Amid all the job losses, there’s one category of worker that the economic disruption has been good for: nonhumans. From self-service checkout lines at the supermarket to industrial robots armed with saws and taught to carve up animal bodies in slaughter-houses, these ever-more-intelligent machines are now not just assisting workers but actually kicking them out of their jobs. Automation isn’t just affecting factory workers, either. Some law firms now use artificial intelligence software to scan and read mountains of legal documents, work that previously was performed by highly-paid human lawyers. “Robots continue to have an impact on blue-collar jobs, and white-collar jobs are under attack by mirs,” says economics professor Edward Leamer. The recession permanently wiped out 2.5 million jobs. U.S. gross domestic product has climbed back to pre-recession levels, meaning we’re producing as much as before, only with 6% fewer workers. To be sure, robotics are not the only job killers out there, with outsourcing (外包) stealing far more jobs than automation. Jeff Burnstein, president of the Robotics Industry Association, argues that robots actually save U.S. jobs. His logic: companies that embrace automation might use fewer workers, but that’s still better than firing everyone and moving the work overseas. It’s not that robots are cheaper than humans, though often they are. It’s that they’re better. “In some cases the quality requirements are so exacting that even if you wanted to have a human do the job, you couldn’t,” Bumstein says. Same goes for surgeons, who’re using robotic systems to perform an ever-growing list of operations—not because the machines save money but because, thanks to the greater precision of robots, the patients recover in less time and have fewer complications, says Dr. Myriam Curet. Surgeons may survive the robot invasion, but others at the hospital might not be so lucky, as iRobot, maker of the Roomba, a robot vacuum cleaner, has been showing off Ava, which could be used as a messenger in a hospital. And once you’re home, recovering, Ava could let you talk to your doctor, so there’s no need to send someone to your house. That “mobile telepresence” could be useful at the office. If you’re away on a trip, you can still attend a meeting. Just connect via videoconferencing software, so your face appears on Ava’s screen. Is any job safe? I was hoping to say “journalist,” but researchers are already developing software that can gather facts and write a news story. Which means that a few years from now, a robot could be writing this column. And who will read it? Well, there might be a lot of us hanging around with lots of free time on our hands. 1 What do we learn from the first few paragraphs? A The over-use of robots has done damage to American economy. B It is hard for robots to replace humans in highly professional work. C Artificial intelligence is the key to future technological innovations. D The robotic industry has benefited from the economic recession. 2 What caused the greatest loss of jobs in America? A Using mirs extensively. B Moving production to other countries. C The bankruptcy of many companies. D The invasion of migrant workers. 3 What does Jeff Burnstein say about robots? A They help companies to revive. B They are cheaper than humans. C They prevent job losses in a way. D They compete with human workers. 4 Why are robotic systems replacing surgeons in more and more operations according to Dr. Myriam Curet? A They save lots of money for the patients. B They beat humans in precision. C They take less time to perform a surgery. D They make operations less painful. 5 What does the author imply about robotics? A It will greatly enrich literary creation. B It will start a new technological revolution. C It will revolutionize scientific research. D It will be applied in any field imaginable.

Amid all the job losses, there’s one category of worker that the economic disruption has been good for: nonhumans.
From self-service checkout lines at the supermarket to industrial robots armed with saws and taught to carve up animal bodies in slaughter-houses, these ever-more-intelligent machines are now not just assisting workers but actually kicking them out of their jobs.
Automation isn’t just affecting factory workers, either. Some law firms now use artificial intelligence software to scan and read mountains of legal documents, work that previously was performed by highly-paid human lawyers.
“Robots continue to have an impact on blue-collar jobs, and white-collar jobs are under attack by mirs,” says economics professor Edward Leamer. The recession permanently wiped out 2.5 million jobs. U.S. gross domestic product has climbed back to pre-recession levels, meaning we’re producing as much as before, only with 6% fewer workers. To be sure, robotics are not the only job killers out there, with outsourcing (外包) stealing far more jobs than automation.
Jeff Burnstein, president of the Robotics Industry Association, argues that robots actually save U.S. jobs. His logic: companies that embrace automation might use fewer workers, but that’s still better than firing everyone and moving the work overseas.
It’s not that robots are cheaper than humans, though often they are. It’s that they’re better. “In some cases the quality requirements are so exacting that even if you wanted to have a human do the job, you couldn’t,” Bumstein says.
Same goes for surgeons, who’re using robotic systems to perform an ever-growing list of operations—not because the machines save money but because, thanks to the greater precision of robots, the patients recover in less time and have fewer complications, says Dr. Myriam Curet.
Surgeons may survive the robot invasion, but others at the hospital might not be so lucky, as iRobot, maker of the Roomba, a robot vacuum cleaner, has been showing off Ava, which could be used as a messenger in a hospital. And once you’re home, recovering, Ava could let you talk to your doctor, so there’s no need to send someone to your house. That “mobile telepresence” could be useful at the office. If you’re away on a trip, you can still attend a meeting. Just connect via videoconferencing software, so your face appears on Ava’s screen.
Is any job safe? I was hoping to say “journalist,” but researchers are already developing software that can gather facts and write a news story. Which means that a few years from now, a robot could be writing this column. And who will read it? Well, there might be a lot of us hanging around with lots of free time on our hands.
1 What do we learn from the first few paragraphs?
A The over-use of robots has done damage to American economy.
B It is hard for robots to replace humans in highly professional work.
C Artificial intelligence is the key to future technological innovations.
D The robotic industry has benefited from the economic recession.
2 What caused the greatest loss of jobs in America?
A Using mirs extensively.
B Moving production to other countries.
C The bankruptcy of many companies.
D The invasion of migrant workers.
3 What does Jeff Burnstein say about robots?
A They help companies to revive.
B They are cheaper than humans.
C They prevent job losses in a way.
D They compete with human workers.
4 Why are robotic systems replacing surgeons in more and more operations according to Dr. Myriam Curet?
A They save lots of money for the patients.
B They beat humans in precision.
C They take less time to perform a surgery.
D They make operations less painful.
5 What does the author imply about robotics?
A It will greatly enrich literary creation.
B It will start a new technological revolution.
C It will revolutionize scientific research.
D It will be applied in any field imaginable.