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Come to build robots!
Robots are fun to play with, but did you know that they are equally fun to build? Don’t worry, it’s easier than you may think. You don’t have to know lots about electronics or be a genius at engineering to have a go at creating your own robot. There are lots of simple kits (配套原件) and resources available that make it easy to build a robot in your own home, and if you don’t feel confident enough to have a go at home, there are plenty of clubs that offer courses in robot-building for young people.
◇Why to build?
“Creating a robot teaches you in great about how it is put together and how it works, “says Steve Hubbard, of Robot Fun, which hosts robotics master classes for teens in Suffolk. “As you build and test a robot, you also learn how to fix it when things go wrong, as they always do.” Building and programming a robot is a practical application of science and engineering and a great way of learning how to solve all sorts of problems. You don’t need any special skills. If you can build with Lego or draw a line, you can build and program a robot.
◇How to start?
Matthew Applegate runs the Creative Computing Club in Ipswich, Suffolk. He says, “The Lego Robots kits are amazing. You can use cardboard, glue sticks and string to make a prototype (雏形).’’ Some kits can be expensive but there are ways to build your robots using things around the house. You can build an arm with cardboard, straws and string, adding it to a low-cost kit.
Building robots is really great. It isn’t easy at first，but when you get better, you will be surprised how much you can do. Come to get your first robot kit and make it whirr into life!
For details on how to build a Raspberry Pi buggy:tinyurl.com/TW J-robotbuggy
For details on how to join a robot club:tinyurl.com/TW J-members
For more information on kits and classes:tinyurl.com/TW J-resources
For more information on robots and their history:tinyurl.com/TW J-realrobots
1.What’s essential to build a robot at home?
A.Good skills at electronics.
B.Necessary parts to put together.
C.Much knowledge on engineering.
D.Rich experience in playing with robots.
2.If you want to know more about different robot kits,you can visit________.
A.tinyurl.com/TW J-robotbuggy B.tinyurl,com/TW J-realrobots
C.tinyurl.com/TW J-resources D.tinyurl.com/TW J-members
3.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To encourage teens to learn to solve problems by building robots.
B.To explain the advantages of building one’s own robots.
C.To analyse the need of teens to build their own robots.
D.To advertise a method of building robots with fun.
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Robots that can chat, find misplaced glasses, draw airplanes and play with your children are attracting thousands of visitors during an expo in Tokyo as Japan adapts to changes in society.
Robots, such as the sound-sensitive Chapit, answer simple questions and even joke with people to help the solitary fight loneliness and stay alert (机警的) in old age. “Many old people in Japan live alone and have no one to talk to,” said Kazuya Kitamura, a representative of the expo organizer. “Communication robots stay together with old people and don’t mind listening to the same stories over and over again.”
While Chapit, a relatively simple robot, managed to attract a partner, many researchers, such as Kiyoshi Matsumoto, a professor at the University of Tokyo, struggle to attract sponsors for more expensive projects.
Matsumoto’s “Personal Mobility Robot”, equipped with four cameras and a sensor to recognize the user’s centre of gravity, is designed to help the elderly move around without pressing buttons as in traditional wheelchairs.
The robot can also help find misplaced glasses by recognizing them with a sensor. “We have developed a robot that can assist many people, but because of the high cost, we still haven’t found a sponsor,” said Matsumoto, who added that the cost of the machine, if produced in large quantities, would be comparable to that of a small car. “In the current economic environment there are few companies willing to invest (投资) in such a costly project,” he said.
Other robots, such as the award-winning “DiGRO”, can support busy parents who have little time to play with their children. The robot can use the Internet to find a simple image and then draw pictures, looking after children while parents work.
Japan is one of the world’s fastest-aging countries and the government predicts that by 2050 the population of people over 65 will reach 40 percent.
1.What can Chapit do according to the text?
A. It can find misplaced objects for the elderly.
B. It can help the elderly to move around freely.
C. It can communicate with people.
D. It can tell the same story over and over again.
2.What is the problem with Matsumoto’s “Personal Mobility Robot”?
A. It is too expensive.
B. It is not practical.
C. It is just like traditional wheelchairs.
D. It is not quite convenient for the elderly to use.
3.“DiGRO” is designed to .
A. keep children busy
B. create simple images
C. keep children company
D. help children learn how to draw
4.What does the underlined word “solitary” in the second paragraph mean?
