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 year 2020. Carol Packer reports. Machines that walk, speak and feel are no longer science fiction. Kismet is the name of an android (机器人) which scientists have built at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Kismet is different from the traditional robots because it can show human emotions. Its eyes, ears and lips move to show when it feels happy, sad or bored. Kismet is one of the first of a new generation of androids—robots that look like human 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 (乐观主义者) say that by the year 2020 we will have created humanoids (机器人) with brains similar to those of an adult human being. 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, scientists are designing androids that will entertain us by dancing and playing the piano. Some people worry about what the future holds: will robots become monsters (怪物)? Will people themselves become increasingly like robots? Experts predict that more and more people will be wearing micro-computers, connected to the Internet, in the future. People will have micro-chips in various parts of their body, which will connect them to a wide variety of gadgets (小装置). Perhaps we should not exaggerate (夸大) the importance of technology, but one wonders whether, in years to come, we will still be falling in love, and whether we will still feel pain. Who knows?
单选题
Kismet is different from traditional robots because ______. A. it thinks for itself B. it is not like science fiction C. it can look after two-year-olds D. it seems to have human feelings
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 在原文中找到与Kismet相关的句子是第二段第三句，“Kismet is different from the traditional robots because it can show human emotions.”因此D项正确。
单选题
What makes Cog special? A. It looks like a mother. B. It behaves like a child. C. It can imitate the behavior of a mother. D. It has a huge brain.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 在原文中寻找与Cog相关的句子是第二段倒数第二句，“Cog, another android invented by the MIT, imitates the action of a mother.”因此C项正确。
单选题
In about 15 years' time from now, robots ______. A. will become space designers B. wiI1 look like monsters C. will behave like animals D. will think like humans
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 文章中没有提到15 years以后，只有2020这个词比较接近实际情况，第三段第一句“The optimists say that by the year 2020 we will have created humanoids with brains similar to those of an adult human being.”因此可以认为15年后会制造出像人类一样会思考的机器人。
单选题
In the future robots will also ______. A. explore space B. entertain people C. move much faster D. do all of the housework
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 抓住题干中的in the future，找到第三段倒数第三、四句“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.”采取排除法就能直接选出答案。
单选题
What is the writer's attitude to robots in the future? A. Critical. B. Hostile. C. Objective. D. Enthusiastic.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 作者观点就在文章最后一句“Perhaps we should not exaggerate the importance of technology, but one wonders whether, in years to come, we will still be failing in love, and whether we will still feel pain. Who knows?”由此可见，作者并没有对科学技术持怀疑态度，而是认为对科技应该保持谨慎的态度，提出的一些担忧也是在常理之内，并没有反对。所以应选C。