Many companies use guards and expensive alarm systems (报警系统) to protect their property (财产). Soon a new kind of protection will be used—robots. Engineers have been working on the first mobile robots for businesses. The robots will patrol (巡逻) factories, warehouses (仓库), and museums at night.
The mobile robots will move around slowly on wheels. They will be able to find people through walls and pick up sounds, such as breaking glass. They can be fixed with loud sirens (警笛) to frighten thieves, or radios to signal police or guards.
To protect a building, a robot will have to move around without knocking into the walls. Information about the building will have to be stored in the robot’s small, built-in computer. A floor map could be programmed into the computer’s memory, for example.
A mobile robot will not be able to do everything. Unlike human guards, it will not be able to climb stairs, open doors, or move along rough ground. It won’t be able to tell the difference between friends and enemies. Because of that, people will have to be barred from the area it patrols.
One kind of mobile robot will be able to “sense” whether a chair or box has been moved and go around it. This robot will also judge size well enough so that it won’t send an alarm if a cat crosses the room. And if someone tries to steal this robot, it will sound a loud, painful siren. The three-foot-tall robot will be hard to be stolen anyway. It will weigh about 200 pounds.
US companies pay almost $10 billion a year to protect their property with alarm systems and human guards. Mobile robots may be cheaper.
1.Why are robots of this kind called mobile robots?
A. Because they are able to climb stairs.
B. Because they are able to send an alarm.
C. Because they can open doors.
D. Because they can move around slowly on wheels.
2.Where will a robot get directions for moving around a building?
A. From a human guard. B. From a built-in computer.
C. From another robot. D. From radio signals.
3.The underlined word “barred” means “ ”.
A. protected B. allowed C. marked D. prevented
4.According to the passage, a mobile robot will not be able to .
A. sense whether something has been moved
B. sense a cat crossing the room
C. move along rough ground
D. find people through walls
5.This passage mainly describes how robots will .
A. protect the museum B. set off a siren
C. judge the size of a person D. patrol buildings
Kobian, a human-like robot, which can express seven human feelings, has been unveiled (推 出) by researchers at Waseda University in Japan.
The robot can express seven different feelings, including happiness, surprise, sadness and dislike. Kobian can express itself by not only using facial (面部的) movements, but combining them with other body movements. Kobian can use motors (电动机) in its face to move its lips, eyelids and eyebrows into different positions.
To express happiness, for example, the robot puts its hands over its head and opens its mouth and eyes wide.
To show sadness, Kobian hangs its head and holds a hand up to its face in a gesture of sadness.
Kobian can walk around and sense its environment. It can also do different tasks. There
are plans for it to be further developed and then possibly used in the field of nursing.
1.Kobian can express human emotions.
A. 4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 7
2.Kobian can to express its feelings.
A. only use its lips and eyes B. only use its body movements
C. only use motors in its face D. use both facial and body movements
3.How does Kobian express sadness?
A. It can put its hands over its head and cry.
B. It can hang its head and hold a hand up to its face in a gesture of sadness.
C. It can fall down its tears.
D. It can open its mouth and eyes wide.
4.The last paragraph mainly tells us .
A. Kobian can walk around
B. Kobian can sense what is happening around it
C. Kobian can do some work
D. Kobian will be a good helper for humans
5.What can Kobian do in the future?
A. Kobian can help farmers work in the fields.
B. Kobian can help people protect the environment.
C. Kobian can help take care of patients in hospital or at home.
D. Kobian can help do some research work in university.
Recently in a class in Tokyo, a robot teacher called Saya called out the names of students, and smiled at them. Her funny face made the students laugh. However, the inventor says she is not going to take the place of human teachers.
Unlike other robots without feelings, Saya has six feelings—surprise, fear, dislike, anger, happiness and sadness. She can also say simple phrases such as “Thank you” and “Sorry”.
“Robots that look like humans have an important influence on children and older people,”
Hiroshi Kobayashi, Saya’s developer, said.
Saya was first invented as a receptionist (接待员) robot in 2004. Later, she was tested in a real Tokyo classroom with many fifth and sixth grade students. “Although she still can’t do much more than call out names and shout orders like ‘Be quiet’, the children had great fun,” Kobayashi says. “They were very happy when Saya called out their names.”
Ronald C. Arkin, a scientist, says people should do more study on the interaction (互动)
between humans and robots before people depend on robots too much.
Kobayashi says, “Saya is just meant to help people, and we should not hold too much hope for her ability. She has no thought and no ability to learn. She is just a tool.”
1.Saya is .
A. a Japanese woman teacher B. a Japanese girl
C. a robot teacher D. a scientist
2.Saya first worked as .
A. a teacher B. a receptionist C. a student D. a developer
3.According to the passage, Saya cannot .
A. smile to people B. say some simple phrases
C. call out students’ names D. think or learn
4.Ronald C.Arkin mainly tells us that .
A. people should do more to improve the interaction between humans and robots
B. people shouldn’t depend on robots
C. robots have an important influence on humans
D. Saya will be the best teacher
5.Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Saya is not going to take the place of human teachers.
B. Saya has seven feelings.
C. Robots that look like humans influence children and older people.
D. Saya is designed as a tool to help humans.
三、完形填空（共10分，每小题1分）
Robots seem new to most people, but they have a long history.__one was made by
a Greek. It was a water clock with movable figures. The robots in the films are usually stronger,
_______and cleverer than people. In real life, most robots are used in factories. They are used to do many dangerous, difficult or boring__. Some people can’t look after____ and robots can help them. For example, some people can’t see, and they use dogs__ themselves move around. This kind of dog is called a guide dog. But now scientists are making robots to help them. In the future, robot dogs__take the place of these guide dogs.
Today robots are______used in American hospitals. In the hospital, a robot___ meals from the kitchen to the patient’s room. It never loses its way because it has a__ of the hospital in its computer system.
Robots can help us in a lot of different ways. However, they______take the place of humans.
1.A. First B. Second C. The first D. The one
2.A. fast B. more fast C. faster D. more faster
3.A. jobs B. work C. exercise D. works
4.A. them B. themselves C. their D. theirs
5.A. helps B. to help C. helping D. help
6.A. can’t B. may be C. may D. have to
7.A. also B. too C. either D. hardly
8.A. takes B. puts C. gets D. walks
9.A. paper B. map C. sign D. book
10.A. will never B. never will C. are never D. never are
Could you tell me with this broken robot?
A. what I can do B. what can I do C. I can do what D. can I do what
—Do you know to go to Mount Tai by train with them?
—At 7 tomorrow morning.
A. where B. how C. why D. when