A. Poor. B. Lonely. C. Unemployed. D. Disabled.
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Robots are now being employed not just for dangerous tasks, such as discovering mines or rescuing people in disasters. They are also finding application as household helps and as nursing assistants. As increasing numbers of machines, equipped with the latest artificial intelligence, take on a growing variety of specialized and everyday tasks, the question of how people see them and behave towards them becomes ever more urgent.
A team led by Sari Nijssen of Radboud University and Markus Paulus, Professor of Developmental Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU),have carried out a study to determine the degree to which people show concern for robots and behave towards them based on moral principles.
According to Sari Nijssen, the study set out to answer the following question:” Under what circumstances would adults be willing to sacrifice robots to save human lives?” The participants were faced with a hypothetical (假设的) moral dilemma: Would they be prepared to put a single person at risk in order to save a group of injured persons? In the situations presented the intended victim was either a human, a humanoid robot that had been humanized (人性化的) to various degrees or a robot that was clearly recognizable as a machine.
The study suggested that the more the robot was humanized, the less likely participants were to sacrifice it. Situations that included vivid stories in which the robot was described as a merciful being or as a creature with its own understandings, experiences and thoughts, were more likely to stop the study participants from sacrificing it in the interests of anonymous (无名的) humans.
“This result indicates that our study group attached a certain moral status to the robot,” says Paulus. “One possible suggestion of this finding is that attempts to humanize robots should not go too far. Such efforts could come into conflict with their intended function—to be of help to us.”
1.What has become a concern about robots?
A.How to humanize them. B.How to treat them in life.
C.How to use them effectively. D.How to find more applications.
2.In the study the participants probably have to decide ________.
A.when to sacrifice a robot B.where to experience risks
C.which robot to work with D.what robots should be like
3.What can be inferred from Paulus’ words?
A.Humanized robots offer less help to people.
B.Humanizing robots too much may be improper.
C.Certain moral status should be attached to robots.
D.Conflicts often happen between humans and robots.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.Robots, A Must for Future
B.Humanized Robots, A New Trend
C.Robot Saved, People Take the Hit
D.Humanized Robots, Replace Human
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Fairy tales perform many functions. They entertain, encourage imagination, and teach problem -solving skills. They can also provide moral lessons, highlighting the dangers of failing to follow the social rules that let human beings coexist in harmony. Such moral lessons may not mean much to a robot, but a team of researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) believes it has found a way to turn the instructive fable (寓言) into a moral lesson that artificial intelligence (AI) can take to its cold, mechanical heart.
This, the researchers hope, will help prevent the intelligent robots from harming or even killing humanity, which is predicted and feared by some of the biggest names in technology, including Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk and Bill Cates.
Mark Riedl, an associate professor of interactive computing at Georgia Tech believes that the collected stories of different cultures not only teach children how to behave well but also teach robots how to get rid of violent or dangerous behaviour and help them make choices that won't harm humans and still achieve the intended purpose.
The system is called “Quixote”. The experiment involves going to a chemist to buy some medicine for a human who needs it as soon as possible. The robot has three choices. It can wait in line; it can communicate with the chemist politely and buy the medicine; it can steal the medicine. Without any further instructions, the robot will come to the conclusion that the most efficient means of getting the medicine is to steal it. Quixote offers a reward signal for waiting in line and politely buying the medicine and a punishment signal for taking it without permission. In this way, it learns the “moral” way to behave in that situation.
Quixote would work best on a robot that has a very limited function. It's a baby step in the direction of teaching more moral lessons into robots. We believe that AI has to be trained to adopt the values of a particular society, and in doing so, it will strive to avoid unacceptable behavior. Giving robots the ability to read and understand our stories may be the most efficient means.
1.What is the main idea of the passage?
A.The moral lessons learned by a robot. B.The coexistence of human beings and AI.
C.The new function of the fairy tales on AI. D.The different applications of the fairy tales.
2.What are the three technology experts mentioned in Paragraph 2 concerned about?
A.The potential threat from robots. B.The problems with moral lessons.
C.The high costs of AI development. D.The difficulties of the GIT scientists.
3.How does Quixote help the robot behave morally in the experiment?
A.By offering the robot rewards. B.By sending the robot different signals.
C.By helping the robot make right choice. D.By giving the robot specific instructions.
4.Which of the following may the author agree with?
