图灵测试与“托福屋”

这个思想实验本身有着极大的意义。它被广泛地用于哲学、认知科学、计算机科学、数学等领域，是目前最广为人知的关于认知本质的探讨——但是，显然我们今天并不会聊那么多。一个非常有意思的点是这个思维实验最早的提出是为了驳斥图灵测试以及相关的图灵机—以ELIZA为代表—并试图指出所谓智能的起点。无论是图灵测试，还是在“中文屋”实验中，受试者面临的都是另一个知性个体随机性的提问。在这种情况下，可怜的受试者必须有近乎无限多的小卡片来帮他做出合适的回答，也因此，“中文屋”在现实中并不可能存在。

但是换个思路想，如果我们面临的是固定的规则下提出的有限的问题，那么我们同样也只需要一定数量的卡片—而这个数量或许是可以在现实中达成的。那么“固定规则下提出的有限的问题”有哪些例子呢？比如直男的思想，比如王者荣耀的分路，比如托福—特别是托福阅读。

Dependence on long-distance trade also meant that the great empires of the Middle East were built both literally and figuratively on shifting sand. The central state, though often very rich and very populous, was intrinsically fragile, since the development of new international trade routes could undermine the monetary base and erode state power, as occurred when European seafarers circumvented Middle Eastern merchants after Vasco da Gama's voyage around Africa in the late fifteenth century opened up a southern route. The ecology of the region also permitted armed predators to prowl the surrounding barrens, which were almost impossible for a state to control. Peripheral peoples therefore had a great advantage in their dealings with the center, making government authority insecure and anxious.

In paragraph 5, why does the author mention the new trade route opened up by Vasco da Gama's fifteenth century voyage around Africa?

A. To provide evidence that European seafarers took every opportunity to bypass Middle Eastern merchants

B. To present an instance in which Middle Eastern states lost money and power because of their reliance on long-distance trade

C. To argue this new route became necessary when European seafarers wanted to avoid Middle Eastern states whose central power had begun to erode

D. To explain how da Gama helped European traders avoid the dangerous predators prowling the areas surrounding Middle Eastern cities