Dear participants of LINGVISTOV weekly English club, we remind you that our next session is scheduled for July, 20, 2pm MSK. Don’t forget to look through the questions given below. You can also find some interesting facts, information, useful links as well as vocabulary that you will be able to put into practice during our discussion. See you!
Questions:
- Do you like the idea of a robotic personal assistant? What would you like your robot to do?
- How can robots be used for the good of humanity?
- Will robots ever like identical to humans? Is it good that robots will look like humans or should they look different?
- The West sees robots as menacing, Japan sees them as helpful – how about you?
- Will robots take over the world one day?
- Would you rather deal with a robot or a human personnel in shops, restaurants, government departments?
- Would a robot be a better leader of a country than a human leader?
- How much of the human body will be replaced by machines? Will there be androids in the future?
- Will you ever want to modify your body? At what point in modifying our bodies are we no longer human and when does it become taboo?
TED talks on the topic “Robots” (with English or Russian subtitles):
Rodney Brooks says robots will invade our lives:
http://www.ted.com/talks/rodney_brooks_on_robots.html
Cynthia Breazeal: The rise of personal robots:
http://www.ted.com/talks/cynthia_breazeal_the_rise_of_personal_robots.html
English exercises:
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=275
Reading comprehension:
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=9405
http://www.englishlanguageworld.com/Beginning_English_Lesson16/Beginning_English_Lesson16_Reading.html
Films to watch on the subject of “Robots”:
“I, Robot” (2004) is a 2004 science-fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas. In the year 2035 a techno-phobic cop investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to a larger threat to humanity.
To watch “I, Robot” online go to: http://viooz.co/movies/11702-i-robot-2004.html
“The Terminator” franchise is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and other media concerning battles between Skynet’s artificially intelligent machine network, and John Connor’s Resistance forces and the rest of the human race.
To watch “The Terminator” online go to: http://viooz.co/movies/1580-the-terminator-1984.html
To watch “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” online go to: http://viooz.co/movies/1539-terminator-2-judgment-day-1991.html
«A.I.: Artificial Intelligence» (2001) also known as A.I., is a 2001 American science fiction drama film written, directed, and produced by Steven Spielberg, and based on Brian Aldiss’s short story «Super-Toys Last All Summer Long». It speaks about a highly advanced robotic boy who longs to become «real» so that he can regain the love of his human mother.
To watch «A.I.: Artificial Intelligence» online go to: http://viooz.co/movies/3068-ai-artificial-intelligence-2001.html
Interesting facts about Robots:
- “Robot” comes from the Czech word robota, meaning “drudgery,” and first appeared in the 1921 play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). The drama ends badly when the machines rise up and kill their creators, leaving a sole lonely survivor.
- They say it was an accident. The first known case of robot homicide occurred in 1981, when a robotic arm crushed a Japanese Kawasaki factory worker.
- Leonardo da Vinci drew up plans for an armored humanoid machine in 1495. Engineer Mark Rosheim has created a functional miniature version for NASA to help colonize Mars.
- Elektro, the world’s first humanoid robot, debuted in1939. Built by Westinghouse, the seven-foot-tall walking machine “spoke” more than 700 words stored on 78-rpm records to simulate conversation.
- R2-D2 is the only character that appears unchanged (by aging, say, or a funky black outfit) in all six Star Wars movies.
- R2’s dark secret: It was played by actor Kenny Baker, who by the end was mostly given the boot and replaced by CGI.
- Chris Melhuish of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory created robots that use bacteria-filled fuel cells to produce electricity from rotten apples and dead flies. The goal: robots that forage for their own food.
Vocabulary on the topic of “Robots”:
Robot – робот, автомат
Machine – машина, механизм, станок
Intelligent – умный, сообразительный, смышлёный
Mechanism – механизм, устройство, прибор
Autonomous – автономный, самостоятельный, самоуправляющийся
AI – artificial intelligence – искусственный интеллект
Programmable – программируемый
Reliability – надёжность, достоверность
accessible — доступный, достижимый
To replace – заменять, замещать
To develop – развивать, совершенствовать
crucial — критический, решающий
To reduce – ослаблять, понижать, сокращать
thrive — процветать, преуспевать
To create – порождать, производить, создавать
To design – придумывать, замышлять, планировать
To construct – строить, сооружать, воздвигать
drastically — резко, решительно
To install – устанавливать, монтировать, собирать
To operate – работать, действовать, функционировать (о приборах, механизмах)
To look like a robot – выглядеть как робот
To be a robot – быть роботом
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