3101期高中进阶音频 The Path Forward in an Era of AI This year's Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry are widely viewed as a big win for AI. In fact, this victory heralds a new age in scientific research, one that suggests a path forward for those who fear the control that AI could come to have over human progress. Notably, some winners of these prizes are not only hard-and-fast pioneers in the fields of physics and chemistry, but also data scientists, computer engineers and biochemists. In short, they do not simply excel in just one field of study, but in a diverse array of them. Instead of fearing an AI takeover, it is time to do the overtaking, and the path forward is to broaden our approach to learning. Take a look around you. What do you see? Perhaps your desk, computer or phone screen, the pen in your hand, or the printed front-page of this very article. Everything you see around you has been meticulously (精心地) designed by those with diverse talents and visions to suit any of a number of different purposes. I recently designed a website for my media brand. When I began this task, I was completely unprepared for how much work it would end up being. As an editor, I was used to reviewing prepared texts, rather than considering which font (字体) was the best to convey a specific message. And this was just the tip of the iceberg. I had to figure out how to make my website visually appealing to audiences, an area in which I had no prior knowledge. What took me the longest amount of time was to teach myself how to code. While I could have simply used one of the provided templates (模板), I wanted my website to reflect my unique vision. As an old dog, it was difficult for me to learn these new tricks, but the joy I got from the learning process was immeasurable. It not only taught me that I was capable of overcoming difficult obstacles, but by diversifying my knowledge base, it increased my professional value to prospective employers. It is still uncertain how AI technologies will affect the future. What is clear, however, is that it will belong to those who seek to explore new avenues of learning, without being limited to just one type of knowledge and thinking. Like a hammer, AI is merely a tool, one that will never produce a nail on its own. If you only learn to become a nail, you may just find yourself fixed in place with nowhere left to turn. China Does Not Accept EU Duties on EVs The European Union (EU) announced on October 29 that it had concluded its anti-subsidy investigation. From October 30, the organization will impose definitive countervailing duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) for a period of five years. The decision was met with strong opposition. In a statement on October 30, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME) expressed disappointment over the EU’s decision. The CCCME said that the European Commission (EC) failed to correct its false findings in the final ruling on the issue. It pointed out that there was a serious lack of transparency in the procedure. It criticized that the move seriously violated relevant WTO and EU anti-subsidy rules. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) also expressed disagreement with the decision in a statement last Wednesday, calling it unacceptable. The CAAM stressed that the EU is going against the fundamental principles of free trade and fair competition. Such duties will harm cooperation between the Chinese and European automotive industries. The move also negatively affects the green and low-carbon transition. Earlier that day, a Ministry of Commerce (MOC) spokesperson said that China does not approve of or accept the EC’s decision. The EU’s anti-subsidy investigation is a protectionist move under the guise of “fair competition,” the MOC said. China has already appealed to the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism over the issue. The country will continue to take all necessary measures to protect the legal rights and interests of its businesses, the MOC spokesperson noted.Among all the Chinese carmakers affected, SAIC Motor faces the highest duty rate of 35.3 percent. The company said that it plans to file a lawsuit at the Court of Justice of the EU to challenge the decision. The EC made errors and ignored facts during the investigation, according to the carmaker. Although the EU claimed to be open to continuing negotiations, it hasn’t shown enough sincerity. The Chinese side has repeatedly urged the EU to stop conducting separate negotiations with individual carmakers. The focus should be instead on negotiations led by the CCCME, who speaks on behalf of the Chinese automotive industry. However, the EU stated last Tuesday that it remains open to negotiations with individual exporters. Experts said that the EU is planning to take down the companies one by one in this way. Meanwhile, China continues to advocate for resolving trade disagreements through dialogue and consultation. And it’s making every effort to achieve this. Navigating the World With a Terrible Sense of Direction We were an hour from the ranch (牧场), deep in the nearly 22,000-acre Lubrecht Experimental Forest in Montana’s Blackfoot Valley, when I realized my horse and I were lost. I spun in the saddle (马鞍), the leather creaking as I eyed the trees around us — none of them distinct from the others. My first thought was of the mountain lion that had been roaming these hills all winter and spring, and then of the wolf pack whose prints a neighbor had pointed out in the trail’s fresh mud. If Molly bolted (受惊) and I fell off way out here, I thought — and then stopped myself. Focus. I was born in the 1970s: dreamy, distracted and always worried about losing things — homework, backpack, wallet. No one ever told me that the thoughts that tormented me were due to obsessive-compulsive disorder (强迫症), a condition that likely affected my sense of direction. It’s not that I’m not trying hard enough, not paying attention, or that I’m stupid. I just don’t have this skill. My terrible sense of direction does drive some people crazy. Once, a friend offered to help me carry a heavy load of books down to my car in a conference center garage. We circled the garage for half an hour, passing rows of silent vehicles, before he declared, “You know, you should tell people you have no sense of direction when they offer to help you!” I’ve adapted, but the truth is that going slowly and even getting lost — at least when it’s not life-threatening — forces me to pay attention differently. I study the fallen trees and moss-covered stumps (树桩) more closely; I stop to smell summer wildflowers and listen to bird calls. In college, I used to love going for drives and getting lost on purpose, exploring unfamiliar landscapes, awed by valleys blanketed in green and the rolling back roads of North Carolina. This intense focus is probably what helps to calm me. Out in the darkening Montana mountains with Molly that day, I edged toward panic as we climbed, circled and descended. But finally, as the wind picked up and dusk fell, I remembered what the ranch manager had told me repeatedly throughout the year, a truth I had always known but forgotten in my fear: Horses always know the way home. I took my feet out of the stirrups (马镫) and let the reins (缰绳) rest loosely on Molly’s neck. She paused, uncertain of what I wanted from her. Her ears turned back, listening. “Take us home, Moll,” I said. She turned, taking a left slowly yet with certainty, the reins swaying on her neck. My body relaxed again, shifting with hers, until, at last, there it was: that sweet dirt path back to the ranch.
