1. 初中进阶 (2272 期 20150911) 45 版 Xiaobing: a smart chat robot

2. Pre-reading 1. Are you the only child in your family? What do you usually do when you feel lonely?

3. Pre-reading 2. Robots are becoming a part of people’s life. Do you want to have a robot that can chat with you? Why or why not?

4. While reading Fill in the blanks with the information from the article. Name Card Name: Xiaobing (a chat robot) Gender: ____1____ Identity ( 身份 ): ____2____ Creator: ____3____Born in: ____4____ Can do: ________5________ and ________6________ female a high school student Microsoft May, 2014 make conversations with people provide useful information

5. Choose the best answer. 1. People can get all the following information from Xiaobing EXCEPT ________. A. weather forecasts B. traffic conditions C. daily horoscope D. food information C

6. Choose the best answer. 2. Xiaobing is smart because she ________. A. isn’t as naughty as human girls B. knows pop culture well C. is powered by a real person D. learns from many real dialogues D

7. Choose the best answer. 3. Microsoft will make Xiaobing more powerful by ________. A. chatting with her B. working with other companies C. giving instructions to her D. teaching her more modern slang B

8. Language study Translate each sentence with one phrase from the article. 1. 转眼之间，雨过天晴。 2. 要虚心地从自己的错误中学习。 3. 他对这个小区非常熟悉，因为他在这里已经住了二 十多年了。 In an instant, the rain stopped and the sky cleared up. Be humble enough to learn from your own mistakes. He is very familiar with the neighborhood, because he has lived here for over twenty years.

9. After reading Since you have known a lot about Xiaobing, work in groups and make a poster to introduce Xiaobing to more friends.