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I, Robot by Isaak Asimov_Introduction

Dear readers, now we are going to publish chapters I, Robot by Issak Asimov with comprehension and language exercises. They are illustrated by a young talented artist Daria Buffet from Yalta. The aim of her paintings is to create the world of love and kindness. 

Read the Introduction to the story and complete the following exercises:

Vocabulary:

hectic – беспокойный, лихорадочный

destined – предназначенный

projected – планируемый

stirrings – волнение

relay – реле

platinum – платина

iridium – иридий

variables – переменные

lushly – напыщенно

occiput – затылок

to hackney – говорить банальности

gears – шестеренки

breed – племя, порода

to nudge – подталкивать

verbatim – дословно

to dismantle – демонтировать

blasphemers – богохульники

Task 1. Say if the statements are true or false. Expand on the true and correct the false ones.

1. The events described in Introduction take place in 2020.
2. U.S. Robots was founded in 1992.

3.  Susan Calvin demonstrated the first robot with voice at Psycho-Math seminar.

4. Dr. Alfred Lanning’s robot was supposed to be used on the Earth mines. 

5. Robot psychologist was a pioneer job in 2008. 

6. Dr. Calvin likes robots more than human beings. 
7. Interplanetary Press is read in the entire Solar System.

8. The author uses a special pocket computer to record Dr. Calvin’s story.

9. Robbie was the first robot that could speak. 

10. Robbie was the first robot sold as a nurse. 

Task 2. Answer the questions.

1. When and where does the action take place?

2. Who is Susan Calvin?

3. What is her bio?

4. Who is Alfred Lanning?

5. What is the story of U.S Robots?

6. How does the author describe the buildings of U.S Robots?

7. What is the difference between the world without robots and with them (according to Dr. Calvin)?

Task 3. Match the adjectives with their definitions.

1) hectic	g) marked with irritation or anger
2) clumsy	m) no longer useful or acceptable, not modern or current
3) frosty	f) exactly the same
4) plain	l) extremely silly and unreasonable
5) spongy	j) having and showing true and constant support and loyalty
6) identical	h) easy to notice or understand
7) sharp	c) cold and unfriendly
8) transparent	a) characterized by activity, excitement, or confusion
9) frail	k) relating to a belief or way of behaving that is based on fear of the unknown and faith in magic or luck
10) faithful	e) soft, elastic and full of cavities
11) superstitious	b) moving and doing things in a very bad or awkward way and tending to drop or break things
12) ridiculous	d) having no decoration
13) out-of-date	i) easily damaged or destroyed

Task 4. The author uses these adjectives to describe Susan Calvin, mankind, robots. Find them in the text and organize into three groups.

Adjectives: frosty, large, frail, clumsy, alone, not angry, colorless, superstitious, faithful, unbeautiful, plain, great, sharp, strong, useful, devoted, human, ridiculous

Susan Calvin	Mankind	Robots

Victim of Books

If you are a victim of books as well, just comment in the comment box about your favourites. 

Book Bench

Book bench outside the Cerritos Library in Cerritos, CA.

Five Facts about Reading

Character Organizer – keeping track of the characters

Character Organizer – keeping track of the characters

Story ___________________________________

Character’s Name	Physical Description	Personality/Qualities	Role in the Story (Circle Major or Minor)	Important Quote
			Major         Minor
			Major         Minor

Printable table

IPad made of Trees

Reading Comprehension Strategies

Make Connections What connections do I make as I read? Good readers notice pieces of text that relate to or remind them of: ·      Their lives, past experiences, and prior knowledge ·      Other books, articles, movies, songs, or pieces of writing ·      Events, people, or issues Tips: ·      That reminds me of… ·      This made me think of… ·      I read another book that… ·      This is different from… ·      I remember when…	Visualize Good readers create pictures in their minds while they read. While reading, note places where you get a clear picture in your mind that helps you understand the text: ·      I can picture… ·      I can see the… ·      I can visualize… ·      The movie in my head shows… ·      Use your senses to connect the characters, events, and ideas to clarify the picture in your head. ·      I can taste/hear/smell the… ·      I can feel the…	Ask Questions Good readers ask questions before, during, and after reading to better understand the author and the meaning of the text. Ask questions of the author, yourself, and the text: ·      What is the author trying to say? ·      What is the message of this piece? ·      Do I know something about this topic? ·      What do I think I will learn from this text? ·      How could this be explained to someone else? ·      What predictions do I have about this reading?
Infer How do I read between the lines? When the answers are “right there,” good readers draw conclusions based on background knowledge and clues in the text. Ask yourself: ·      I wonder why… ·      I wonder how… ·      I wonder if… ·      Find information from the text that might be clues to the answers and use these with your background knowledge for possible answers.	Determine Importance What’s the big idea? So what? Good readers look for things that help them identify big ideas and why they are important. Look at text features for clues: Titles and headings ·      Bold print ·      Pictures and captions ·      Graphs and charts ·      Chapter objectives and questions Tips: ·      The big idea is… ·      Most important information is... ·      So far I’ve learned… ·      The author is saying… ·      This idea is similar to…	Synthesize How do I use what I’ve read to create my own ideas? Good readers combine new information from their reading with existing knowledge in order to form new ideas or interpretations. Synthesis is creating a single understanding from a variety of sources. Tips: ·      Compare and contrast what I’m reading with what I already know or other sources of information. ·      Think of new ways to use this information. ·      Can connections I make across this text help me to create new generalizations or new perspectives?

Never Stop Reading

The Book Is NOT Dead

In July 2010, Amazon announced that e-book sales outnumbered sales of hardcover books for the first time. Amazon claims that, 180 e-books are being sold for every 100 hardcover books, including hardcovers for which there is no digital edition.

E-books are a great thing, one can take thousands of books with them but without all the weight. But books still hold a lot of charm. I cannot even imagine my home without my favourite hardcover books, and they are everywhere: near my bed, in the kitchen, on the coffee table, … Nothing can be compared with the joy they give me.

Which do you prefer: e-books or hardcovers? And why? By the way, studying the poster can be rather interesting as well.