Man or Machine – IELTS Reading Answers

Reading Passage

Man or Machine

After reading the above Passage, you may now study the following Questions and attempt to answer them. With this IELTS Practice passage, you can prepare for the various question types in the Reading Section of the test.

Questions 1-6

1 Different ways of using robots

2 A robot whose body has the same proportion as that of an adult

3 The fact that humans can be copied and replaced by robots

4 A comparison between ASIMO for Honda and other robots

5 The pros and cons of creating robots

6 A robot that has eyebrows

Questions 7-13

In 2003, Massachusetts displayed a robot named ASIMO which was invented by Honda, after a period of 7……………………… in the making. The operating information is stored in the computer in its 8……………………… so that scientists can control ASIMO’s movement. While Japan is making great progress, MIT is developing robots that are human-like and can 9………………………. Humans. What is special about Kismet is that it has different 10……………………… which can be read by human interlocutors. 11……………………… is another robot from MIT, whose body’s proportion is the same as an adult. By responding to the surroundings through 12……………………., it could develop its 13…………………………

Reading Answer

1 Answer: E

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph E

Answer explanation: Paragraph E illustrates the fact that Creating a machine that can walk, make gestures and learn from its environment is an amazing achievement. And watch this space: these achievements are likely rapidly to be improved upon. Humanoid robots could have a plethora of uses in society, helping to free people from everyday tasks. In Japan, for example, there is an aim to create robots that can do the tasks similar to an average human and also act in more sophisticated situations as firefighters, astronauts, or medical assistants to the elderly in the workplace and in homes – partly to counterbalance the effects of an aging population. These lines indicate the achievement of creating robots that can walk, make gestures and learn from their environment. An example is also illustrated in paragraph E, which signifies different ways of using robots. Thus, the answer is E.

2 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph C

Answer explanation: The initial lines of paragraph C states that Cog (short for Cognition) is another pioneering project from MIT’s former AI lab. Cog has a head, eyes, two arms, hands, and a torso – and its proportions were originally measured from the body of a researcher in the lab. These lines indicate that Cog is another pioneering robot from MIT labs whose body has the same proportion as that of an adult. Thus, the answer is E.

3 Answer: F

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 2

Answer explanation: The 2nd line of paragraph F states that on one hand, these developments express human creativity – our ability to invent, experiment, and extend our control over the world. On the other hand, the aim to create a robot like a human being is spurred on by dehumanized ideas – by the sense that human companionship can be substituted by machines; that humans lose their humanity when they interact with technology. These lines suggest that human creativity is expressed through these developments and a reference for the statement that humans can be copied and replaced by robots can be found in paragraph F.

4 Answer: D

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 2

Answer explanation: The 2nd line of paragraph D states that some scientists argue that ASIMO is a great engineering feat but not an intelligent machine – because it is unable to interact autonomously with unpredictabilities in its environment in meaningful ways, and learn from experience. We find that the author has compared ASIMO for Honda and other robots in Paragraph D. Thus, the answer is D.

5 Answer: F

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph F

Answer explanation: The initial lines of paragraph F state that such robots say much about how we view humanity, and they bring out the best and worst of us. On one hand, these developments express human creativity – our ability to invent, experiment, and extend our control over the world. On the other hand, the aim to create a robot like a human being is spurred on by dehumanized ideas – by the sense that human companionship can be substituted by machines; that humans lose their humanity when they interact with technology; or that we are a little more than surface and ritual behaviors, that can be simulated with metal and electrical circuits. Thus, these lines indicate the pros and cons of creating robots. So, the answer is F.

6 Answer: B

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph B,

Answer explanation: Paragraph B illustrates that one of MIT’s robots, Kismet, is an anthropomorphic head and has two eyes (complete with eyelids), ears, a mouth, and eyebrows. We can deduce from these lines that Kismet is an anthropomorphic head and has two eyes with eyebrows, a mouth, and ears. Therefore, the answer is B.

7 Answer: 17 years

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 4

Answer explanation: The 4th line of paragraph A states that after 17 years in the making, ASIMO stands at four feet tall, weighs around 115 pounds, and looks like a child in an astronaut’s suit. We can deduce from these lines that Massachusetts displayed a robot named ASIMO, which weighs around 115 pounds and stands 4ft tall, and resembles a child. It was invented by Honda, after 17 years. Thus, the answer is 17 years.

8 Answer: backpack

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 7

Answer explanation: The 7th line of paragraph A states that the robot cannot work autonomously – its actions are ‘remote-controlled’ by scientists through the computer in its backpack. These lines indicate that the robots can’t work by themselves, and their actions are remote controlled by scientists via a computer in their backpack. Therefore, the operating information is stored in the computer in its backpack. So, the answer is the backpack.

9 Answer: interact with

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph B

Answer explanation: The introductory lines of paragraph B states that the Japanese have made huge strides in solving some of the engineering problems of human kinetics and bipedal movements, for the past 10 years scientists at MIT’s former Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab (recently renamed the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, CSAIL) have been making robots that can behave like humans and interact with humans. These lines illustrate that while Japan is making great progress, the scientists at MIT are developing robots resembling humans that can also interact with humans. Thus, the answer is to interact.

10 Answer: facial expressions

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 7

Answer explanation: It is mentioned in paragraph B that one of MIT’s robots, Kismet, is an anthropomorphic head and has two eyes (complete with eyelids), ears, a mouth, and eyebrows. It has several facial expressions. We understand that Kismet is one of MIT’s Robots, which has several facial expressions that make the robot special. These expressions can be read by human interlocutors. Thus, the answer is facial expressions.

11 Answer: Cog/cognition

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph C

Answer explanation: The introductory lines of Paragraph C states that Cog (short for Cognition) is another pioneering project from MIT’s former AI lab. It is evident from these lines that Cog/ cognition is another pioneering project from MIT’s former AI lab, whose body proportions are the same as adults. Thus, the answer is Cog/cognition.

12 Answer: sensors

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, last line

Answer explanation: The last line of Paragraph C illustrates that the work on Cog has been used to test theories of embodiment and developmental robotics, particularly getting a robot to develop intelligence by responding to its environment via sensors, and to learn through these types of interactions. These lines suggest that the Cog had been used to determine theories of embodiment and developmental robotics, specifically getting a robot to develop intelligence by responding to the surroundings through sensors. Thus, the answer is sensors.

13 Answer: intelligence

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, last line

Answer explanation: The last line of paragraph C states, “The work on Cog has been used to test theories of embodiment and developmental robotics, particularly getting a robot to develop intelligence by responding to its environment via sensors, and to learn through these types of interactions.” We can understand from these lines that the work on Cog has been used to test theories. By responding to the surroundings via sensors, it could develop intelligence. Thus, the answer is intelligence.

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