Industrial safety does not just happen. Companies【...

第1题

Trust Me, I Am a RobotRobot safety: as robots move into homes and offices, ensuring that t

Trust Me, I Am a Robot

Robot safety: as robots move into homes and offices, ensuring that they do not injure people will be vital. But how？

The incident

In 1981 Kenji Urada, a 37-year-old Japanese factory worker, climbed over a safety fence at a Kawasaki plant to carry out some maintenance work on a robot. In his haste, he failed to switch the robot off properly. Unable to sense him, the robot's powerful hydraulic arm kept on working and accidentally pushed the engineer into a grinding machine. His death made Urada the first recorded victim to die at the hands of a robot.

This gruesome industrial accident would not have happened in a world in which robot behaviour was governed by the Three Laws of Robotics drawn up by Isaac Asimov, a science-fiction writer. The laws appeared in I, Robot, a book of short stories published in 1950 that inspired a recent Hollywood film. But decades later the laws, designed to prevent robots from harming people either through action or inaction, remain in the realm of fiction.

Indeed, despite the introduction of improved safety mechanisms, robots have claimed many more victims since 198 I. Over the years people have been crushed, hit on the head, welded and even had molten aluminium poured over them by robots. Last year there were 77 robot-related accidents in Britain alone, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

More related issues

With robots now poised to emerge from their industrial cages and to move into homes and workplaces, roboticists are concerned about the safety implications beyond the factory floor. To address these concerns, leading robot experts have come together to try to find ways to prevent robots from harming people. Inspired by the Pugwash Conferences--an international group of scientists, academics and activists founded in 1957 to campaign for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons—the new group of robo-ethicists met earlier this year in Genoa, Italy, and announced their initial findings in March at the European Robotics Symposium in Palermo, Sicily.

"Security, safety and sex are the big concerns," says Henrik Christensen, chairman of the European Robotics Network at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and one of the organisers of the new robo-ethics group. Should robots that are strong enough or heavy enough to crush people be allowed into homes？ Is "system malfunction" a justifiable defence for a robotic fighter plane that contravenes the Geneva Convention and mistakenly fires on innocent civilians？ And should robotic sex dolls resembling children be legally allowed？

These questions may seem esoteric but in the next few years they will become increasingly relevant, says Dr. Christensen. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's World Robotics Survey, in 2002 the number of domestic and service robots more than tripled, nearly surpassing their industrial counterparts. By the end of 2003 there were more than 600,000 robot vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers — a figure predicted to rise to more than 4m by the end of next year. Japanese industrial firms are racing to build humanoid robots to act as domestic helpers for the elderly, and South Korea has set a goal that 100% of households should have domestic robots by 2020. In light of all this, it is crucial that we start to think about safety and ethical guidelines now, says Dr. Christensen.

Difficulties

So what exactly is being done to protect us from these mechanical menaces？ "Not enough," says Blay Whitby, an artificial-intelligence expert at the University of Sussex in England. This is hardly surprising given that the field of "safety-critical computing" is barely a decade old, he says. But things are changing, and researchers are increasingly taking an interest in trying to make robots safer.

Regulating the behaviour of robots is going

A．Y

B．N

C．NG

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第2题

The fact that Fielding Farm Equipment has experienced ______ industrial accidents over the

past decade has contributed to the company's excellent safety reputation.

A．a few

B．very few

C．fewest

D．the few

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第3题

1) This chemical is used in lots of industrial pro...

