3 Where Does the Word “ Robot ” Come From ？

The word robot comes from the Czech word robota ， meaning
heavy labour ． A robot is a machine that works automatically ．
Robots can do a wide variety of tasks ． They are especially
suitable for doing jobs too boring ， difficult ， or dangerous
for human beings ． Robots efficiently carry out such routine
tasks as welding ， drilling and painting automobile body parts
． They also produce plastic food containers and wrap ice cream
bars ． Some industrial robots can even make electronic
equipment and watches ． The science and technology that deals
with robots is called robotics ．
A typical robot performs a task by following a set of instructions
that tells it exactly what must be done to complete the job ．These
instructions are entered and stored in the robot's “ brain ” of a
computer or part of a computer ．

efficiently ? 有效率地
routine ? 日常的，例行的
weld焊接
drill ? 钻孔
electronic ? 电子的

“ Robot ”（机器人）是如何得此名字的？

机器人 (Robot) 来源于捷克语 Robota 一词，意思是“累人的活”。机器人就是一种能自动操作的机器。机器人可以做许多工作，尤其适用于从事那些人们看来单调、困难、危险的工作。

机器人能有效地做那些重复性的劳动，如焊接、钻孔和为汽车零部件喷漆。它们还能用于制造塑料食品包装容器或包扎雪糕等工作。有些工业机器人还能组装电子设备和手表。研究机器人的科技叫人工智能学。一台典型的机器人必须通过精确执行它被告知的完成一项工作的一系列指令才能完成任务，这些指令储存在其“头脑”即计算机内