Question

Programming Pain

Robots are useful and taking place of humans in some areas because they never get tired and can't feel pain. However, some researchers believe it's a good idea to program robots to feel pain.

Researchers from Leibniz University of Hannover in Germany are working to develop an artificial（人造的）robot nervous system to teach robots how to feel pain. "Pain is a system that protects us," said Johannes Kuehn, one of the researchers. "When we try to avoid the pain, it helps us not get hurt.”

Think about how many injuries you would receive if you couldn't feel pain. Even though pain hurts, it helps us avoid danger and treat our wounds. The same will be true for robots. As a great number of people work closely with robots, the robots must behave in a safer manner. Kuehn believes that by protecting robots from damage（伤害），they'll be protecting people as well. Damage,to robots if left unseen could lead to workplace accidents.

Rather than feel pain, some robots are designed to show pain or see it in others. Asada, an engineer at Osaka University in Japan, and his workmates have made sensors （传感器）that pick up many types of touch signals（信号）.These touch and pain signals can turn into emotions and expressions on a robot’s face. Asada believes that these systems could finally lead to robots seeing the pain on human faces, an important skill for robots designed to care for elderly people, for example.

Antonio Damasio, a professor at the University of Southern California, argues that programming robots with a sense of pain may cause an artificial sense of feeling to develop. But he says that this communication is not the same thing as a robot truly feeling and expressing emotions or pain. If one day, robots could actually feel as humans do, Damasio has a suggestion for the number one rule for robots: Feel good.

1.What does the word in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A.The feeling of pain. B.The injury we receive.

C.An artificial system. D.A new kind of robot.

2.Which is the right process to show and see the pain?

① Turn signals into expressions.

② Notice pain on human faces.

③ Make some sensors.

④ Pick up touch signals.

A.③④①② B.③①②④ C.②③①④ D.②④①③

3.What can express Antonio Damasio's attitude（态度）about the program?

A.Hopeless B.Opposite C.Expected D.Worried

4.The aim of programming robots to feel pain is ________

A.to take place of humans B.to avoid human accidents

C.to control robots completely D.to serve humans better

Answer 1