1) This chemical is used in lots of industrial processes, including water purification, and to separate DNA molecules in experiments. (Para. 2) 2) Acrylamide is made by something called the Maillard reaction, which browns cooked foods and gives them their pleasing flavor. (Para. 3) 3) The chemical can also be present in breakfast cereals, biscuits and coffee. (Para. 3) 4) Animal studies clearly show that acrylamide causes all sorts of cancers, but it’s hard to relate this to us. (Para. 4) 5) Although evidence from animal studies has shown that acrylamide in food could be linked to cancer, this link isn’t clear and consistent in humans. (Para. 5) 6) At low temperatures, an enzyme breaks down the sugar sucrose into glucose and fructose, which can form acrylamide during cooking. (Para. 11) 7) Processed foods have been altered from their natural state, either for safety reasons or because it makes them easier to store or easier to use. 8) We usually think of processed foods as being bad. In truth, many of them are, but some types of processed foods are beneficial. 9) Not all processes are detrimental. Some ingredients can undergo changes, like being frozen, fermented or sprouted, that makes them equally or more nutritious than they once were. 10) When you do include some processed (not ultra-processed) foods in your grocery cart, consider the following: sprouted foods are nutritious; fermented foods contain probiotics; frozen foods retain more vitamins.

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第4题

The main topic of the passage is ______.A．conditions in the work placeB．the freedom of ind

The main topic of the passage is ______.

A．conditions in the work place

B．the freedom of industries in the past

C．changes in industrial production

D．the safety and health of workers and customers

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第5题

It is often claimed that nuclear energy is something we cannot do without. We live in a co

nsumer society, where there is an enormous demand for commercial products of all kinds. Moreover, an increase in industrial production is considered to be one solution to the problem of mass unemployment. Such an increase presumes an abundant and cheap energy supply. Many people believe that nuclear energy provides an inexhaustible and economical source of power and that it is therefore essential for an industrially developing society. There are a number of other advantages in the use of nuclear energy. Firstly, nuclear power, except for accidents, is clean. A further advantage is that a nuclear power station can be run and maintained by relatively few technical and administrative staff. The nuclear reactor represents an enormous step in our scientific evolution and, whatever the anti-nuclear group says, it is wrong to expect a return to more primitive sources of fuel. However, opponents of nuclear energy point out that nuclear power stations bring a direct threat not only to the environment but also to civil liberties. Furthermore, it is questionable whether ultimately unclear power is a cheap source of energy. There have, for example, been very costly accidents in America, in Britain and, of course, in Russia. The possibility of increases in the cost of uranium in addition to the cost of greater safety provisions could price nuclear power out of the market. In the long run, environmentalists argue, nuclear energy may bring about the destruction of the human race. Thus, if we wish to survive, we cannot afford nuclear energy. In spite of the case against nuclear energy outlined above, nuclear energy programmes are expanding. Such an expanding assumes a continual growth in industrial production and consumer demands. However, it is doubtful whether this growth will or can continue. Having weighed up the arguments on both sides, it seems there are good economic and ecological reasons for sources of energy other than nuclear power.

According to the first paragraph, what problem could be solved by an increase in industrial production？

A．It can increase the use of nuclear power.

B．It can worsen the resource crisis.

C．It accelerates the pollution problem.

D．It can resolve the problem of mass unemployment.

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第6题

It is often claimed that nuclear energy is something we cannot do without. We live in a co

nsumer society where there is an enormous demand for commercial products of ail kinds. Moreover, an increase in industrial production is considered to be one solution to the problem of mass unemployment. Such an increase presumes an abundant and cheap energy supply. Many people believe that nuclear energy provides an inexhaustible and economical source of power and that it is therefore essential for an industrially developing society. There are a number of other advantages in the use of nuclear energy. Firstly, nuclear power, except for accidents, is clean. A further advantage is that a nuclear power station can be run and maintained by relatively few technical and administrative staff. The nuclear reactor represents an enormous step in our scientific evolution and, whatever the anti-nuclear group says, it is wrong to expect a return to more primitive sources of fuel. However, opponents of nuclear energy point out that nuclear power stations bring a direct threat not only to the environment but also to civil liberties. Furthermore, it is question able whether ultimately nuclear power is a cheap source of energy. There have, for example, been very costly accidents in America, in Britain and, of course, in Russia. The possibility of increases in the cost of uranium in addition to the cost of greater safety provisions could price nuclear power out of the market. In the long run, environmentalists argue, nuclear energy wastes valuable resources and disturbs the ecology to an ex tent which could bring about the destruction of the human race. Thus if we wish to survive, we cannot afford nuclear energy. In spite of the case against nuclear energy outlined above, nuclear energy programs are expanding. Such an expansion assumes a continual growth in industrial production and consumer demands. However, it is doubtful whether this growth will or can continue. Having weighed up the arguments on both sides, it seems there are good economic and ecological reasons for sources of energy other than nuclear power.

