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b) Read the article and think of a title for it. How soon will robots be able to do jobs which at the moment only human beings can do, such as teaching language or looking after patients in hospi­tals? Some experts believe this will happen within twenty years while others disagree. One London company has already developed machines that can be used as "home helpers" for old people, who can't look after themselves and who are living in the special homes. These machines can now do such things as cook eggs and clean the floor, and the company says that future models will understand simple voice instructions and will be controlled by a "brain" that is the latest IBM1 microcomputer. Some specialists believe that in the next five or ten years companies will begin selling new forms of these machines into homes. They will be able to do different household chores, such as preparing meals, washing dishes, cleaning the house and so on. But scientists who study artificial intelligence think that it's a long way before we can develop really intelli­gent machines. Preparing an omelette looks easy but let's imagine one of the eggs has gone bad. Even the most "intelligent" robot would probably still use it. If something unusual needs doing — something that needs even a little bit of human imagination, a robot is useless. They need programming for even the simplest of tasks. And teaching a robot how to recognize a bad egg is far more difficult than teach­ing it just to prepare an omelette using these eggs. 1- Discuss the following questions and do the task. 1. Would you like to have a robot like this in your home? 2. Do you think a robot can do all the household chores? What jobs about the house do you think a robot will not cope with? Why? 3. There's a point of view that only lazy people would like to have robots doing all the work about the house instead of them. Do you agree with it? 4. Make a list of things you would like your robot to do about the house instead of you. 2 ' • A household robot is the idea of the future. But in modern houses, you can find a lot of other machines that make our everyday life easier, a) Match the machines with their functions.

 

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