Humanoid Robot Sophia | Unit 8.1 | English

Unit 8

Science and Technology

Humanoid Robot Sophia

Reading 1

A. Match the following words with their meanings.

a. humanoid- viii. a machine or creature that looks and behaves like a human

b. awe- iii. feelings of respect and slight fear

c. revolution – vii. a great change in conditions, beliefs, etc.

d. celebrity- i. a famous person

e. enthusiast vi. a person who is very interested in a particular activity or subject

f. applaud- ii. to clap in approval

g. takeover- v. an act of controlling somebody or something

h. prototype- iv. the first design of a device or machine

B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words/phrases from the text above.

a. Sophia greeted the audience in Kathmandu with a ‘Namaste’.

b. She presented her keynote speech about the importance of technology.

c. The Innovation Conference and Fair was organised by UNDP

d. Sophia was built two and a half years ago.

e. According to Sophia, technology can transform state institutions.

f. Using artificial intelligence could bring a revolution in the agriculture sector.

g. According to the robot, the news of a robot taking over humans was fake.

h. In the opinion of Valerie Julliand, technology is giving us solutions to various problems.

C. Answer the following questions on the basis of the text: Humanoid Robot Sophia

a. Who is Sophia?

⇒ Sophia is a social humanoid robot and the world’s first robot citizen.

b. What was the main highlight of the conference ?

⇒ The main highlight of the conference was the importance of technology in the development of human lives.

c. How can artificial intelligence be useful in Nepal, according to Sophia?

⇒ According to Sophia, artificial intelligence can be useful in Nepal as we can ensure better public services, a revolution in the agriculture sector, make better use of limited resources, protect the environment and make the world a better place.

d. Who was the audience comprised of?

⇒ The audience was comprised of government officials, private sector representatives, civil servants and tech enthusiasts.

e. How long did Sophia speak for?

⇒ Sophia spoke for three minutes.

f. Why are innovative project models being developed in Nepal, according to UNDP?

⇒ According to UNDP, innovative project models are being developed in Nepal to connect remote areas and people with solutions which were impossible earlier.

Grammar I

Relative Clause

A. Complete the following sentences with relative clauses.

a. Manju works for a company which is owned by my father.

b. The story is about a girl who is blind.

c. What was the name of the dog which used to be your favourite pet?

d. The police have caught the criminals who broke into my house.

e. Gram Bell was the man who invented the telephone.

f. What happened to the painting which was gifted on your birthday

g. An encyclopedia is a book which gives information about all areas of knowledge

h. I hate people who lie about their age

i. The Earth seems to be the only planet where life is possible.

j. A detective is a person whose job is to examine crimes and catch criminals.

k. Can you tell me the name of the book which you bought yesterday?

Writing

Write a news story using the outlines.

Nepal’s Yantrika Robot Displayed at Online Exhibition

Kathmandu, June 24– Yantrika, the human-shaped and advanced robot developed by a team led by Engineer Roshan Pandey from Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), has been put on the international online robot exhibition.

The exhibition, titled Smart Maker Festival 2020, is being jointly organized by Smart Society of Canada, Business Upside, USA and IEM America Corporation from December 5. The best innovative technologies from America, Canada, Germany, India, UK, among other countries, are being displayed in the exhibition.

Yantrika is based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and can identify mask-wearing people from the ones who aren’t wearing. In addition to giving the masks and sanitisers, it measures their body temperature. The main objective of the technology is to disseminate information regarding wearing a mask, using sanitiser, among other things, to the general public.

Engineer Pandey said that Yantrika is one of its kind in Nepal and it looks like a lady. He is confident that the robot will be able to compete with the best robots from other countries in the exhibition.

The exhibition will continue till the December end.