A
(2020·南昌二模)
Robots are now being employed not just for dangerous tasks, such as discovering mines or rescuing people in disasters. They are also finding applications as household help and as nursing assistants. As increasing numbers of machines, equipped with the latest artificial intelligence, take on a growing variety of specialized and everyday tasks, the question of how people see them and behave towards them becomes ever more urgent.
A team led by Sari Nijssen of Radboud University and Markus Paulus, Professor of Developmental Psychology at LudwigMaximiliansUniversität(LMU), have carried out a study to determine the degree to which people show concern for robots and behave towards them based on moral principles.
According to Sari Nijssen, the study set out to answer the following question：“Under what circumstances would adults be willing to sacrifice robots to save human lives？” The participants were faced with a hypothetical(假设的) moral dilemma: Would they be prepared to put a single person at risk in order to save a group of injured persons? In the situations presented the intended victim was either a human, a humanoid robot that had been humanized to various degrees or a robot that was clearly recognizable as a machine.
The study suggested that the more the robot was humanized, the less likely participants were to sacrifice it. Situations that included vivid stories in which the robot was described as a merciful being or as a creature with its own understandings, experiences and thoughts, were more likely to stop the study participants from sacrificing it in the interests of anonymous(无名的) humans.
“This result indicates that our study group attached a certain moral status to the robot，” says Paulus. “One possible suggestion of this finding is that attempts to humanize robots should not go too far. Such efforts could come into conflict with their intended function—to be of help to us.”
【解题导语】 本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了机器人不仅可以帮助人类执行危险的任务，现代智能机器人还能帮助人们处理日常生活问题。研究表明，将机器人过于人性化的尝试将对人产生困扰。
1．What has become a concern about robots?
A．How to humanize them.
B．How to treat them in life.
C．How to use them effectively.
D．How to find more applications.
B 解析：细节理解题。根据第一段中的“the question of how people see them and behave towards them becomes ever more urgent”和第二段中的“have carried out a study to determine the degree to which people show concern for robots and behave towards them based on moral principles”可知，如何在生活中对待机器人已经成为人们担心的一个问题，故B项正确。
2．In the study the participants probably have to decide ________．
A．when to sacrifice a robot
B．where to experience risks
C．which robot to work with
D．what robots should be like
A 解析：细节理解题。根据第三段中的“According to Sari Nijssen, the study set out to answer the following question：‘Under what circumstances would adults be willing to sacrifice robots to save human lives？’”可知，该研究将要回答“在什么情况下成年人愿意牺牲机器人来拯救人类生命？”这一问题，故A项正确。
3．What can be inferred from Paulus’ words?
A．Humanized robots offer less help to people.
B．Humanizing robots too much may be improper.
C．Certain moral status should be attached to robots.
D．Conflicts often happen between humans and robots.
B 解析：推理判断题。根据本文最后两句Paulus所说的话可知，Paulus认为，这一发现表明，使机器人人性化的尝试不应该走得太远。这些努力可能会与对机器人功能的预期(帮助人类)发生冲突。据此可知，Paulus认为机器人过于人性化可能不恰当，故B项正确。
4．Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．Robots, a Must for Future
B．Humanized Robots, a New Trend
C．Robots Saved, People Take the Hit
D．Humanized Robots Replace Human
C 解析：标题归纳题。通读全文可知，本文主要提出“过度将机器人人性化，将人的道德水准赋予机器人，将会使人受到困扰”这一观点，故C项最适合作本文标题。
【难句分析】 The study suggested that the more the robot was humanized, the less likely participants were to sacrifice it.
分析：本句是一个主从复合句，句中的that引导宾语从句，作及物动词suggested的宾语；“the＋比较级，the＋比较级”表示“越……就越……”。
译文：研究表明，机器人人性化越高，参与者越不可能牺牲它。
