特别广播英语第 146 课：Improving Industrial efficiency through Robotics
利用机器人技术提高工业效率-1

Robots, becoming increasingly prevalent in factories and industrial plants throughout the developed world, are programmed and engineered to perform industrial tasks without human intervention. 机器人在所有发达国家的工厂日益普及，它们被编程、设计，在无人情况下执行工业任务。

Most of today's robots are employed in the automotive industry, where they are programmed to take over such jobs as welding and spray painting automobile and truck bodies.今大多数机器人用于汽车工业，人们对其编程，从事如汽车卡车车身焊接、喷漆之类的工作。

They also load and unload hot, heavy metal forms used in machines casting automobile and truck frames. 现它们也装卸汽车和卡车框架的机器中所有的炽热、笨重的金属铸模。

Robots, already taking over human tasks in the automotive field, are beginning to be seen, although to a lesser degree, in other industries as well. 机器人已经在汽车行业接任了人类工作，在其行业也开始看到它们的身影，虽然使用程度低一些。

There they build electric motors, small appliances, pocket calculators, and even watches. 在那里它们制造电动马达、小型设备、袖珍计算器，甚至手表。

The robots used in nuclear power plants handle the radioactive materials, preventing human personnel from being exposed to radiation. 用于核电站的机器人处理辐射材料，使职员不暴露于辐射。

These are the robots responsible for the reduction in job-related injuries in this new industry. 这些机器人可以减少这一新型工业中与工作有关的伤害。

What makes a robot a robot and not just another kind of automatic machine? 什么使机器变成机器人，而不是其他的自动化机器呢？

Robots differ from automatic machines in that after completion of one specific task, they can be reprogrammed by a computer to do another one. 机器人与自动化机器的区别在于完成一项特定工作后，它们可以被电脑重新编程去执行一项任务。