TPO52

Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be judged on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the points in the lecture and their relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words.

Reading Part

Asteroids are large space objects made of rock and ice. There are hundreds of thousands of asteroids in our solar system.Though we often hear ideas about establishing colonies of humans to live and work on our Moon or our neighboring planet, Mars, some think that sending people to an asteroid would actually be the best colonization option for a number of reasons.

Low Gravity

To begin with, asteroids are often much smaller than planets, so they have lower gravity. When landing a spaceship, the craft would not be pulled as strongly or as forcefully toward the asteroid's surface, making the landing safer than landing on the Moon or Mars; it would also allow a spacecraft to carry much more equipment needed to set up the colony. It would also be easier for the spacecraft to take off again, so the spaceship would need to carry considerably less fuel for the trip back to Earth.

Mining Valuable Metals

Next some asteroids are rich in valuable elements and precious metals that are relatively rare on Earth, such as gold and platinum. An asteroid colony would be extremely profitable and a good source of these raw materials. The colonists or businesses sponsoring them could more than pay for the cost of their support by mining minerals and sending them back to Earth.

Easy to Reach

Finally, asteroids are a good option for colonization because some of them would be very easy to reach. There are a number of asteroids that periodically come within or near Earth's orbit Some of them actually get closer to Earth than our Moon. So these asteroids would be much easier and more affordable to get to and get back from than a planet like Mars, which would require a two-year trip in each direction.

Listening Part

Directions:Now listen to a part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.

Asteroid colonization is not a very practical idea. Each of the points in the reading has a serious downside.

First, while low gravity on an asteroid would make landing and taking off relatively easy, low-gravity environments also present certain risks. In a low-gravity environment, people start losing muscle mass and their bone density becomes lower. Even astronauts who spend just a few months in spaceships, which are low-gravity environments, suffer from health problems like muscle and bone density loss. Imagine the health problems that long-term colonists would experience on asteroids.

Second, the availability of valuable metals might make an asteroid colony seem like a profitable idea but that’s not the whole picture. You have to consider additional factors. One thing is the costs. The costs of supporting a colony and of transporting the metals are likely to be high and will reduce the profits. And furthermore, there’s no guarantee that the price for which you can sell the metals will remain the same. If precious metals are mined in large quantities, it would increase the supply of the metals, which could end up lower in the market price. So mining on asteroids may not be very profitable.

Third, even if some asteroids are easy to reach, they may not be easy to return from. Asteroid orbits, the path on which asteroids travel through space, can be unusual. Some orbital paths come close to earth but then move away from earth, often a great distance away from earth. So even if an asteroid gets close to earth at one point, making it easy for colonists to get to the asteroid, it does not stay close to earth. It can actually travel much farther away from earth than a planet like Mars. Getting back from an asteroid that travels that far would be a challenge.

参考笔记

Question

Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenge the specific points made in the reading passage.

Model Essay

The reading passage is talking about sending people to an asteroid as the optimal colonization option and gives three reasons while the listening passage claims it to be unpractical.

Firstly, the author proposes that asteroids have lower gravity and thus landing and taking off would be safer. However, the speaker claims that in low gravity environment, the muscle mass and bone density would be lower, which may cause health issues. Therefore, since colonists need to spend long time on the asteroid, their health would be affected severely.

Secondly, the author maintains that mining valuable metals on asteroids would be quite profitable. However, the speaker argues that even though there are valuable metals on asteroids, transportation fees are very expensive, which will reduce the profits. What is more, when large amount of valuable metals is transported back to earth, their price would decrease accordingly due to the large quantities. Therefore, mining and transporting precious metals are not that profitable as they thought.

Thirdly, although the reading passage holds that some asteroids are easy to reach as they orbit near Earth periodically, the speaker fights against that. The speaker further claims that it might be easy to reach some asteroids but might be difficult to return from them. Asteroids do not stay near earth’s orbit permanently, instead, they will travel away from earth very soon after they come close. Therefore, colonists will find it challenging to get back to earth.

