機器人棋手騙局：英語精讀講義

This is the Turk,

這就是「土耳其機器人」，

a mechanical chess-playing robot from the 1700s

一個來自 18 世紀的機械下棋機器人，

that was basically unbeatable.

它基本上是戰無不勝的。

It made its own moves,

它能自己走棋，

called checkmate,

宣告「將軍」，

and even laughed in its opponent's face. 慣用語

甚至當面嘲笑對手。

For almost 90 years,

在近 90 年的時間裡，

it toured the world,

它在世界各地巡迴演出，

facing some of the best chess players and historical figures,

迎戰了一些最頂尖的西洋棋選手和歷史人物，

and beating them all.

並將他們一一擊敗。

Hundreds of articles were written trying to expose its secrets,

有數百篇文章試圖揭開它的秘密，

but no one ever figured out how it worked, 片語動詞

但從來沒有人弄清楚它是如何運作的，

or if it was actually real or not.

甚至不知道它到底是不是真的。

Amazingly, the real secret behind this mysterious machine

令人驚訝的是，這台神秘機器背後的真正秘密，

remained unknown for almost 90 years

在將近 90 年裡都不為人知，

and was almost lost completely

甚至差點永遠失傳，

when the Turk eventually perished in a fire.

因為這台機器最終在一場大火中被毀了。

We modeled the entire thing to show you how this incredible machine worked

我們對整個裝置進行了 3D 建模，以向你們展示這台不可思議的機器是如何運作的，

and how it managed to trick the entire world for almost a century.

以及它是如何成功欺騙了整個世界近一個世紀的。

The story begins in Vienna in 1769,

故事始於 1769 年的維也納，

where a special event was being held by the Empress of Austria.

奧地利女皇在那裡舉辦了一場特別的活動。

At the event,

在活動中，

the audience were being treated to a show by a famous French magician 片語搭配

觀眾們欣賞了一位著名的法國魔術師的表演，

who performed illusions using magnets.

他用磁鐵表演了許多錯覺魔術。

While the audience was blown away, 慣用語

當觀眾們被深深震撼時，

one man was less than impressed, 語氣意圖

唯獨有一個人不為所動，

Hungarian inventor Wolfgang von Kempelen.

他就是匈牙利發明家 Wolfgang von Kempelen。

He worked for the Empress

他為女皇工作，

and promised that he would come back next year

並向女皇承諾他明年還會回來，

with a much more impressive creation of his own.

帶上自己更令人驚嘆的發明。

And so, over the next six months,

於是，在接下來的六個月裡，

in the secrecy of his own home,

在他自己家中的秘密角落裡，

he constructed the Turk.

他製造了「土耳其機器人」。

Kempelen revealed his creation at the next event,

Kempelen 在下一次活動中展示了他的發明，

and it was an absolute hit. 用詞

取得了絕對的成功。

The audience watched on in amazement

觀眾們驚奇地看著

as this mysterious-looking mannequin came to life, 慣用語

這個外表神秘的人體模型復活了，

moving around the chess pieces

它四處移動棋子，

and destroying his opponent.

把對手殺得片甲不留。

Word spread quickly about the Turk,

關於機器的消息迅速傳開，

and soon hundreds of people around Europe

很快地，整個歐洲數以百計的人

wanted to take on the machine. 片語動詞

都想挑戰這台機器。

10 years went by, 片語動詞

10 年過去了，

but the demand to see the Turk was higher than ever. 文法

人們想要一睹其風采的呼聲卻空前高漲。

And so,

於是，

Kempelen took the machine out on the road,

Kempelen 帶著機器上路了，

starting its first European tour in 1783.

於 1783 年開始了它的首次歐洲巡迴。

This is how a typical show would go. 表達脈絡

一場典型的表演大致是這樣的。

At the beginning,

一開始，

Kempelen would go around opening the cabinet doors

Kempelen 會四處走動，打開櫃門，

and inviting people to look inside the machine,

邀請人們觀看機器內部，

starting with the left door.

他會先打開左邊的門。

It would reveal a compartment full of complex machinery.

這會露出一個裝滿複雜機械的隔間。

To show that there was nothing hiding behind the machinery,

為了證明機械後面沒有藏著任何東西，

he opened the door at the back and lit a candle

他又打開了後面的門，並點燃了一根蠟燭，

so that the audience could see right through the machine.

讓觀眾可以直接看穿這台機器。

Then he closed the rear door

然後他關上後門，

and opened up the main compartment,

打開主隔間，

which was mostly empty.

裡面幾乎是空的。

With all the doors open,

所有的門都打開後，

Kempelen pulled out a set of chess pieces from the drawer at the bottom.