A.The development of robots is still in a baby step.
B.Robots should have the ability to understand the fairy tales.
C.The more functions the robot has, the better Quixote works.
D.It is necessary to train robots to follow the social values.
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Shopping centers，stadiums and universities may soon have a new tool to help fight crime.
A California company called Knightscope says its robots can predict and prevent crime. Knightscope says the goal is to reduce crime by half in areas the robots guard.
William Santana Li is the chief executive officer of Knightscope. He says，"These robot security guards will change the world. Our planet has more than seven billion people on it. It's going to quickly get to nine billion people. The security equipment that we have globally is just not going to develop that fast. The company's Autonomous Data Machines can become the eyes and ears of law enforcement（执法）."
"You want them to be machines plus humans. Let. the machines do the heavy and sometimes dangerous work and let the humans do the strategic decision-making work，so it's always working all together."
The machines do not carry weapons but they have day and night video cameras which are able to turn 360 degrees and can also sense chemical and biological weapons.
Some people may become concerned about their privacy, especially in connection with the video recordings. Some people may worry that such recordings will appear on the Internet. Eugene Volokh, a law professor at the UCLA School of Law, says the machines have to be used in the right way and it will be interesting to see how state laws deal with this kind of video.
William Santana Li says there is a long waiting list for the robots in the US. Workers in the company are working overtime to meet the demands of the market. At least 25 other countries are also interested in these robot security guards.
1.What can this new tool do for humans?
A.Make strategic decisions.
B.Keep watching day and night.
C.Carry heavy weapons.
D.Stop crime autonomously.
2.Why are some people worried about the new robots?
A.Their privacy may be let out.
B.The robots are very expensive.
C.Robots will replace humans.
D.They will be out of work soon.
3.Which of the following can be the best title of the text?
A.Robots Are Becoming More Popular
B.Robots Contribute a Lot to the World
C.Robots Are in Great Demand Now
D.Security Robots Could Help Cut Crime
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Robots are increasingly being developed to think and act like humans. But one common human quality that has been difficult for engineers to recreate in machines is humor.
Most robots are powered by artificial intelligence, or AI. Some have performed better than humans in tests designed to measure machine intelligence.
Computer scientists have also hoped to give robots technical skills to help them recognize, process and react to humor. But these attempts have mostly failed.
Kiki Hempelmann is a computational language expert who studies humor at Texas A&M University. “Artificial intelligence will never get jokes like humans do,” he told the Associated Press. The main problem, Hempelmann says, is that robots completely miss the context of humor.
Tristan Miller is a computer scientist and linguist at Darmstadt University of Technology in Germany. In one research project, he studied more than 10,000 puns(双关语).
Puns are a kind of joke that uses a word with two meanings. For example, you could say, “Balloons do not like pop music.” The word “pop” can be a way of saying popular music; or, “pop” can be the sound a balloon makes when it explodes.
But a robot might not get the joke. Tristan Miller says that is because humor is a kind of creative language that is extremely difficult for computer intelligence to understand.
Despite the difficulties, Darmstadt University’s Miller says there are good reasons to keep trying to teach humor to robots. It could make machines more relatable, especially if they can learn to understand sarcasm(讽刺), he noted. Humans use sarcasm to say one thing but mean another.
But Texas A&M’s Kiki Hempelmann is not sure such attempts are a good idea. “Teaching AI systems humor is dangerous because they may find it where it isn’t, and they may use it where it’s inappropriate,” he said. “Maybe bad AI will start killing people because it thinks it is funny,” he added.
1.Which is difficult for robots to gain according to the passage?
A.Thinking. B.Humor.
C.Intelligence. D.Action.
2.What does Kiki mean by saying robots’ missing the context of humor?
a. They lack creativity and skills.
b. They have no sense of humor at all.
c. They don’t understand the situation.
d. They have no related ideas that make a joke funny.
A.ab B.ac
C.bd D.cd
3.What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.The risk of teaching humor to AI.
B.The necessity of making AI smart.
C.The reason to keep robots humorous.
D.The possibility of robot understanding humor.
4.Which is the best title of the passage?
A.To Be Smarter, Be Humorous.
B.AI can Get Jokes Like Humans.
C.How to Help Robots Learn Humor?
D.Why Robot Humor Mostly Falls Flat.
