12
TECHNOLOGY
Many robots today, such as
the sticky-bot, are designed
to copy the movements of
animals.
WARM UP
Discuss these questions
with a partner.
1. What kinds of technology
do you often use?
2. What kinds of things do
you think people will do
differently a hundred years
from now?
159
12A
BEFORE YOU READ
DISCUSSION A. What can robots do that humans can’t? What can humans do
that robots can’t? Use the words and phrases from the box, and
add your own ideas.
climb stairs feel emotions talk to people
jump play soccer run
take care of people drive cars dance
walk up walls learn new things write poems
SCANNING B. Look quickly at the reading. Which of the things above are
mentioned? Do you think today’s robots can do
them? Read the passage to check your ideas.
The robot ASIMO can
move in a similar way
to a human.
160 Unit 12A
THE
ROBOTS
A R E C OM I NG !
A You have probably seen robots in movies such as Star Wars or
Transformers. But soon, robots may be part of our daily lives. Today’s
scientists are working on robots with various skills. For example, it is
likely that robots will soon help take care of children or the elderly,1
or do dangerous jobs such as fighting fires.
B Early robots were made to do simple things, mainly in factories.
Since then, robots have changed a lot. Humans operated these early
robots. Today’s robots—like Honda’s ASIMO—work on their own.
ASIMO can run, climb stairs, and dance. Boston Dynamics’ Atlas
robot can run fast, jump, and even do backflips2—all on two legs!
C Then there are robots designed to be like humans. These robots have
faces and can also talk. Such robots can learn new things, and show
us how they “feel.” Sophia—a social robot—has a face that looks so
human she sometimes makes people feel uncomfortable.
1 Someone who is elderly is old.
2 A backflip is a movement that involves jumping, spinning around in the air, and landing
Boston Dynamics’ Atlas
again on your feet.
robot is the same height
and weight as an average
human.
Social robots like Sophia
can show emotions.
Unit 12A 161
Animal-bots
D Scientists aren’t just building humanlike robots. They are also making robots
that look and act like animals.
E At NASA, for example, scientists have made a robot snake. These snake-bots
can enter holes and move over rough ground. They might one day help
scientists look for signs of life on Mars. Other animal robots include the
frog-bot, which can jump over objects, and the sticky-bot, which can walk up
walls. There are also doglike robots, like SpotMini, which have four legs and
can run at high speed. Who knows? Perhaps in the future, we’ll all have our
own robot pet.
SpotMini can walk and
run just like a real dog.
162 Unit 12A
READING COMPREHENSION
A. Choose the best answer for each question.
GIST 1. The passage is mainly about .
a. things robots can do
b. famous robots from movies
c. how to make your own robot
PURPOSE 2. What is the purpose of paragraph B?
a. to describe how the first robots worked
b. to explain how today’s robots are
different from early robots
c. to give an example of a robot that
worked in a factory
REFERENCE 3. In paragraph C, the word they refers
to .
a. humans
b. robots
Snake-bots can climb over objects
c. scientists
that block their path.
DETAIL 4. Which of the following robots would best be
able to move over a large rock in its path?
a. frog-bot
b. Sophia
c. SpotMini
DETAIL 5. Why was the snake-bot created?
a. to help scientists learn more about real snakes
b. as a toy for young children
c. to help study other planets
SCANNING B. Scan the reading for each of the robots in the box (a–f). Complete the sentences
using the correct options.
a. ASIMO b. Atlas c. Snake-bot
d. Sophia e. SpotMini f. Sticky-bot
1. is a social robot that can talk and show emotions.
2. can climb walls.
3. and can run on two legs.
4. was developed by NASA.
5. looks and moves like a dog.
Unit 12A 163
READING SKILL
Identifying Examples
Writers often use examples to support their ideas or help explain difficult concepts. Finding examples
in a text will help you understand the writer’s main ideas. Words that show where examples are in a
text include for example, like, and such as.
IDENTIFYING A. Look back at Reading A. Find and circle all of the words and phrases that
EXAMPLES introduce examples.
IDENTIFYING B. Find and write the example(s) of each thing below given in the reading passage.
EXAMPLES
1. two movies with robots (paragraph A) ,
2. two jobs that future robots might do (paragraph A) ,
3. a robot that works on its own (paragraph B)
4. a robot created by NASA that acts like an animal (paragraph E)
5. a doglike robot (paragraph E)
IDENTIFYING C. Complete the information using examples from the box.
EXAMPLES
a. he could be seen at the Henry Ford Museum
b. “I am Elektro” and “My brain is bigger than yours.”
c. sitting, barking, and begging for food
d. he could walk, talk, and move his arms and legs
One of the first humanlike robots was Elektro. He was built
between 1937 and 1939 and could do many simple human
actions. For example, 1 . He was first seen at the New York
World’s Fair in 1939. He was joined by Sparko, a robot dog
that could do tricks, such as 2 . In 1992, a dance band
made a song that used some things Elektro said, like, 3 .
Elektro’s home is at the Mansfield Memorial Museum in Ohio,
United States. However, he often travels to other museums. For
instance, in 2013, 4 .
CRITICAL THINKING Justifying Opinions
List three jobs you think robots will someday do instead of humans.
Compare your jobs with a partner. Give reasons for your choices.
164 Unit 12A
VOCABULARY PRACTICE
COMPLETION A. Complete the information using the words in the box.
act rough signs simple uncomfortable
For humans, walking is usually a very 1 task.
But for robots, it’s very difficult—especially over
2
ground. Researchers are working to help
robots walk better by giving them machine parts that
3
like human bones and muscles.
Walking on four legs is much simpler. Robot pets
have already been developed and are becoming
more and more popular. They move, cry, sense
your movements, and can even learn basic
words. But there are no 4 yet that Aibo is a puppy-sized pet robot
robot pets will replace real ones. Many people dog developed by Sony.
find that robot pets make them feel 5 .
DEFINITIONS B. Complete the sentences. Choose the correct options.
1. An example of a daily event is .
a. eating dinner b. going on vacation
2. A factory is a place where things are .
a. made b. sold
3. If you operate a machine, you it.
a. fix b. use
COLLOCATIONS C. The nouns in the box are often used with the adjective daily. Complete the
sentences using the correct words.
events exercise work
1. A big part of my daily involves using a computer.
2. To stay fit and healthy, it’s important to do daily .
3. Rather than newspapers, many people use social media to keep up to date with
daily around the world.
Unit 12A 165