Kempelen 從底部的抽屜裡拿出了一副西洋棋。

The Turk was now ready to play.

現在機器準備好下棋了。

Kempelen would challenge the most intelligent member of the audience

Kempelen 會挑戰觀眾中最聰明的人，

to try and beat the Turk,

讓他們嘗試擊敗這台機器，

and almost always the Turk would come out on top. 慣用語

而結果幾乎總是這台機器獲勝。

Kempelen and his machine continued traveling across Europe,

Kempelen 和他的機器繼續在歐洲各地旅行，

playing some of the most skilled chess masters of the time.

迎戰了一些當時最優秀的西洋棋大師。

For the final game in France,

在法國的最後一場比賽中，

the Turk went up against Benjamin Franklin. 片語動詞

機器對陣了 Benjamin Franklin。

Despite being a chess fanatic,

儘管他是個西洋棋狂熱分子，

the Turk quickly defeated him with ease.

機器還是輕鬆地迅速擊敗了他。

After this,

在這之後，

speculation behind the machine's authenticity started to ramp up. 片語動詞

關於機器真實性的猜測開始加劇。

While many believed it really was a completely automated machine,

雖然許多人相信它確實是一台完全自動化的機器，

some thought it was also being controlled by magnets,

但也有人認為它是受磁鐵控制的，

and some thought there was a small child operating the Turk from inside.

還有人認為有一個小男孩在裡面操縱它。

But Kempelen was determined to take the secret to his grave, 慣用語

但 Kempelen 決心將這個秘密帶進墳墓，

and in 1804,

在 1804 年，

he passed away at the age of 70.

他以 70 歲的高齡去世了。

The Turk was eventually sold to a German inventor

後來，這台機器被一位德國發明家，

called Johann Maelzel for around $300,000.

名叫 Johann Maelzel 的人買下，花費大約 30 萬美元。

Over the course of several years,

經過幾年的時間，

he figured out the Turk's secrets

他弄清了這台機器的秘密，

and took it back out on the road. 片語搭配

並帶著它重新踏上旅程。

This time,

這一次，

finding even more success in America.

在美國取得了更大的成功。

But one day,

但是有一天，

after performing in Baltimore,

在巴爾的摩表演之後，

an article was written in the local newspaper

當地報紙上發表了一篇文章，

that appeared to give away the Turk's secret. 片語動詞

似乎洩漏了機器的秘密。

Two young boys had climbed onto the Turk's storage shed

兩個小男孩爬上了存放這台機器的棚子，

and saw Maelzel opening the cabinet

看到 Maelzel 打開櫃子，

and a man climbing out of it.

一個男人從裡面爬了出來。

A few days later,

幾天後，

the newspaper retracted the article 用詞

報紙撤回了那篇文章，

because the boys' story couldn't be verified.

因為男孩們的故事無法得到證實。

This is still a problem in today's world.

這在當今世界仍然是一個問題。

That's why we're working with Ground News again for this video.

這就是為什麼我們在本影片中再次與 Ground News 合作。

Invented by a former NASA engineer,

Ground News 是由一名前 NASA 工程師發明的，

Ground News is a news app and website that allows you to compare articles

它是一款新聞應用程式和網站，可讓你比較來自

from a wide range of sources to verify information and see the full picture. 慣用語

廣泛來源的文章，以驗證資訊並了解全貌。

Every story comes with a quick visual breakdown of the political bias, 用詞

每一個故事都配有快速直觀的政治偏見分析、

reliability, ownership,

可靠性、所有權，

and headlines,

以及標題對比，

all backed by ratings from three independent news monitoring organizations.

所有這些都由三個獨立的新聞監控機構評級背書。

Take this story about Boeing's Starliner.

以波音 Starliner 的這個故事為例。

More than 150 news outlets reported on the story,

超過 150 家新聞機構報導了此事，

most of which are from the left.

其中大部分偏左派。

You can also see a breakdown of the reliability and ownership,

你還可以看到關於其可靠性和所有權的細分數據，

as well as headlines to see how this bias can affect framing. 用詞

以及大標題，看看這種偏見是如何影響報導框架的。

With their bias comparison feature,

藉助其偏見對比功能，

which highlights specific differences in reporting,

它可以突顯出報導中的具體差異，

we can see that the left and center outlets

我們可以看到，左翼和中間派媒體

tended to focus on the number of helium leaks and the affected valves,

傾向於關注氦氣洩漏的次數和受影響的閥門，

while right-leaning outlets framed these leaks

而右傾媒體則將這些洩漏

as a crucial test for Boeing's competition with SpaceX.

