Robots have certain advantages compared to humans. They are efficient, tireless, can be repaired when damaged and they never get sick. The last quality has made them the star during our fight against the COVID-19. While thousands of medical workers have fallen ill dealing with this highly infectious virus (病毒) and a lot more have to stay at home for fear of getting the disease, this isn’t a problem for robots. This is why the COVID-19 outbreak is seen as the “tipping point” for robots to start to replace humans in certain jobs.
In hospitals, robots are used to perform high-risk tasks. In China, for example, a hotel in Hangzhou employed a robot to deliver food to people under quarantine (隔离). In Spain, robots are about to be used to test people for the coronavirus (冠状病毒).
In non-medical companies, robots are also replacing human employees since they don’t have the problem of the social distancing and will never take sick leave. Fast-food chains like McDonald’s are not only delivering food with robots in some areas, but also looking to use them as cooks and servers. Walmart and Amazon, for example, where robots are already used in packing and shipping, are planning to increase the number of robots in these areas.
But this sudden boom in robot demand doesn’t mean that they can replace humans successfully in every aspect. According to Bill Smart, a roboticist at Oregon State University, the human contact between doctors and patients is still important. Doctors comfort the patients and guide them through hard decisions while robots are only doing daily tasks, like cleaning and giving tests.
It might be true that robots have certain advantages over humans, but they are still secondary to human’s communication and emotion.
12. Which of the following is not the advantage of robots over human beings?
A.They never fall ill. |
B.They are efficient in work. |
C.They can offer the best emotion support. |
D.They can be repaired when damaged. |
13. Why does the author take McDonald’s and Walmart as examples?
A.To explain robots are more intelligent than humans. |
B.To prove robots have social ability wherever they are. |
C.To prove McDonald’s and Walmart are famous in the world. |
D.To explain how robots replace humans in non-medical companies. |
14. What can be concluded from the last two paragraphs?
A.The demand for robots is too great to meet. |
B.Human interaction is essential in many aspects. |
C.Doctors can make more accurate judgement than robots. |
D.Robots would replace humans in the future. |
15. What’s the best title of this passage?
A.The Tireless Robots |
B.People’s Objection to Robots |
C.Robots Aid in Coronavirus Fight |
D.Robots Will Replace Humans |