Reading & Text

I.
Reading Comprehension
Robot Teachers
If you think of the job robots could never do, you would probably put doctors and
teachers at the top of the list. It's easy to imagine robot cleaners and factory workers, but some
jobs need human connection and creativity. But are we underestimating what robots can do? In
some cases, they already perform better than doctors at diagnosing illness. Also, some patients
might feel more comfortable sharing personal information with a machine than a person. Could
there be a place for robots in education after all?
British education expert Anthony Seldon thinks so. And he even has a date for the robot
takeover of the classroom: 2027. He predicts robots will do the main job of transferring
information and teachers will be like assistants. Intelligent robots will read students' faces,
movements and maybe even brain signals. Then they will adapt the information to each
student. It's not a popular opinion and it's unlikely robots will ever have empathy and the ability
to really connect with humans like another human can.
One thing is certain, though. A robot teacher is better than no teacher at all. In some
parts of the world, there aren't enough teachers and 9–16 per cent of children under the age of
14 don't go to school. That problem could be partly solved by robots because they can teach
anywhere and won't get stressed, or tired, or move somewhere for an easier, higher-paid job.
Those negative aspects of teaching are something everyone agrees on. Teachers all over
the world are leaving because it is a difficult job and they feel overworked. Perhaps the
question is not 'Will robots replace teachers?' but 'How can robots help teachers?' Office
workers can use software to do things like organize and answer emails, arrange meetings and
update calendars. Teachers waste a lot of time doing non-teaching work, including more than
11 hours a week marking homework. If robots could cut the time teachers spend marking
homework and writing reports, teachers would have more time and energy for the parts of the
job humans do best.
I.(A) Identify each sentence and write down True or False.
1. Most jobs seem as if they can be done by robots or computers.
2. Robots are always better at diagnosing illnesses than doctors.
3. Many experts agree robots will replace teachers by 2027.
4. One advantage of robot teachers is that they don't need to rest.
5. Robot assistants could help teachers by marking homework.
6. Some teachers use robots to reduce their time answering emails and marking
homework.
I.(B) Choose the best option.
1. It’s easy to think robots …
a. will replace people even if we don’t like the idea.
b. are more capable than people and it’s true.
c. can do less than people but it’s not always true.
2. Anthony Seldon thinks teachers in the future will …

a. help robots in class.
b. teach knowledge to students.
c. no longer exist.
3. 3. Robots will probably never …

a. have human understanding of emotions.
b. be a popular choice for teachers.
c. be intelligent enough to work in education.
4. Some parts of the world …

a. pay robots to teach.
b. already use robots in teaching jobs.
c. have a shortage of teachers.
5. Teachers …
a. work harder than office workers.
b. have less help than office workers.
c. leave their jobs to become office workers.
6. Robots could …
a. empathize with students.
b. mark homework.
c. prepare lessons.
I.(C) Answer the following questions.
1. What is the passage about?
2. What can an intelligent robot do in the classroom?
3. Why are robot teachers needed in the place of teachers?
4. How can robots help teachers?
5. What is the main message of the passage?
I.(D) Match the definitions (a–f) with the vocabulary (1–6).
1. …… a takeover a. the ability to think of new ideas
2. …… to adapt b. to think something is less than it is
3. …… to underestimate c. to work out what kind of illness someone has
4. …… empathy d. when someone takes control of something, like a
job or a place
5. …… to diagnose e. to change something so that it fits better
6. …… creative f. the ability to deeply understand someone’s
situation or feelings
II. Fill in the blanks given below and answer the questions.
1. --------------------------- are becoming important for the young people who are using the
internet nowadays.
2. A blog is a website where entries are written in ---------------------------- .
3. Social networking sites are a popular way of communicating and …………………………….. .
4. In a situation comedy, each episode contains the same characters in
………………………………. .
5. In communication areas, teenagers are one of the …………………………………… .
6. What does ICT stand for?

7. What is the difference between a blog and a diary?
8. Mention the types of technique that can be used in a script to make an audience laugh.
9. How blogs are written and what are included in a blog?

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I.

2. Anthony Seldon thinks teachers in the future will …

3. 3. Robots will probably never …

4. Some parts of the world …

6. What does ICT stand for?

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