日本科学家已经研发出世界上第一批读报机器人。他们的外表和行为与人类很像。机器人的新闻广播员听起来很像人类,而且还有幽默感。科学家在东京向记者展示了两款机器人。其中一台机器人叫做"Kodomoroid"。这个单词是将日本表达小孩的单词"kodomo"与英语单词"android"结合起来的。另一台机器人叫做"Otonoaroid",是与日本单词中表示成年人的"android"结合起来的。机器人阅读的第一条新闻是在想象中的东京地震,及FBI袭击事件。机器人的创造者,是带头的机器人学教授Hiroshi Ishiguro。他没说何时机器人才能真正阅读新闻给人听。
Robots are big business in Japan. Many companies spend a lot of money on research and development to make robots better and better. The Japanese have a very positive image of robots. They think they are both helpful and cute. In the West, people think of them as a little scary. They worry that robots will take over the world one day and control us. Professor Ishiguro told reporters that robots are very important. He said: "We will have more and more robots in our lives in the future." He added that robots are now not so expensive and so are increasingly becoming a part of everyday life in Japan: "Robots are now becoming affordable - no different from owning a laptop," he said.
机器人在日本有广阔的市场。许多公司投资许多钱研发制作更好的机器人。日本人对于机器人有非常美好的想象。他们认为机器人实用又可爱。在西方,人们认为机器人有点吓人。他们担心机器人会在某一天占领世界,统治人类。Ishiguro教授告诉记者,机器人非常重要。他说,将来我们的生活中会有越来越多的机器人。他还说,机器人的价格现在也不是很贵,所以机器人在日本逐渐变成了日常生活的一部分。他说,人们现在买得起机器人,与买电脑没什么区别。
译文属可可英语原创,未经允许,不得转载。