sentences and moving on its own，" Asada says. "Next－generation robots need to be able to learn and develop by themselves."

　　Intelligent robot will become more important in the future, as populations age and the number of human workers declines in many countries. "We're going to have many more old people and not enough young people to care for them，" says robot researcher Matthew Mason. "Technology can help the old people live at home longer, instead of going to nursing homes."

　　篇章导读：本文是一篇说明文。介绍了日本和欧洲高级智能机器人的最新发展及它们能为人类提供的服务。

　　1．What are some jobs robots already perform according to the passage?

　　A．Greeting customers, producing factory goods, performing surgery.

　　B．Building cars, driving passengers, providing directions.

　　C．Giving advice, answering customer questions, planning events.

　　D．Producing factory goods, building cars, greeting customers.

　　答案：D细节理解题。根据文章第一段第一句中的"greet newcomers"和第二段第一句"Robots have long worked in factories, helping to build cars and electric appliances."可知D为正确选项。

　　2．What is the function of the second paragraph?

　　A．To describe the functions of modern robots.

　　B．To predict the future uses of robots.

　　C．To explain how a robot works.

　　D．To define what a robot is.

答案：A段落大意题。根据文章第二段中的"do the jobs of people"和"they actually look and act a lot like people"可知机器人能做很多工作，而且外形和行为在很大程度上与人类相像，故推知本段主要介