描繪成波音與 SpaceX 競爭的一次關鍵考驗。

One of our favorite features is their blind spot feed, 慣用語

我們最喜歡的功能之一是其資訊盲點推薦，

which highlights stories underreported by one side of the political spectrum.

它突顯出了政治派別一方報導不足的故事。

For example,

例如，

if you lean left, 用詞

如果你偏向左翼，

you probably missed this story on Boeing being blocked from increasing production of their airplane.

你可能錯過了關於波音飛機增產受阻的這則故事。

For a more faithful and objective way to keep up with current events, 片語動詞

為了更忠實且客觀地了解時事，

click the link in the video description or scan the QR code

請點擊影片描述中的連結或掃描行動條碼，

to get 40% off the unlimited access plan.

以 60% 的價格獲取無限制存取方案。

After figuring out the secrets behind his new machine,

在弄清了新機器的秘密之後，

Maelzel took the Turk back out on the road.

Maelzel 帶著它重新上路。

One of his first opponents was none other than Napoleon Bonaparte, 慣用語

它的首批對手之一正是拿破崙·波拿巴，

who he defeated with ease.

結果被它輕鬆擊敗。

Maelzel and the Turk spent the next 20 years

Maelzel 和這台機器在接下來的 20 年裡

touring all the way from Boston to the Mississippi River 片語搭配

一路從波士頓巡迴到密西西比河，

and everywhere in between.

以及這之間的各個地方。

The Turk was more popular than ever,

機器的受歡迎程度空前高漲，

but still nobody knew if it was real or not.

但仍然沒有人知道它是不是真的。

Famous poet Edgar Allan Poe was invited to inspect the machine

著名詩人 Edgar Allan Poe 受邀檢查這台機器，

and ended up writing an essay on how he thought it worked. 片語動詞

最終還寫了一篇文章分析它是如何運作的。

He thought that there was simply a man underneath the Turk's clothing

他認為機器人的衣服底下肯定藏著一個男人，

that could see the chessboard

能夠看到棋盤，

and was making all of the moves.

並且所有的棋都是他下的。

Maelzel spent most of the 1830s touring America and Cuba with great success.

在 1830 年代的大部分時間裡，Maelzel 都在美國和古巴巡迴，取得了巨大成功。

But while sailing back to the US,

但在乘船返回美國的途中，

Maelzel suddenly died at sea,

Maelzel 突然在海上猝死，

and the Turk and all of its secrets

而機器和它的所有秘密，

were now just waiting to be uncovered once it arrived back.

現在只能等待回到岸上時被人發掘了。

The machine eventually fell into the hands of Edgar Allan Poe's physician, 慣用語

這台機器最終落入了 Edgar Allan Poe 的醫生手中，

who had always been interested in the machine.

他一直對這台機器很感興趣。

But by then,

但到那時，

the Turk was 70 years old,

這台機器已經 70 歲了，

and without a charismatic owner to put on the show,

又沒有了富有魅力的主人來表演，

it was eventually donated to a museum in Philadelphia.

最終它被捐贈給了費城的一家博物館。

It remained here for over a decade,

它在這裡待了十多年，

until one day,

直到有一天，

a fire swept through and completely destroyed the Turk.

一場大火席捲而來，將這台機器徹底摧毀。

It was no doubt one of the best kept secrets in the world.

毫無疑問，這是世界上保守得最好的秘密之一。

It traveled everywhere,

它遊歷了世界各地，

constantly under scrutiny from the world's brightest minds. 片語搭配

一直經受著世界上最聰明大腦的審查。

And yet,

然而，

even through multiple owners,

即使幾經易主，

it managed to take its secrets

它還是將秘密保留

all the way to the end.

到了最後一刻。

It seemed like the secrets behind the Turk would remain unknown forever.

似乎這台機器背後的秘密將永遠成為不解之謎。

But a year later,

但是一年後，

the son of the Turk's last owner published an article

這台機器最後一位主人的兒子發表了一篇文章，

that would finally reveal the truth.

終於揭開了真相。

These are the secrets behind the Turk.

以下就是它背後的秘密。

As it turned out, 表達脈絡

事實證明，

the Turk wasn't automated at all,

這台機器根本不是自動化的，

and was in fact operated by a chess master hidden inside the machine at all times.

而是由一直隱藏在機器內部的一名西洋棋大師操作的。

The fake machinery and the bottom drawer

虛假的機械裝置和底部的抽屜

didn't extend all the way to the back of the cabinet,

並沒有延伸到機櫃的最深處，

and so there was space

因此有空間

for the operator to sit with his legs stretched out under a fake floor.

讓操作員坐在虛假的地板下伸直雙腿。

Before the left door was opened,

在左側門打開之前，

the operator would slide forward on a movable chair into the main compartment,

操作員會坐在可移動的椅子上向前滑動到主隔間，

closing behind him a secret door.

