Why We Name Our Machines

C1 Advanced · Open Cloze · Cambridge Ready original exercise

For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning.

(0) ___ is surprisingly common for people to give names to the machines in their lives. Owners of robot vacuum cleaners seem particularly prone (1) ___ the habit: many refer to theirs as 'he' or 'she', and some even feel guilty at the thought of getting (2) ___ of it when it breaks down. Psychologists explain this in terms (3) ___ our tendency to see faces and intentions everywhere. We are (4) ___ social creatures that we cannot help looking for minds like our own, even in objects that plainly have none. A machine that appears to move of (5) ___ own accord is especially likely to be treated as (6) ___ it were alive, and the more unpredictable its behaviour, the stronger the effect. Designers are well aware (7) ___ this, and some deliberately give their products round 'eyes' or cheerful little sounds so as (8) ___ encourage customers to grow attached to them. Whether this is harmless fun or a subtle form of manipulation is a question that will only become more pressing as machines grow cleverer.

Why We Name Our Machines

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