[originaltext] Machines that walk, speak and feel are no longer science fict

Machines that walk, speak and feel are no longer science fiction. Kismet is the name of a new robot. Kismet is different from the traditional robots because it can show human emotions. Its eyes, ears and lips move to show when it feels happy, sad or bored. Kismet is one of the first of a new generation of robots-robots that look like human beings-which can imitate human feelings. Cog, another robot invented by MIT, can imitate the action of a mother. However, scientists admit that so far Cog has the mental ability of a two-year-old. The optimists say that by the year 2020, we will have created human-like robots with brains similar to those of an adult human being. These robots will be designed to look like people to make them more attractive and easier to sell to the public. What kind of jobs will they do? In the future, robots will be doing dangerous jobs, like repairing space stations. They will also be doing more and more of the household work for us. In Japan, scientists are designing robots that will entertain us by dancing and playing the piano. Some people worry about what the future holds: Will robots become monsters? Will people themselves become increasingly like robots? Experts predict that more and more people will be wearing micro-computers and have micro-chips in various parts of their body. Perhaps we should not exaggerate the importance of technology, but one should wonder whether we will still be falling in love, and whether we will still feel pain. Who knows?
Questions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16. Why is Kismet different from traditional robots?
17. What is the feature of Cog?
18. Which of the following can robots do in the future?
19. What’s the speaker’s attitude to robots in the future?