Summary - SS1 English Lesson Note
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Every normal human being would want to put his or her feet up once in a while and relax, but, obviously. one cannot relax all the time. A little work does not kill. Rather. It keeps one active and mentally alert. Some people think that the invention of robots is the best thing that ever happened to man. They are convinced that the invention has saved the day because robots are ideal workers who work without complaining or getting tired. Robots never reveal company secrets for any reason - corruption. fame or blackmail. The admirers of robots think that once a robot is programmed, it can do any piece of work with precision over a long period without slowing down, getting bored or even going on break or vacation. Robots can be made to perform any task. They do not grumble, protest or ask for 'inducement allowance', overtime, bonus or any of the motivations that human beings usually demand. They also work under conditions which human beings would not accept due to either incapability or attitude.
One good thing about the robot is that any of its damaged parts can be replaced for work to go on effectively. On the other hand, if a human being loses a vital part of the body, that part may not be replaced for work to go on as effectively as before.
There is no doubt at all that the robot is useful but I strongly believe that the human being is more efficient than the robot in many ways. Human beings are sensitive, thinking beings who are flexible and can therefore control their actions. Thus, they can perform more functions than robots. Since human beings can think, discriminate and make value judgments, they can solve problems on the spur of the moment. The robot, on the other hand, cannot do this because what it has been programmed for is all that it is capable of doing. If a robot is wrongly programmed, it will continue to produce the wrong result until its programme is corrected.
Human beings can take the initiative in many things. He can communicate or even call for assistance when need be, which the robot cannot do. The human being can be appealed to, to make some crucial changes; he can also learn from observing what goes on and modify what he is doing.
It is clear that even though robots are useful, they are deficient in many ways, and therefore cannot have an advantage over human beings. In a crisis, the robot cannot face the challenge. It neither reacts nor reflects.
The robot is designed and programmed by human beings. How then can the created be superior to the creator? Robots are created to assist human beings and relieve them of some of their burdens, not to take over completely from them.