The writer's attitude toward nuclear energy is ______.

A．indifferent

B．tolerant

C．favorable

D．negative

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第7题

Industrial【21】______ does not just happen. Companies【22】______ low accident rates plan the

Industrial 【21】______ does not just happen. Companies 【22】______ low accident rates plan their safety programs, work hard to organize them, and 【23】______ working to keep them 【24】______ and active. When the work is 【25】______ done, a 【26】______ of accident-free operations 【27】______ established 【28】______ time lost due to injuries is kept 【29】______ a minimum.

Successful safety programs may 【30】______ greatly in the emphasis placed 【31】______ certain aspects of the program. Some place great emphasis on mechanical guarding. Others stress safe work practices by 【32】______ rules or 【33】______ . 【34】______ others depend on an emotional appeal 【35】______ the worker. But, there are certain basic ideas that must be used in every program if maximum results are to be obtained.

There can be no question about the value of a safety program. From a financial standpoint alone, safety 【36】______ . The 【37】______ the injury 【38】______ , the better the workman's insurance rate. This may mean the difference 【39】______ operating at 【40】______ or at a loss.

【21】

A．safety

B．safe

C．security

D．secure

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第8题

Industrial safety does not just happen. Companies【31】low accident rates plan their safety

programs, work hard to organize them, and continue working to keep them【32】and active. When the work is well done, a【33】of accident-free operations is established【34】time lost due to injuries is kept at a minimum.

Successful safety programs may【35】greatly in the emphasis placed on certain aspects of the program. Some place great emphasis on mechanical guarding. Others stress safe work practices by【36】roles or regulations.【37】others depend on an emotional appeal to the worker. But, there are certain basic ideas that must be used in every program if maximum results are to be obtained.

There can be no question about the value of a safety program. From a financial stand-point alone, safety【38】. The fewer the injury【39】, the better the workman's insurance rate. This may mean the difference between operating at【40】or at a loss.

(31)

A．at

B．in

C．on

D．with

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第9题

Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage. It is often claimed that nuclear en

ergy is something we cannot do without. We live in a consumer society where there is an enormous demand for commercial products of all kinds. Moreover, an increase in industrial production is considered to be one solution to the problem of mass unemployment. Such an increase presumes an abundant and cheap energy supply. Many people believe that nuclear energy provides an inexhaustible and economical source of power and that it is therefore essential for an industrially developing society. There are a number of other advantages in the use of nuclear energy. Firstly, nuclear power, except for accidents, is clean. A further advantage is that a nuclear power station can be run and maintained by relatively few technical and administrative staff. The nuclear reactor represents an enormous step in our scientific evolution and, whatever the anti nuclear group says, it is wrong to expect a return to more primitive sources of fuel. However, opponents of nuclear energy point out that nuclear power stations bring a direct threat not only to the environment but also to civil liberties.

Furthermore, it is questionable whether ultimately nuclear power is a cheap source of energy. There have, for example, been very costly accidents in America, in Britain and, of course, in Russia. The possibility of increases in the cost of uranium (铀) in addition to the cost of greater safety provisions could price nuclear power out of the market. In the long run, environmentalists argue, nuclear energy wastes valuable resources and disturbs the ecology to an extent which could bring about the destruction of the human race. Thus, if we wish to survive, we cannot afford nuclear energy. In spite of the case against nuclear energy outlined above, nuclear energy programmes are expanding. Such an expansion assumes a continual growth in industrial production and consumer demands. However, it is doubtful whether this growth will or can continue. Having weighed up the arguments on both sides, it seems there are good economic and ecological reasons for sources of energy other than nuclear power.

第26题：The writer’s attitude toward nuclear energy is ________.

A) indifferent

B) favorable

C) tolerant

D) negative

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Industrial safety does not just happen. Companies【C1】______ low accident rates plan their