阅读理解。
TOKYO-A child-like robot that combines the roles of nurse,companion and security guard
is to go on the market to help the growing ranks of elderly Japanese with no one to look after
them.
The "Wakamaru" robot can walk around a house 24 hours a day,warning family,hospitals
and security firms if it perceives(notices)a problem.It will,for example,call relatives if the ow
ner
fails to get out of the bath.
Cameras implanted in the "eye-brows" of the robot enable it to "see" as it walks around an
apartment.The images can be sent to the latest cell phones,which display the pictures.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries which developed Wakamaru plans to start selling the meter-high
robots for about $15 000.
Wakamaru,which speaks with either the voice of a boy or girl,is also designed to provide
companionship,greeting its "papa" when he comes home.
It is the first household robot able to hold simple conversations,based on a vocabulary of
around 10 000 words.It cannot only speak but can understand answers and react accordingly.
It will ask "Are you all right?" if its owner does not move for some time.If the answer is no,
or there is no answer,it will telephone preset numbers,transmitting images and functioning as a
speakerphone.
Wakamaru will inform a security firm if there is a loud bang or if an unknown person enters
the house while the owner is out or asleep.It can recognize up to 10 faces . But like most robots
it cannot climb stairs.
It can be set to remind forgetful people when it is time to take medicine,eat and sleep.
Mitsubishi adapted Wakamaru from robots which already makes to go around nuclear power
facilities(设施).The idea to use the technology in the home came from a company employee.
The project chief said:"Looking at the ageing of society and the falling birth rate we decide that
this could work as a business.We want to offer Wakamaru as a product that helps society.
The technology has gained nation-wide publicity in Japan among increasing concern over how
to look after the ever-growing number of old people.The life expectancy of Japanese women has
shot up to almost 85,the highest in the world.
At the same time,extended families are being replaced by nuclear families.This has left many
Japanese anxious about their elderly parents,whom they rarely see because of their long hours at
the office.
1.Which of the following is TRUE about the Robot?
A.It is used in some nuclear power facilities.
B.It cannot speak but can understand answers.
C.It can go up and down the stairs easily.
D.It can recognize as many as 10 faces.
2.The purpose of this passage is __________.
A.to introduce a new product
B.to solve the ageing problems
C.to tell people how to use the robot
D.to show the rapid development of technology
3.What can we infer from the passage
A.The robot can dial proper numbers for help.
B.The robot is likely to have a promising market.
C.The robot has given the Japanese a chance to live longer.
D.The nuclear families have left many elderly Japanese anxious.
4.What is the best title of this passage
A.The Latest Development of Robot Technology
B.Japanese Robot and the Ageing Society
C.Vast Market of the New Robot
D.Japanese-built Robot to Help the Old
