Robot revolution
The day that a robot wakes you up, cleans your room and walks your dog might still be a few decades off. But increasingly, engineers are saying that robots are going to make the leap from the factory floor to your family room.
Companies like Sony and General Electric are working on designs for small robots. Products like the Roomba, a robot that can clean floors, are flying off the shelves. On the cover of a recent issue of Scientific American magazine, Bill Gates predicted the “Dawn of the Age of Robots”.
What’s behind this new era (時(shí)代)? It’s partly a matter of technology. Devices that can recognize and respond to a human voice have been developed. There are now a few different ways for robots to move around. They can walk, crawl or ride on wheels. They are being made smaller and smaller. They are also becoming more and more energy efficient.
A bigger part of the story is on the demand side. From the day Robert Adler invented the television remote control in the 1950s, people around the world have tirelessly searched for ways to get lazier.
Also take into consideration the increasing wealth of rich people, the time appears ripe to introduce robots to ease our daily lives.
To be sure, robots that walk on two legs and talk like people are still too complex for our present engineering abilities. Today’s robot revolution is to make them for everyday use. Robots will do basic housework such as cleaning or gardening, or just help you have more fun on the basketball court.
What makes a robot different from an ordinary cleaning machine is not the presence of computer chips (芯片). Nowadays even your microwave has a computer chip. It is the ability to sense and make changes to the environment in real time.
For example, a floor-cleaning robot should be able to sense your scared cat and move out of the way. Today’s computing ability is, for the first time, able to make machines that could “think”, at least in certain limited ways. 

Robot Revolution

 

What today’s robot can do

What (75) ____________ robot may do

 

＊recognize and (71) ____________ to your voice

＊talk like people

 

＊sense and make some changes to the

(76) ____________

 

＊work in the (72) ____________

 

＊(77) ____________ your dog

 

＊move around, like walking or

(73) ____________ on wheels

＊(78) ____________ your floor

 

＊(79) ____________ you up

 

＊think in some limited (74) ____________

 

＊(80) ____________ you on the basketball court

 

 

71. respond  72. factory 73. riding  74. ways  75. future’s /tomorrow’s
76. environment 77. walk  78. clean  79. wake  80. accompany

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：英語教研室 題型：050

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閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中選出最佳選項(xiàng)。

　　A shop wholly run by a robot has been set up in downtown Tokyo, capital of Japan. The shop was set up by a Japan-based company.

　　When a customer comes to the shop, he will be given a pencil and a piece of paper. When he is looking at the shelves for goods, he can write down the number of each thing he wants to buy. Then he may come to a machine, which looks like a bank ATM (Automatic Teller Machine), and press the buttons to tell the machine the numbers and some other information about the goods. The machine will soon give the customer a bill. When the customer puts money into the machine, change will be given back at once, and the words“Thank You for Coming”will appear on the screen of the machine. The robot will select the ordered goods for the customer according to computer center information.

　　The robot, as round as a bucket, is able to decide the weight and size of any goods. It wilt always take the bigger and heavier goods first before picking up the smaller and lighter ones such as cakes or biscuits. Within half a minute, the robot will make everything ready, and wait for a customer at a certain delivery place.

　　The shop is to meet the needs of the public for the so-called“silent purchase (購買)”. It means that a customer can do shopping through mail or even an international computer network without facing the shop owner. This will reduce the cost on the part of the shop, and thus lower the price of goods for the customer.

　　The robot now can deal with most goods in a fast and easy way. Only when dealing with those goods needing special care will the robot ask for help.

1．When you want to buy something in the robot shop, first you have to _____.

[　　]

A．put money into the machine

B．press the buttons of the machine and tell it what you want to buy

C．find out what you want to buy and write down the numbers on paper

D．go into the shop and select the goods you want with the help of the machine

2．In this shop, the robot can do shopping quickly at a lower price, so _____.

[　　]

A．the shop has a great future

B．customers often get false goods

C．few customers go there to buy goods

D．the shop will close down soon

3．What would be the best title for the text?

