By Ajarn Helen Jandamit
Photos courtesy of AFP
University Tips is here to help you prepare for the English exams and tests that are coming your way. It gives you practise answering questions similar to those you may have at school and also on the University Entrance Examination.
Read the following story from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Humanoid robots have started work in a bank in Tokyo and a hotel in the south-western island of Kyushu. There is a growing demand for them as many people are concerned about a labour shortage in Japan's aging society.
ANIMATED TOOL
Softbank Group Corp's "Pepper" robot made its debut recently at a branch of Mizuho Bank in central Tokyo. It entertained customers, providing financial knowledge and proposing insurance products.
"You can consult Mizuho Bank about making more money," Pepper said, in a voice similar to a Japanese comic storyteller.
"There is an image that banks are stiff and unwelcoming. We would like to increase demand for finance by the use of a friendly Pepper," Tetsuhiko Saito, senior managing executive officer of Mizuho Financial Group Inc, told reporters.
PR PLAN
Mizuho Bank plans to introduce Peppers in four more branches in Tokyo and the neighbouring Kanagawa prefecture in August. The humanoid robots are able to attend to customers by using an artificial intelligence (AI) technique, the bank said.
Meanwhile, a woman-shaped robot speaking Japanese and a dinosaur robot speaking English welcome customers at the front desk of a hotel at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo, Nagasaki prefecture. The Henn-na Hotel also has a porter-like robot that carries bags to guest rooms.
"It is necessary for a theme park to both adopt a cutting-edge technology and develop it. I hope this hotel can contribute to the study of robots," Hideo Sawada, president of Huis Ten Bosch Co, said at a demonstration event for the media held in July.
Exercises
Section 1
Read the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. Who developed the Pepper robots?
a. Mizuho Bank.
b. Mizuho Financial Group Inc.
c. Softbank Group Corp.
2. Who welcomes customers at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park hotel?
a. A woman-shaped robot and a dinosaur robot.
b. A woman-shaped robot speaking Japanese.
c. A dinosaur robot speaking Japanese.
3. Why is Pepper referred to as a ‘humanoid’ robot?
a. Because he resembles the appearance of a human being.
b. Because he interacts with humans.
c. Because he speaks in a voice similar to a Japanese comic storyteller.
4. Which of the following is more likely to be the reason that Pepper was given that name?
a. Because he looks like a pepper plant.
b. Because he makes the formal and unfriendly atmosphere of a business livelier.
c. Because he likes spicy food.
5. Where does a dinosaur robot speaking English welcome customers?
a. At the front desk of the Henn-na Hotel.
b. At a hotel at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park.
c. At Huis Ten Bosch Co.
6. Who is senior managing executive officer of Mizuho Financial Group Inc?
a. Tetsuhiko Saito.
b. Hideo Sawada.
c. Pepper.
7. What kind of information did Pepper provide for customers during his first days at work in central Tokyo?
a. He provided financial knowledge and proposed insurance products.
b. He carried bags to guest rooms.
c. He talked about the neighbouring Kanagawa prefecture.
8. What does AI stand for?
a. The Art Institute.
b. Agricultural inbreeding.
c. Artificial intelligence.
Section 2
Read the story and decide whether the following statements are true or false.
9. Mizuho is a financial institution.
………………………
10. Hideo Sawada is president of Softbank Group Corp.
………………………
11. The Huis Ten Bosch theme park is located in Nagasaki prefecture.
………………………
12. The Henn-na Hotel provides a porter-like robot that carries luggage to guest rooms.
………………………
13. Mizuho plans to introduce Peppers at its four branches in Tokyo and the neighbouring Kanagawa prefecture in December.
………………………
Section 3
Fill in the blanks in the following passage with the correct words from the choices given.
Pepper can react to …..14….. emotions and even have emotions of its own. …..15….. moves on wheels and …..16….. like he is wearing an iPad as a pendant. He takes information …..17….. his cameras and touch sensors, and his behaviour changes …..18….. on how this makes him …..19…..
14.
a. humans
b. human
c. humanity
15.
a. He
b. They
c. That
16.
a. looking
b. looks
c. looked
17.
a. from
b. for
c. on
18.
a. base
b. based
c. bases
19.
a. feels
b. feel
c. felt
Section 4
Specify whether each of the following words is used in the story as a verb, noun, adjective or adverb.
20. entertained ……………….
21. friendly ……………….
22. recently ……………….
23. desk ……………….
24. contribute ……………….
Vocabulary
- humanoid (n): a machine or creature that looks and behaves like a human
shortage (n): a situation when there is not enough of the people or things that are needed
storyteller (n): a person who tells or writes stories
artificial (adj): not real
cutting-edge (adj): the newest, most advanced stage in the development of something
