一、听力练习
1.
A. They discovered a new type of protein.
B. They developed methods to predict and build proteins using AI.
C. They created a new drug for diseases.
D. They won the Nobel Prize for research on nanomaterials.
2.
A. They could lead to the development of new AI systems.
B. They could help create new drugs and understand antibiotic resistance.
C. They are primarily focused on improving computer games.
D. They have no significant potential for future research.
3.
A. AlphaGo.
B. AlphaFold.
C. AlphaFold2.
D. AlphaDesign.
二、听力文本
Three scientists who developed methods to predict the structure of proteins and build new ones have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The winners were American David Baker, a professor at the University of Washington; Briton Demis Hassabis, head of Google's DeepMind research laboratory in London; and American John Jumper, a top researcher at DeepMind. The lab centers on artificial intelligence (AI) methods. Protein is one of the most important substances to life on Earth. Baker succeeded in building new kinds of proteins. Hassabis and Jumper solved a problem that had existed for 50 years. They were finally able to use AI to predict the structure of proteins. The Nobel Committee for Chemistry said the discoveries “hold enormous potential.” For example, committee members said the ability to build new proteins could lead to the discovery of new drugs and vaccines. It could also help scientists develop extremely small materials, called nanomaterials, and small sensors. Heiner Linke is Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. He said the award honored research that made connections for the first time between amino acid sequences and protein structures. “That was actually a grand challenge in chemistry, and in particular biochemistry” for many years, Linke said. Baker first designed a new protein in 2003. Since then, his research group has produced many different proteins. “It seems that you can almost construct any type of protein now with this technology,” said Professor Johan Aqvist of the Nobel committee. The committee said Hassabis and Jumper created an AI model called AlphaFold2. It has been able to predict the structure of nearly all 200 million proteins researchers have identified. Linke said, “Proteins are the molecules that enable life. Proteins are building blocks that form bones, skin, hair and tissue.” He added, “To understand how life works, we first need to understand the shape of proteins.” Linke said that in 2020, Hassabis and Jumper were able to use AI methods to finally “crack the code.” That made it possible to predict the complex structure of “any known protein in nature.” There are many possible uses for the technology. Researchers should be able to use it to better understand how organisms develop resistance to antibiotics. They might also be able to create images of chemical substances called enzymes that can break down plastic. The committee said Baker had developed “computational tools” that enable scientists to design new proteins with new shapes and functions. DeepMind first gained wide attention by developing an AI system that was able to defeat the human world champion in the Chinese game of Go faster than expected. This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry is worth about $1 million. Half of the prize will go to Baker. Hassabis and Jumper will share the other half.
Question 1: What is the main achievement of the scientists who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry?
Question 2: What did the Nobel Committee say about the potential applications of the scientists' discoveries?
Question 3: What significant tool did Hassabis and Jumper create to predict protein structures?
三、重点词汇
1. potential: someone's or something's ability to develop, achieve, or succeed 潜力，潜能
四、背景知识
长沙晚报掌上长沙10月9日讯 据央视新闻客户端消息：当地时间10月9日，瑞典皇家科学院宣布，将2024年诺贝尔化学奖授予大卫·贝克（David Baker）、戴米斯·哈萨比斯（Demis Hassabis）和约翰·江珀（John M.Jumper）。获奖者将平分1100万瑞典克朗（约合745万元人民币）奖金。（背景知识来自于https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1812430517825370712&wfr=spider&for=pc）
五、参考答案
Question 1: B
Question 2: B
Question 3: C
六、网络翻译
三位科学家因开发预测蛋白质结构和构建新蛋白质的方法而获得了诺贝尔化学奖。获奖者包括美国华盛顿大学的教授大卫·贝克、英国谷歌DeepMind研究实验室的负责人德米斯·哈萨比斯，以及DeepMind的顶级研究员约翰·贾姆珀。该实验室专注于人工智能（AI）方法。蛋白质是地球上生命最重要的物质之一。贝克成功构建了新型蛋白质。哈萨比斯和贾姆珀则解决了一个存在了50年的问题，他们终于能够利用人工智能预测蛋白质的结构。诺贝尔化学委员会表示，这些发现“具有巨大的潜力”。委员会成员表示，构建新蛋白质的能力可能导致新药物和疫苗的发现，也可能帮助科学家开发极小的材料（称为纳米材料）和小型传感器。诺贝尔化学委员会主席海纳·林克表示，这个奖项表彰了首次在氨基酸序列和蛋白质结构之间建立联系的研究。“这实际上是化学，特别是生物化学中多年来的一个重大挑战，”林克说。贝克在2003年首次设计了一种新蛋白质。从那时起，他的研究小组生产了许多不同的蛋白质。“似乎现在可以用这种技术构建几乎任何类型的蛋白质，”诺贝尔委员会的约翰·阿奎斯特教授说。委员会表示，哈萨比斯和贾姆珀创建了一个名为AlphaFold2的人工智能模型，它能够预测研究人员识别的近2亿种蛋白质的结构。林克说：“蛋白质是赋予生命的分子。蛋白质是构成骨骼、皮肤、头发和组织的构件。”他补充道：“要理解生命是如何运作的，我们首先需要了解蛋白质的形状。”林克表示，2020年，哈萨比斯和贾姆珀能够利用人工智能方法最终“破解代码”，这使得预测“自然界中任何已知蛋白质的复杂结构”成为可能。该技术有许多可能的应用。研究人员应该能够利用它更好地理解生物体如何对抗抗生素的抵抗力。他们也可能能够创建可以分解塑料的化学物质（称为酶）的图像。委员会表示，贝克开发了“计算工具”，使科学家能够设计具有新形状和功能的新蛋白质。DeepMind最初因开发出能够比预期更快击败世界围棋冠军的人类AI系统而受到广泛关注。今年的诺贝尔化学奖奖金约为100万美元，其中一半将给贝克，哈萨比斯和贾姆珀将平分另一半。
七、版权说明
英文新闻来自于VOA；背景知识来自于国内等多个平台。本平台属于公益平台，未通过转载相关内容获得相关利益。文章不涉及打赏及相关产品推荐等。转载相关中文背景知识出于传递更多信息、方便学生理解相关新闻背景；英文文章及音频所传递的观点与本公众号无关。网络翻译来源于ChatGPT的在线翻译，翻译内容仅供参考。此外，内容删减仅是因为篇幅以及考虑学生接受等目的，不涉及歪曲事实观点及作者相关意见。若有来源标注错误或侵犯了您的合法权益，请与本公众号运营人员进行联系，我们将及时更正、删除，谢谢。 邮箱地址：yangyanchao@mmc.edu.mo