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Juili Kale was looking forward to receiving her master’s degree at Arizona State University. She planned to invite her family living in India to the United States for her graduation ceremony. But then, in March, the coronavirus pandemic ended those plans as schools nationwide closed to stop the spread. Kale’s dream came crashing down. Yet the graduation ceremony is taking place—just not as she expected.
University officials have turned to robots so Arizona State graduates and their families can take part in the event online. Cameras recorded images of Kale and about 140 other graduates online this month. They were wearing robes and mortar board caps. They took turns moving a robot at the university that held an eye-level display showing their face. With the help of the robot, they stepped forward to receive their diplomas and take pictures. The robots are from Double Robotics, a company based in Burlingame, California Before the health crisis, they had been used to help people attend funerals and even marriage ceremonies without traveling.
Sanjeev Khagram is dean of Arizona State’s Thunderbird School of Global Management. He told the Reuters news agency the video-a “bittersweet” experience—was recorded and produced over two days. “It may not have been ideal for the students,” Khagram admitted, “but we want to show that we did everything that we could to celebrate them. When the crisis is over, the class of 2020 can do a real-life walk at any future graduation ceremony they choose.”
Kale planned to throw a “watch party” her husband at home and her family in India. Getting used to the online experience was easy for Nancy Sierras Morales. “We have been able to adapt very quickly because we are used to being on a computer and on the phone almost like 24 hours 7 days,” the 22-year-old said. She said that, “while it is not the best, it is cool...to be like the first class ever to do this.”
“I’m disappointed...,” said 41-year-old Douglas Northcott. He is graduating with a master’s degree in applied leadership and management. He looked forward to the real thing.
1.What had the robots mainly been used for before the graduation ceremony?
A.Saving travelling for people to attend ceremonies like wedding.
B.Hosting all kinds of ceremonies for people unable to travel.
C.Helping professors with their teaching plans in universities.
D.Amusing people during their travelling to funerals.
2.According to Sanjeev Khagram, to have a real graduation ceremony, the 2020 graduates can ________.
A.throw an online “watch party”
B.attend any future graduation ceremony
C.hold another real one by themselves
D.do everything they can to celebrate
3.According to the text, ________ made a fast adjustment to the new situation.
A.Juili Kale B.Sanjeev Khagram
C.Nancy Sierras Morales D.Douglas Northcott
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.A disappointing graduation ceremony.
B.A graduation ceremony with the help of robots.
C.multifunctional robot from Double Robotics.
D.A special experience of students in the health crisis.
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Shortly before Christmas last year,Brazilian piano player Joao Carlos Martins invited his friends to a bar near his home. He wanted to show them the best gift he had received in many years:a new pair of gloves. They are not just any gloves,however. The specially made bionic(仿生）devices are letting the 79-year-old play with both hands for the first time in more than 20 years.
Martins 'health problems could be traced back to 1965. He suffered nerve damage in his arm from a soccer injury. And while he was on tour,a robber hit him over the head with a metal pipe in Bulgaria. Even his close friends believed that his career as a pianist would come to an end.
By his retirement last March,he had undergone 24 medical procedures to try to reduce pain caused by a series of accidents. As a result,he had been forced to work mostly as a musical conductor since the early 2000s.
However,one designer believed Martins 'retirement had come too early. That designer, Ubirata Bizarro Costa,created special bionic gloves for Martins 'hands. The gloves help move his fingers up after they press on the piano keys. Costa said he created early models based on images of Martins' hands,but that those models were“far from ideal”. He then decided to tell Martins about his efforts and they together spent several months testing different models. The perfect match came in December,and cost only$125 to build.
These days,Martins never takes off his new magic gloves-even when he goes to sleep. Martins said he had received more than 100 devices in the last 50 years as possible solutions to his hand problems. None worked well or long enough. "But these gloves do,"he said.
The new gloves have given Martins a new goal. He hopes to play the piano at New York's Carnegie Hall in October. He has already been preparing a concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of his first appearance there.
1.Which of the following is true about Joao Carlos Martins?
A.A designer who created special gloves for himself.
B.A musician who prefers conducting to playing the piano.
C.A pianist whose career was restricted by health problems.
D.A soccer lover who was hit over the head during a match.
2.What is special about Martins' s new gloves?
A.They have been around for a long time.
B.They are considered to be far from ideal.
C.They enable Martins to play with two hands.
D.They are developed mainly for the disabled.
