Story : Me and my robot
【明報專訊】The children are watching one of their favourite cartoons. It's about a robot which visits Earth and lives with a young boy and his family in a small town. The boy and his friends have many exciting adventures, thanks to the robot's special skills.
"How I wish we could have a robot like that staying with us," sighs Little Sister. "It can fly like a helicopter and take me to kindergarten, so Mama and I don't need to walk every morning."
"Even better," adds her older brother. "It can fly me to school so I don't need to take the bus. Actually, there are already a few experimental self-drive taxis in some Chinese cities."
"Self-drive taxis? Do you mean I drive the taxi myself? But I'm only a child and I don't know how to drive!"
"No, Little Sister," says Brother Bear. "Self-drive means the taxi drives itself, using AI technology. You just sit in the back like any normal passenger."
"Isn't that rather scary?" his sister asks hesitantly. "What if something goes wrong?"
"Don't worry. There's a supervisor sitting in the front seat, in case of emergency. Normally, the supervisor doesn't need to hold the wheel or touch any of the controls; that's all done by AI."
"Wow!" exclaims Little Sister. "Can AI do everything?"
"I think so," answers her brother. "It can probably do most of my homework for me. Then I'll have lots of time to watch my favourite shows. Ha ha!"
"What's this I hear?" asks their mother, coming into the room and putting a fresh baked pie on the table. The delicious smell makes your mouth water. Mother's homecooking is always a treat. "Ah, so you hope AI can do all your homework for you, eh?"
Mrs Bear looks hard at her son and he begins to feel rather embarrassed.
"Well, actually, I'm thinking of getting some AI help myself. Let me see... I can get a robot to do all this cleaning, dusting, washing, sweeping, shopping, sewing, ironing, and of course, cooking. The robot can easily take care of you two and then I'll have time to do the things I've always wanted to do."
"What's that, Mama?" ask the children, curious.
"Travel! To those far-away countries all over the world!"
Before she can say another word, both children are hugging their mother tightly crying, "Mama, please don't go and leave us behind with robots! We want our real mother, not an AI substitute. We didn't know you have so much housework to do. We promise to help you as much as we can. Please don't go!"
Mother Bear smiles and says gently, "Of course I'll stay. I'll never let a robot take care of my family. That's MY job. Doing your homework, Brother Bear, is YOUR job. A robot can help us but it can never replace us."
■Something to think about
Imagine your family is going to buy a robot. How can it help you? What are some things you want the robot to do for you?
■Vocabulary
adventure (n)冒險經歷
Their Easter trip to Thailand turned out to be a real adventure when they nearly got lost in the jungle.
experiment (n), to experiment (v), experimental (adj)實驗／實驗性的
Scientists are conducting experiments to test the effect of this new vaccine.
emergency (n)緊急
In case of emergency, dial 999.
supervisor (n), to supervise (v)主管／管理
A good office supervisor will see that the staff work well as a team.
substitute (n), to substitute (v)代替
There is no substitute for human creativity.
■Glossary
adventure (n) 冒險經歷
experimental (adj) 實險性的
supervisor (n) 主管
emergency (n) 緊急
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[Smarties' Power English 第375期]
