they see themselves looking happy while trying them on.
"It's certainly an interesting area," says Chris Creed at the University of Birmingham, UK. But he notes that using such technology in a shop would be harder than in the lab, because people will use a wide range of expressions. "Attempting to make slight differences to these and ensuring that the reflected image looks believable would be much more challenging," he says.
Of course, there are also important moral questions surrounding such subtly manipulative technology. "You could argue that if it makes people happy what harm is it doing?" says Creed. "But I can imagine that many people may feel manipulated, uncomfortable and cheated if they found out."
(1)What's the main purpose of the Emotion Evoking System? ____
A. To see whether one's feeling can be unconsciously affected.
B. To see whether one's facial expressions can be altered.
C. To see whether laughter comes before happiness.
D. To replace the mirrors in future clothing-store fitting rooms.
(2)What can we learn about the web-camera image in the study? ____
A. It recorded the volunteers' performance in the task.
B. It gave the volunteers a false image.
C. It attempted to make the volunteers feel happier.
D. It beautified the volunteers' appearance in the mirror.
(3)What does Creed mention as a limitation of the technology? ____
A. It only changes the areas around the mouth and the eyes.
B. It only works in clothing stores.
C. It only makes subtle changes to people's expressions.
D. It only deals with a limited number of facial expressions.
(4)What does Creed's comment on the moral issues with this technology imply? ____
A. Nothing is more important than happiness.
B. Technology is unable to manipulate people.
C. People should make their decisions independently.
D. People should neglect the harm of the technology.
题目解答
答案
2.B. 细节理解题,根据第四段The system works by presenting the user with a web-camera image of his or her face─as if they were looking in a mirror.The image is then subtly altered with software,turning the corners of the mouth up or down and changing the area around the eyes,so that the person appears to smile or frown (皱眉).可知网络摄像头的图象是让志愿者感觉他们在照镜子,让他们相信自己所看到的图象,然而这个图象是被修改过的,由此可知这是一种假象,所以B选项是正确的.
3.D.细节理解题,根据第八段But he notes that using such technology in a shop would be harder than in the lab,because people will use a wide range of expressions."Attempting to make slight differences to these and ensuring that the reflected image looks believable would be much more challenging,"he says.可知克里德指出在商店中很难采用这项技术是因为人们的表情过于丰富,由此可知这项技术的局限性是只能处理一些相对简单的表情,所以D选项是正确的.
4.C.推理判断题,根据最后一段"You could argue that if it makes people happy what harm is it doing?"says Creed."But I can imagine that many people may feel manipulated,uncomfortable and cheated if they found out."可知克里德提出虽然这项技术可以使人感到快乐,但是也会让人产生被操控感,人们会感到不安以及被欺骗,由此可知人们认为自由意志高于一切,所以C选项是正确的.
解析
考查要点:本题主要考查学生对科技类说明文的理解能力,包括细节识别、逻辑推理和观点判断。文章围绕“情感唤起系统”展开,需抓住以下关键点:
- 系统核心功能:通过改变面部表情影响情绪和偏好;
- 实验设计与结果:志愿者在不同表情反馈下的情绪变化;
- 技术应用与局限:实际场景中的挑战及道德争议。
解题思路:需结合问题定位原文关键段落,通过关键词匹配(如“main purpose”对应系统目标)和逻辑推理(如专家观点隐含的道德判断)锁定答案。
(1)What's the main purpose of the Emotion Evoking System?
定位段落:第二段
关键句:
"The system can manipulate, or in other words, control your emotions and personal preferences by presenting you with an image of your own smiling or frowning face."
解析:
- 选项A正确,系统通过改变面部表情间接影响情绪,而非直接改变表情(排除B)或验证“笑先于乐”(排除C)。
- D选项是技术应用之一,但非系统核心目的。
(2)What can we learn about the web-camera image in the study?
定位段落:第四段
关键句:
"The image is then subtly altered with software, turning the corners of the mouth up or down and changing the area around the eyes, so that the person appears to smile or frown."
解析:
- 选项B正确,图像经过软件修改,呈现的是“假象”(如微笑或皱眉)。
- A、C、D均未提及实验中图像的具体作用。
(3)What does Creed mention as a limitation of the technology?
定位段落:第八段
关键句:
"Attempting to make slight differences to these and ensuring that the reflected image looks believable would be much more challenging."
解析:
- 选项D正确,技术仅能处理有限表情(如微笑/皱眉),而现实场景中表情复杂多样。
- C选项描述不全面,未涉及“表情多样性”这一核心限制。
(4)What does Creed's comment on the moral issues imply?
定位段落:最后一段
关键句:
"But I can imagine that many people may feel manipulated, uncomfortable and cheated if they found out."
解析:
- 选项C正确,克里德暗示人们应自主决策,反对被技术操控。
- A、B、D均未体现隐含的道德立场。