Robot “chefs”

陜西 徐云

主題語境：現代科技

篇幅：365詞

建議用時：7分鐘

1 Owning four eateries in Wuhan,Hubei Province,Li Xianghui “employs”an array of cooking machines,which can operate tirelessly day and night.Packed in kits,all dishes are semi-finished and can be served within minutes after they are put into the machines.

2“Automation is the future for the catering industry.It can avoid pressure from labor costs in running a traditional restaurant and increase efficiency,” Li says.“There is a standardized process by the machines,which can guarantee consistency in the taste of each order,” the 37-year-old man adds.

3The cooking machine can make about 2000 recipes,according to Li.Once seated,diners scan a QR code and use an app to make their meal selection and pay.With the only waiter putting the semi-finished food kit into the machines,the meal will be served in minutes.What's more,robot “chefs” have attracted an increasing number of diners since the restaurant's opening in October,2022.“The taste is good and the price is not expensive,” a regular customer,surnamed Xu,says.

4With such eateries springing up across the country,robot “chefs” are not only taking over restaurants but also coming into homes.Behind the scenes is the country's growing service robotics industry,which,as of 2021,had a market value of more than 58 billion yuan,according to a database portal.The industry is projected to reach a value of 291 billion yuan by 2027.

5“Service robots are constantly improving the level of social services in catering,retail,logistics distribution,medical rehabilitation and other fields,” says Wang Hong,an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.The “smart” restaurant for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games may indicate what the future of the food service industry looks like.With no human chefs and waiters,robots took charge of everything.

6In 2018,the popular hot pot brand Haidilao opened its first “smart” restaurant.The kitchen,equipped with two rows of robotic arms,can automatically collect prepackaged dishes from cold storage.For Li,it is only a matter of time before such machinery becomes a common sight in kitchens.He adds that he plans to open 20 more eateries,staffed by robot “chefs”.

Reading Check

1.What is the advantage of robot “chefs” according to Li Xianghui?

A.It can hold a greater variety of dishes.

B.It can do any work without any worker.

C.It provides entertainment to the customers.

D.It can reduce labor costs and increase efficiency.

2.What's the market attitude to robot “chefs”?

A.Appreciative.

B.Indifferent.

C.Puzzled.

D.Critical.

3.The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games is mentioned to show that ________.

A.the traditional method of restaurant service

B.the potential future of the food service industry

C.a temporary experiment for further development

D.a cause of new technologies in the food service industry

4.What future plans does Li Xianghui have for his eateries?

A.To maintain the current number of eateries.

B.To reduce the workers due to robot “chefs”.

C.To replace all human staff with service robots.

D.To open 20 more eateries staffed by robot “chefs”.

Language Study

Ⅰ.Difficult sentence in the text

Owning four eateries in Wuhan,Hubei Province,Li Xianghui “employs” an array of cooking machines,which can operate tirelessly day and night.李向輝在湖北武漢擁有四家餐館，他“雇用”了一系列烹飪機器，這些機器可以日夜不停地工作。

【點石成金】本句中，Owning作狀語，它的邏輯主語是Li Xianghui；which引導的是定語從句，在從句中作主語，從句的先行詞為an array of cooking machines。

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks with the words and phrases in the box in proper forms.

efficiency consistency attract take over be equipped with

1.We must make the most ________ use of the available financial resources.

2.But remember,everything needs to be ________ when it comes to referencing.

3.It has been suggested that mammals ________ from dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

4.Cooperation was more than just an ________ option;it was an obligation.

5.It ________ a library,meeting rooms,a kitchenette and activities facilities.