238 words

今天ChatGPT挂了，emmm，拿API润色一下吧：

gpt-3.5-turbo-1106版本

The reading passage discusses the concept of colonizing asteroids as the most viable option for human settlement and provides three reasons to support this idea. However, the listening passage counters these arguments by highlighting the impracticalities of such a proposal.

Firstly, the author of the reading passage suggests that asteroids, with their lower gravity, would make landing and takeoff safer. This is refuted by the speaker, who emphasizes the potential health risks associated with prolonged exposure to low-gravity environments, such as decreased muscle mass and bone density. These health concerns could significantly impact the well-being of colonists over time, rendering the idea of colonization on asteroids less feasible.

Secondly, the reading passage asserts that mining valuable metals on asteroids would be highly profitable. Conversely, the speaker argues that while valuable metals do exist on asteroids, the exorbitant transportation costs would greatly diminish any potential profits. Moreover, the influx of these metals back to Earth would lead to a reduction in their market value due to oversupply. As a result, the overall profitability of mining and transporting precious metals from asteroids is not as promising as initially suggested.

Lastly, the reading passage contends that certain asteroids are easily accessible due to their periodic orbit near Earth. However, the speaker challenges this point by highlighting the difficulty in returning from these asteroids once reached. As the speaker explains, asteroids do not remain in close proximity to Earth permanently, but rather move away after a brief period. This poses a significant challenge for colonists attempting to return to Earth, thereby undermining the practicality of establishing viable settlements on asteroids.

Overall, the listening passage effectively undermines the claims made in the reading passage regarding the feasibility of colonizing asteroids, pointing out numerous practical challenges and potential drawbacks that need to be considered.

298 words

gpt-4-1106-preview版本

The reading passage discusses the possibility of colonizing asteroids as a superior option and outlines three key advantages. In contrast, the listening passage challenges this notion, deeming it impractical.

Firstly, the author of the text argues that reduced gravity on asteroids facilitates safer landings and takeoffs, potentially minimizing risks associated with space travel. However, the speaker counters this with concerns about the detrimental effects of prolonged exposure to low-gravity environments, which can lead to significant muscle and bone mass deterioration. Consequently, the health of colonists committing to extended stays on an asteroid could be compromised severely.

Secondly, the text posits that the exploitation of valuable metals found on asteroids could yield substantial economic benefits. Despite this, the lecturer disputes the viability of such a venture, highlighting the exorbitant costs of transportation that could erode potential profits. Additionally, he delineates potential market saturation that could ensue upon the return of these metals to Earth, leading to a decline in their value. As such, the notion of profiting from mining and transporting these materials may not be as lucrative as initially perceived.

Lastly, the reading passage comments on the proximity of certain asteroids that periodically orbit near Earth, suggesting an ease of accessibility. However, the lecturer rebuts this claim, stating that while reaching these celestial bodies might be feasible, the return journey may pose a significant challenge. Asteroids do not maintain a constant presence near Earth's orbit but rather drift away relatively swiftly after their close approach. This dynamic nature would create logistical difficulties for colonists attempting to navigate their way back to Earth.

In conclusion, it's clear that while the idea of asteroid colonization presents exciting prospects, the arguments made in the reading passage are systematically challenged by the listening passage, highlighting significant practical constraints that need to be addressed.

299 words

API调用格式

import os
from openai import OpenAI
from constants import OPENAI_KEY

SYSTEM_MESSAGE = "You are a helpful rebot and you can follow the user's instruction to do a lot of things, like polishing a article."
os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"] = OPENAI_KEY

client = OpenAI()

###################

article_string = "<replace with the article to revise>"
###################

response = client.chat.completions.create(
  model="gpt-4-1106-preview",
  messages=[
    {"role": "system", "content": SYSTEM_MESSAGE},
    {"role": "user", "content": f"下面是一篇托福综合写作的回答，我希望你帮我美化一下，能够提升在托福考试中的分数，让我更好备考：{article_string}"},
  ],
)

print(response)

封面图，来自SDXL，prompt使用magic-prompt加工，原始prompt为“优美的，神秘的，Asteroids are large space objects made of rock and ice. There are hundreds of thousands of asteroids in our solar system”，没错，我还搞了prompt的自动翻译