2024年北京卷 C
The notion that we live in someone else's video game is irresistible to many. Searching the term “simulation hypothesis”(模拟假说)returns numerous results that debate whether the universe is a computer simulation—a concept that some scientists actually take seriously. Unfortunately, this is not a scientific question. We will probably never know whether it's true. We can, instead, use this idea to advance scientific knowledge.
The 18th-century philosopher Kant argued that the universe ultimately consists of things-in-themselves that are unknowable. While he held the notion that objective reality exists, he said our mind plays a necessary role in structuring and shaping our perceptions. modern sciences have revealed that our perceptual experience of the world is the result of many stages of processing by sensory systems and cognitive(认知的)functions in the brain. No one knows exactly what happens within this black box. If empirical(实证的) experience fails to reveal reality, reasoning won't reveal reality either since it relies on concepts and words that are contingent on our social, cultural and psychological histories. Again, a black box.
So, if we accept that the universe is unknowable, we also accept we will never know if we live in a computer simulation. And then, we can shift our inquiry from “Is the universe a computer simulation?” to “Can we model the universe as a computer simulation? ” Modelling reality is what we do. To facilitate our comprehension of the world, we build models based on conceptual metaphors(隐喻) that are familiar to us. In Newton's era, we imagined the universe as a clock. In Einstein's, we uncovered the standard model of particle(粒子) physics.
Now that we are in the information age, we have new concepts such as the computer, information processing, virtual reality, and simulation. Unsurprisingly, these new concepts inspire us to build new models of the universe. Models are not the reality, however. There is no point in arguing if the universe is a clock, a set of particles or an output of computation. All these models are tools to deal with the unknown and to make discoveries. And the more tools we have, the more effective and insightful we can become.
It can be imagined that comparable to the process of building previous scientific models, developing the “computer simulation” metaphor-based model will also be a hugely rewarding exercise.
28. What does the author intend to do by challenging a hypothesis?
A. Make an assumption.
B. Illustrate an argument.
C. Give a suggestion.
D. Justify a comparison.
29. What does the phrase “contingent on” underlined in paragraph 2probably mean?
A. Accepted by.
B. Determined by.
C. Awakened by.
D. Discovered by.
30. As for Kant's argument, the author is _________.
A. appreciative
B. doubtful
C. unconcerned
D. disapproving
31. It is implied in this passage that we should _________.
A. compare the current models with the previous ones
B. continue exploring the classical models in history
C. stop arguing whether the universe is a simulation
D. turn simulations of the universe into realities up.
答案：
28. C
29. B
30. A
31. C
解析：
28. 作者在文章开头提出了“模拟假说”，然后指出这不是一个科学问题，我们可能永远无法知道它是否为真。接下来，作者使用了这个假说来推进科学知识的讨论。可知，作者对于模拟假说提出质疑，是为了提出自己的建议。故选C。
29. 在第二段中，"contingent on" 这个短语出现在这样的上下文中：“...since it relies on concepts and words that are contingent on our social, cultural and psychological histories.” 这里的意思是，我们的推理依赖于我们的社会、文化和心理历史所决定的概念和词汇。因此，"contingent on" 的意思是由...所决定的。选项B "Determined by" 与此意思相符。
30. 作者在第二段中提到了康德的论点，并解释了康德的观点，即尽管客观现实存在，但我们的心灵在构建和塑造我们的感知中扮演了必要角色。作者没有表示对康德论点的怀疑或不关心，而是接受了康德的观点，并用现代科学来支持康德的观点。这表明作者对康德的论点是赞赏的。选项A "appreciative" 与此态度相符。
31. 在最后一段，作者提到，模型不是现实，争论宇宙是否是一个时钟、一组粒子或计算的输出是没有意义的。所有这些模型都是处理未知和发现新事物的工具。作者暗示我们应该停止争论宇宙是否是一个模拟，而是应该使用这些模型作为工具。选项C "stop arguing whether the universe is a simulation" 与此暗示相符。