並關上身後的暗門。

The presenter would then open the rear door

主持人隨後會打開後門，

and show the audience that there was nothing but machinery inside. 文法

向觀眾展示裡面除了機械裝置一無所有。

As the presenter closed the rear door,

當主持人關上後門時，

the operator would slide back into his original position,

操作員會滑回原來的位置，

closing another door behind him and in front of him.

關上身後和身前的另一扇門。

The presenter would then open up the front and rear doors

主持人隨後會打開主隔間

to the main compartment

的前門和後門，

to allow the audience to see inside.

讓觀眾看到內部。

Having seen right through the whole machine, 文法

既然已經看穿了整台機器，

the audience would now have full belief

觀眾現在完全相信

that no one could be hidden inside the machine.

機器裡根本藏不了人。

The doors were then locked,

門一鎖上，

and the Turk was ready to come to life.

機器準備好開始行動了。

The operator would slide back into the main compartment

操作員會滑回主隔間，

and open a hidden door inside the Turk's body,

打開機體內的一扇暗門，

revealing a candle, a chessboard,

露出一根蠟燭、一個棋盤，

and a mechanical lever,

以及一根機械槓桿，

which would control the Turk's arm.

用來控制機器人的手臂。

The lever was in fact a clever pantograph mechanism,

槓桿其實是一個巧妙的縮放機構，

using strings that would mimic the exact movements of the Turk's arm.

其中的細繩可以精確模擬機器人手臂的運動。

It had a pointer,

它有一個指標，

which the operator could lift to raise the arm

操作員可以透過抬起它來舉起手臂，

and twist to close the Turk's fingers.

也可以透過扭動它來閉合機器人的手指。

By moving the pointer over the chessboard, 文法

透過在棋盤上移動指標，

it would move the Turk's hand

就能在真正的棋盤上將機器人的手

over the exact same square on the real chessboard.

移動到完全相同的格子上。

But how did the operator see the moves his opponent was making?

但操作員如何看到對手下的棋呢？

Above the operator was a fake ceiling

操作員的上方是一個假天花板，

that could be taken down to reveal the bottom of the real chessboard.

可以拿下來露出真正棋盤的底部。

Under each square was a small magnet dangling from a copper wire.

棋盤的每個方格下都懸掛著一個小磁鐵，磁鐵連著銅線。

The chess pieces themselves also had magnets in their base,

棋子的底座也有磁鐵，

and so the magnets would get pulled up wherever there was a chess piece.

所以只要那裡有棋子，磁鐵就會被吸上去。

As his opponent picked up a chess piece,

當對手拿起棋子時，

the corresponding magnet would drop and wobble for about 30 seconds,

對應的磁鐵就會落下並搖晃大約 30 秒，

allowing the operator to see what piece had moved and replicate it on his own chessboard.

這樣操作員就能看到哪個棋子動了，並在自己的棋盤上復刻這步棋。

To this day, 片語搭配

至今，

the original operator of the Turk is unknown,

這台機器最初的操作員是誰仍是個謎，

but during Maelzel's tours,

但在 Maelzel 的巡迴期間，

the machine was operated by an impressive list of chess masters,

機器曾由多位了不起的西洋棋大師操作，

all of whom kept their part of the secret. 文法

他們所有人都嚴守了自己這部分的秘密。

Over the course of its 90-year career,

在其長達 90 年的生涯中，

the Turk played hundreds, 表達脈絡

這台機器下過幾百場，

if not thousands,

甚至幾千場

of games

比賽，

and won almost all of them.

並且贏下了幾乎所有的對局。

Amazingly,

令人驚訝的是，

the story of these young boys seeing an operator climb out of the machine was almost certainly true.

那兩個年輕男孩看到操作員從機器裡爬出來的故事幾乎可以肯定是真實的。

But the Turk went on to keep its secret for another 30 years. 片語動詞

但是它還是把秘密又守了 30 年。

And now,

現在，

for the Primal Space giveaway.

是 Primal Space 抽獎時間。

The winner of the previous giveaway is Marco.

上次抽獎的贏家是 Marco。

Congratulations.

恭喜你。

In the next video,

在下一個影片中，

we'll be giving away this awesome mechanical Turk poster.

我們將贈送這張精美的土耳其機器人海報。

All you need to do is sign up at the link below, 文法

你所需要做的就是在下方連結註冊，

like the video,

給影片按讚，

and leave a comment saying how you thought the Turk actually worked.

並留言說說你原本覺得土耳其機器人是如何運作的。

Thank you very much for watching,

非常感謝您的觀看，

and I'll see you in the next video.

我們下期影片見。