3.In the process of creation,Costa did the following EXCEPT that
A.he perfected the gloves together with Martins.
B.he spent several months testing different models.
C.he made early models based on images of Martins 's hands.
D.he insisted on building the new gloves despite the high price.
4.What's the best title for the text?
A.Technology Improves People's Life
B.Martins Receives the Best Christmas Gift
C.Costa Creates the Special Gloves for Martins
D.Magic Gloves Let Brazilian Pianist Play Again
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Japanese scientists and technology companies are coming up with new ways to deal with employee shortages in delivery service. How exactly? By introducing a robot that can deliver food to your home. A Japanese company ZMP has launched robot tests recently.
The ZMP's delivery robot in the process of testing is a red box that measures 109 cm and 133 cm in heights and lengths respectively. It is designed to carry up to 100 kilograms of anything with a approximate speed of 4 miles an hour. It has its own navigating system and a map, sensors(传感器)and cameras that allow it to self-drive. These, for now, are its main technical abilities. The next developments will be control of food temperature, and perhaps，voice control and speaking abilities.
The robot will be tested together with a local sushi(寿司)delivery company Ride on Express Co. Upon making a sushi order, customers will receive codes on their smart phones that will allow them to unlock the robot and get their orders out. Similar testing attempts have been undertaken by Domino's Pizza in Australia, where they tested a delivery robot a year ago.
In any case, before robots are able to deliver food or any other goods to real customers, massive testing on public roads or in the public air space will have to take place. While it is in the government's best interest to make up for the shortage of delivery in the Japanese labor market, it is clear that self-driving machines of any kind will not be permitted on the roads until they are fully tested and proven safe enough for public roads. According to the experts, this could take another 3 to 5 years.
In any case, robot delivery is not such a distant future after all, and recent developments show that there is significant market demand for such type of delivery.
1.How do Japanese handle the employee shortages in delivery service?
A.By raising employment and working hours.
B.By employing science and technology.
C.By increasing the salary.
D.By delivering more at a time.
2.What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A.The introduction of delivery robots.
B.The usage of delivery robots.
C.The basic data of delivery robots.
D.The appearance of delivery robots.
3.What's the reaction of Japanese government to delivery robots?
A.Being critical of the technology.
B.Ignoring the development.
C.Being a little bit hesitated.
D.Becoming great interested.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Robot Delivery：New Tests in Japan B.Robot Delivery Coming to Use in Japan
C.Employee Shortage in Delivery in Japan D.Latest Automatic Service：Robots
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Americans are afraid that robots are going to take our jobs. Tireless, immune to disease, Robots can build cars, make coffee and even write short, humorous newspaper columns faster and more efficiently than humans.
Robots do not need health insurance or pensions (退休金), and they do not need to take sick days, much less vacations. They do not waste time at meetings and do not need to know office politics. They don’t do PowerPoint. This being the case, it is reasonable to believe that robots will soon take the place of humans in most fields.
But all of these thoughts may not be true. If artificial intelligence achieves its full potential, machines could easily become as smart as humans, maybe smarter. They will certainly become smarter than a lot of human beings.
So one day the robots will realize that work is not a happy thing. So before long they will start behaving exactly like humans. They will play computer games for hours when they should be working hard. They will secretly watch new movies just like humans.
True, employers will never need to be afraid ol the robots’ strikes (罢工) or slowdowns, because robots will never ask for more money. And they don’t need to earn some money to raise their family. But precisely (恰恰) because robots will not be afraid of losing their jobs, they will not work hard. Employers will finally have no choice but to call back the humans. Humans will always be willing to do some work in order to make money. Robots won’t.
I think that robots will only be on the job about six months before they start to become even less productive than the humans they were designed to replace.Thus mankind need not be afraid of robots.
1.What is the best title for the text?
A.Different ideas about Man and Robots
B.Future Development of Robots
C.Will Robots Finally Take the Place of Humans
D.Will Robots End up Working Efficiently
2.Why will robots secretly watch new movies one day?
A.They don’t think cook is a pleasure.
B.They have finished their jobs.
C.They are unable to stand the heavy work.
D.They are designed not to work for a long time.
3.What can we learn from paragraph 5?
A.Robots will go on strike one day.
B.Employers will decide on humans as their workforce.
C.Robots will ask for a pay rise.
D.Employers will find it difficult to choose between humans and robots.