Robotics – a force for good or bad? - Test 4

C1 Advanced · Multiple Choice Reading · Cambridge English Advanced 4, Cambridge University Press

You are going to read a magazine article about the role of robotics in modern-day life. For questions 31–36, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Once confined to the pages of futuristic fiction, the field of robotics promises to be the most profoundly disruptive technological shift since industrialisation. While robots have been utilised in the automotive and manufacturing sectors for decades, experts now predict an imminent tipping point in robotic usage across many sectors – and say that much of the industrialised world simply isn't prepared for this radical transition. Many of us recognise robotic automation as an inevitably disruptive force. However, in a classic example of optimism bias, while approximately two thirds of people predict that robots will perform most of the work currently done by humans during the next 50 years, about 80% think their current jobs will either 'definitely' or 'probably' exist in their current form within the same timeframe. Somehow, we assume our livelihoods will be safe. They're not: every commercial sector will be affected by robotic automation in the next several years. For example, Australian company Fastbrick Robotics has developed a robot, the Hadrian X, that can lay 1,000 standard bricks in one hour – a task that would take two human bricklayers the better part of a day to complete. Two years ago, Simbe Robotics unveiled Tally, a robot that roams supermarket aisles alongside human shoppers and ensures not, as might be expected, that the aisles are free from grime and rubbish, but that goods are adequately stocked, placed and priced. Advocates for robotic automation routinely highlight the fact that, for the most part, robots cannot service or program themselves – yet. In theory, this will create new, highly-skilled jobs for technicians and programmers and other well-paid roles. Critics, on the other hand, warn that we mustn't overlook the value of interpersonal skills at work. They say that society is not prepared for the upheaval that the downgrading of the human touch will bring. Few people understand this tension better than world expert on robotics technology, Dr Jing Bing Zhang. Zhang investigates the way in which robotics is shaping tomorrow's working population. A recent report by Zhang says that within two years almost one third of robots will be smarter, more efficient, and capable of collaborating with other robots and working safely alongside humans. Within three years, 30% or more of the world's leading companies will have a designated chief robotics officer, and several governments around the world will have drafted or implemented specific legislation surrounding robots. Within five years, average salaries in the robotics sector will increase by at least 60% – yet more than one third of the available jobs in robotics will remain vacant due to shortages of skilled workers. 'Automation and robotics will definitely impact lower-skilled people, which is unfortunate,' Zhang says. 'I think the only way for them to move up or adapt is not to hope that the government will protect their jobs from technology, but look for ways to retrain themselves. No one can expect to do the same thing for life.' Meanwhile, developments in motion control, sensor technologies, and artificial intelligence will inevitably give rise to an entirely new class of robots aimed predominantly at consumer markets – robots the likes of which we have never seen before. Upright, bipedal robots that live alongside us in our homes; robots that interact with us in increasingly sophisticated ways – in short, robots that were once the sole province of the realms of science fiction. This, according to Zhang, represents an unparalleled opportunity for companies positioned to take advantage of this shift. Yet it also poses significant challenges, such as the necessity for new regulatory frameworks to ensure our safety and privacy. With millions of jobs at risk and a worldwide employment crisis looming, it is only logical that we should turn to education to understand and prepare for the robotic workforce of tomorrow.

will have little effect on their employment prospects.

is an appropriate practice in certain sectors.

is long overdue in industry.

is something society is ill prepared for.

In the first paragraph, the writer says the public believe that the use of robots

ensure that the aisles are clean at all times.

monitor the availability of supplies on the shelves.

adjust the price of some of the less popular products.

assess the suitability of opening hours.

One of the main functions of the supermarket robot named Tally is to

the fear associated with giving robots more power.

the unwillingness of companies to invest in robotics.

the need for humans to carry out maintenance on robots.

the lack of trained specialists in robotics.

In the third paragraph, the writer points out that the present limitation of automation is due to

should be pro-active regarding change in their working lives.

ought to put pressure on governments to act decisively.

should find roles that offer long-term job security.

ought to target jobs that offer high salaries.

Regarding the future of employment in general, Dr Zhang implies that people

inevitably (line 69)

predominantly (line 70)

sole (line 75)

unparalleled (line 77)

In the fifth paragraph, which of these words is used to convey the sense that something remarkable is occurring?

speculating on the future of managers in the technology industry.

analysing the current use of technology in the education sector.

discussing the benefits of technology in the workplace.

evaluating the impact of technological advancement.

In this article, the writer is

Robotics – a force for good or bad?

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