[　　]

A．May I Help you　　　　　　B．Welcome to Our Shop

C．Robot Shop　　　　　　　　D．Nobody Sells Goods in the Shop

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“A superman suit would be the final result in wearable robotics,” said Francois Pin, head of robotics and energy systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory（橡樹林國家實(shí)驗(yàn)室）, US. While these suits are at least ten years away, in some areas the technology is already in use.

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A robot is a device that responds to a command. You’re probably with simple robots, such as toy cars or airplanes that respond to buttons you push on a remote control.

Wearable robotics goes further. Instead of just receiving information through a wire or remote control, the robotic device can send information back to its controller.

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Which of the following can replace the underlined word “ supercharged” in Paragraph one?

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A. remote controls               B. hearing aids 

 C. wearable robot legs          D. superman suits

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A. it will be ten years before robotic devices are in use

B. the wearable robotics technology has been employed in some areas

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　 “When I need to do my accounts，Aiko does all the maths.She is very patient and never complains.”

　 “She doesn't need holidays，food or rest and she will work almost 24?hours a day.She is the perfect woman.”

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　　 He said，“She has all senses except for smell.”

1．Why did Le Trung spend much money creating Aiko?

A．Because he prefers Aiko to a real person.

B．Because he is too busy to find a partner.

C．Because he thinks Aiko is very beautiful.

D．Because he thinks Aiko is worth much money.

2．According to the passage，what is Aiko?

A．Aiko is a female person.

B．Aiko is Mr.Trung's girl friend.

C．Aiko is a robot that looks like a beautiful woman.

D．Aiko is a perfect woman.

3．Aiko can do the following things EXCEPT ________.

A．that she can understand and speak English and Japanese

B．that she can do maths questions very well

C．that she can smell the strange smell

D．that she can help to receive some familiar guests

4．What is the main idea of the passage?

A．The reason for Le Trung creating Aiko.

B．The introduction to a new scientific product－Aiko.

C．Aiko's ability or functions.

D．The process of making Aiko.

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：貴州省2010屆高三5月月考試題英語 題型：閱讀理解

Houston, Texas (June 8. 2002)–in 2004, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will send two robots to separate places of Mars to seek out past or present signs of water. It is an exciting idea to send two robots driving over very different places of Mars at the same time, to be able to see what is on the other side of the hill.

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50.How long in between will the two robots be sent to Mars?

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C.test the new camera                                D. find a suitable landing point

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A. have changed the landing points many times  B. hope to land the robots on the surface of water

C. are still working on the plan                      D. know where they can find water

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：20102011學(xué)年廣西北海市合浦縣教研室高二上學(xué)期期末考試英語試卷 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀理解C

   Robots are smart. With their computer brains, they help people work in dangerous places or do difficult jobs. Some robots do regular jobs. Bobby, the mail carrier, brings mail to a large office building in Washington D.C. He is one of the 250 mail carriers in the United States.

   Mr. Leachim, who weighs two hundred pounds and is six feet tall, has some advantages as a teacher. One is that he does not forget details. He knows each child’s name, the parents’ names and what each child knows and needs to know. In addition(另外), he knows each child’s pets and hobbies. Mr. Leachim does not make mistakes. Each child goes and tells him his or her name, then dials an identification number. His computer brain puts the child’s voice and number together. He identifies the child without mistakes. Then he starts the lesson.

   Another advantage is that Mr. Leachim is flexible. If children need more time to do their lessons, they can move switches. In this way they can repeat Mr. Leachim’s lesson over and over again. When the children do a good job, he tells them something interesting about their hobbies. At the end of the lesson the children switch Mr. Leachim off.

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    A. human beings are not as smart as robots   

B. robots can help people in many different ways

C. robots will take the place of man to rule the earth

    D. we can only use robots to do some regular jobs

【小題１】 Mr. Leachim’s ________ makes him a good teacher.

    A. advantages       B. knowledge        C. appearance       D. energy

【小題１】The word “flexible” in the last paragraph means ________.

    A. not strict       B. not hard    C. changeable       D. suitable   

【小題１】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

    A. There are 250 robot teachers in the United States.

    B. Bobby works in a large office building in Washington D.C.

    C. Mr. Leachim is run(開動) and controlled by electricity.

    D. The lessons taught by Mr. Leachim are given on a TV set.

 

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