CHAPTER
7 Robots: The Face of the Future
An ASIMO robot in Tokyo
Prereading
Discuss these questions with a partner.
1. Look at the photo. This is a robot called ASIMO. What do you think it can do? Make a list.
106 UNIT 4 Technology Today and Tomorrow
2. ASIMO looks like a person. Do you think all robots look like people?
3. Where do people use robots? Circle your answers. You can choose more than
one answer.
a. At home
b. At work
c. At school
4. Did you ever see a robot? Where did you see it? What did it do?
5. Imagine you have a robot. What do you want the robot to do for you? Make a list.
Reading
Read the following passage carefully. Then complete the exercises that follow.
CD 1
TR 14
Robots: The Face of the Future
1 ASIMO traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, for the annual Edinburgh International
2 Science Festival. The festival takes place in February every year. Thousands of people
3 came to visit the festival, but most of them came to see ASIMO. ASIMO is very
4 famous because ASIMO is a robot. It is designed to run, climb stairs, and kick a soccer
5 ball. It can even conduct an orchestra. In fact, when Yo Yo Ma, the famous cellist,
6 performed at a concert in Detroit, Michigan, ASIMO was the conductor. Everyone at
7 the concert was amazed not only by Yo Yo Ma, but also by ASIMO.
8 A robot is not a new idea. Scientists developed robots more than 60 years ago.
9 For many years, robots have worked in factories. They do uninteresting jobs, such
10 as packaging food or assembling cars. They are often used to do dangerous work as
11 well. Most of these robots are shaped like machines; they do not look like people.
12 However, ASIMO looks like a person. In addition, it is equipped with the ability to
13 recognize and remember people.
CHAPTER 7 Robots: The Face of the Future 107
14 While many countries are developing robots, Japan has the most robots of all.
15 It is also developing more robots very quickly. In Japan, 20 percent of the people are
16 over 65 years old. This means that a lot of Japanese people are senior citizens who no
17 longer work. When people retire, robots can do their work. They can take care of the
18 senior citizens, too. Japan hopes to have one million robots working in the country by
19 the year 2025. A single robot can replace, or do the work of, ten people!
20 In the future, robots will become more useful and popular. Right now you can’t buy
21 a robot to do all your work, but you can buy one to help you around the house. A few
22 years ago, iRobot, an American company, announced that it has robots that can wash,
23 sweep, or vacuum your oors. Although these robots do not look like people, they
24 can work just as hard!
A robot helps
a woman in a
grocery store.
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Fact Finding
Read the passage again. Then read the following statements. Check (√) whether each statement
is True or False. If a statement is false, rewrite it so that it is true. Then go back to the passage
and find the line that supports your answer.
1. True False ASIMO can play the cello.
2. True False Some robots do uninteresting and dangerous jobs.
3. True False Most robots look like people.
4. True False ASIMO has the ability to recognize people.
5. True False Most people in Japan cannot work.
6. True False One robot can do the work of ten people.
7. True False Now you can buy a robot to clean your floors.
Reading Analysis
Read each question carefully. Circle the letter or the number of the correct answer.
1. ASIMO traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, for the annual Edinburgh International Science
Festival. The festival takes place in February every year.
Annual means
a. scientific.
b. international.
c. every year.
CHAPTER 7 Robots: The Face of the Future 109
2. ASIMO is designed to run, climb stairs, and kick a soccer ball. It can even conduct an
orchestra.
a. Designed means
1. made.
2. performed.
3. climbed.
b. Conduct means
1. play.
2. lead.
3. perform.
3. Everyone at the concert was amazed not only by Yo Yo Ma, but also by ASIMO.
a. Amazed means
1. confused.
2. surprised.
3. interested.
b. Not only . . . but also means
1. however.
2. except.
3. and.
c. Why were the people amazed by ASIMO?
1. It’s a good conductor.
2. It can play the cello.
3. It’s a robot.
4. Scientists developed robots more than 60 years ago. For many years, robots have worked
in factories. They do uninteresting jobs such as packaging food or assembling cars.
a. Developed means
1. learned about.
2. thought about.
3. made.
b. Something uninteresting is
1. dangerous.
2. boring.
3. difficult.
c. Packaging food is
1. making food for a company.
2. carrying food to a truck.
3. putting food into boxes.
d. Assembling means
1. putting together.
2. driving.
3. checking.
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5. Most of these robots are shaped like machines; they do not look like people. However,
ASIMO looks like a person. In addition, it is equipped with the ability to recognize and
remember people.
a. Shaped like means
1. to have the same form.
2. to be the same size.
b. Which one of these is shaped like an egg? Circle your answer.
1.
2.
3.
c. Equipped with means
1. needs.
2. makes.
3. has.
6. In Japan, 20 percent of the people are over 65 years old. This means that a lot of Japanese
people are senior citizens who no longer work.
Senior citizens are people who
a. do not work.
b. are 65 years old or older.
c. have important jobs.
7. Japan hopes to have one million robots working in the country by the year 2025.
Does Japan have one million robots now?
a. Yes
b. No
8. A single robot can replace, or do the work of, ten people!
a. In this sentence, single means
1. not married.
2. only one.
3. new.
b. In this sentence, replace means
1. one robot equals ten people at work.
2. ten robots equal one person at work.
3. one robot equals one person at work.
9. In the future, robots will become more useful and popular.
Popular means
a. many people like it.
b. many people make it.
c. many people need it.
CHAPTER 7 Robots: The Face of the Future 111
10. A few years ago, iRobot, an American company, announced that it has robots that can
wash, sweep, or vacuum your floors.
Announced means
a. discovered.
b. said.
c. promised.
11. These robots do not look like people, but they can work just as hard!
This sentence means
a. robots can work harder than people.
b. people can work harder than robots.
c. robots can do the same work as people.
12. What is the main idea of this reading?
a. In the future, robots will do a lot of work for people.
b. Twenty percent of the people in Japan are senior citizens.
c. ASIMO can teach students and conduct an orchestra.
Vocabulary Skills
PART 1
Recognizing Word Forms
In English, some verbs become nouns by adding the su x -ment, for example, govern (v.),
government (n.).
Complete each sentence with the correct word form on the left. Write all of the verbs in the past.
The verbs may be affirmative or negative. The nouns may be singular or plural.
amaze (v.) 1. The people watched in when ASIMO conducted
amazement (n.) the orchestra. ASIMO the audience because the
robot was the conductor!
develop (v.) 2. Many other companies new robot technology last
development (n.) year. These technological are happening more
and more quickly.
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