Question

【题目】Almost Human

Scientists are racing to build the world’s first thinking robot. This is not science fiction: some say they will have made it by the year2020. Carol Parker reports.

Machines that walk, speak and feel are no longer science fiction. Kismet is the name of an android which scientists have built at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kismet is different from the traditional robot because it can show human emotions. Its eyes, ears and lips move to show when it feels happy, sad and bored. Kismet is one of the first of a new generation of androids—robots that look like huamn beings—which can imitate human feelings. Cog, another android invented by the MIT, imitates the action of a mother. However, scientists admit that so far Cog has the mental ability of a two-year-old.

The optimists say that by the year 2020 we will have created humanoids with brains similar to those of an adult human beings. these robots will be designed to look like people to make them more attractive and easier to sell to the public. What kind of jobs will they do? In the future, robots like Robonaut, a humanoid invented by NASA, will be doing dangerous jobs, like repairing space stations. They will also be doing more and more of the household work for us. In Japan, scientist are designing androids that will entertain us by dancing and playing the piano.

Some people worry about that future holds: will robots become monsters? Will people themselves become increasingly like robots? Experts predict that more and more people will be wearing micro-computer, connected to the internet, in the future. Proplr will have micro-chips in various parts of their body, which will connect them to a wide variety of gadgets. Perhaps we should not exaggerate the importance of technology, but one wonders whether, in years to come, we will still be falling in love, and whether we will feel pain. Who knows?

【1】Kismet is different from traditional robots because ______?

it thinks for itself

it is not like science fiction

it can look after a two-year-old

it seems to have human feelings

【2】What makes Cog special?

it looks like a mother

it behaves like child

it can imitate the behavior of a mother

it has a huge brain

【3】In about 10 years’ time from now, robots ______.

will become space designers

will look like monsters

will behave like animals

will think like humans

【4】In the future robots will also______.

explore space

entertain people

move much faster

do all the housework

【5】What is the writer’s attitude to robots in the future?

Critical

Hostile

Objective

Enthusiastic

Answer 1

【答案】【1】D

【2】C

【3】D

【4】B

【5】C

【解析】【1】细节理解题。问的是Kismet与传统机器人的区别。第二段第三句话提到他可以显示人的表情。

【2】细节理解题。该问题问的是Cog有什么特别之处。第二段倒数第二句说到他可以模仿母亲的动作。

【3】细节理解题。根据第三段第一句话可知D项正确。

【4】细节理解题。问的是未来的机器人还能干什么？第三段最后一句可知B项正确。

【5】观点态度题。问的是作者对于未来机器人的态度是什么。从最后一段可知作者的态度是客观的。