Hello, Sunshine, I'm Maria.
My name is Rory, and we are the hosts of the IELTS Speaking for Success Podcast.
The podcast dreams to help you improve your speaking skills, as well as your listening
skills along the way.
We've started this podcast to give you IELTS happiness and IELTS joy together with
vocabulary and delicious grammar.
Oh, Rory, I've been talking to Chad G.P.T.
Oh God, one day these robots are going to replace us all.
I see, no on the meantime, shall we talk about robots?
The robots deal listener again in our episodes.
We had our first episode on the 2nd of November 2019 and now robots again.
Yes, it's making fun of one.
Are you interested in robots?
Well, I mean, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who isn't these days.
Machines and machine intelligence have taken over so many of the functions of our daily
lives.
It would be short-sighted not to have an interest, really.
Would you like to have robots in your home?
Yeah, why not?
I love the idea of having a machine, you know, going around, doing all the chores that
I wouldn't want to do.
To be honest, who wouldn't want that?
Unless they were sentient or sapient, of course, because that's kind of on-power slavery.
But as they are right now, that would be a great idea.
Are robots important?
Well, that depends on the kind of world that you want to live in, really.
Like if you want to work less and have more free time in order to do things, because, well,
your time's been freed up by machines, then they would be very important for this.
Although you might have a job that you would be threatened by having so many machines in
your life, so that's something that you'd need to think about in advance.
How can robots affect people's lives?
It could go either way, frankly.
You could wind up having more free time just by offloading the responsibility onto robots.
Although, on the other hand, if your job was taken over by machines before the systems
were in place to cope with this or to address the problem, then you might wind up destitute.
So it's important to keep these things in mind when we're talking about the advantages
of robots.
Would you like to drive a robot-operated car?
I'm not sure about the phrasing of my question, to be honest with you.
I mean, if it's a robot car, then who is driving?
Me or the robot?
But assuming it's an autonomous vehicle that's driving itself, then yeah, assuming it's
been safety tested, I don't see why not.
We have our premium episodes for you, where Rory and I give you more vocabulary and more
grammar.
This week on our premium, we are discussing Game in Speaking Part 2, and in Speaking Part
3, Games in General.
Do check them out.
The link is in the description.
Are you interested in robots?
You can say, I'm interested in robots.
I'm inter-robotics.
I'm a cadulant, what is it?
The science of studying and making robots?
Yes, I think so, for lack of a better description.
And do you make robots?
Like you create design robots, you make robots.
Yeah, I think make is the really easy verb, but it would be better to say create or design.
I'm inter-robotics.
Dillison, if you hate robots, you can just say that you're like, okay?
So I'm inter-robotics.
If you hate robots too bad, because that is what you're going to have to talk about.
Rory's answer is really interesting.
He kind of says like, well, you should be inter-robots, right?
So you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't like robots.
You would be hard pressed to do something.
Yes, that means it's difficult to avoid.
Yeah.
Could you give us another example, where I know, like, speaking English?
Oh God, well, you'd be hard pressed to find somebody who doesn't want to learn about English these days,
because it's a global language.
And another synonym is, it would be, short-sighted, not to take an interest in robots.
For example, it would be, short-sighted, not to learn English.
Which means...
Well, if something is short-sighted, it just means that you're not thinking about the long-term future.
So if you don't take an interest in learning English now, then it might affect your prospects later.
Like, short-sighted.
Like, my sight is short.
I don't like see you there.
I don't like see anything there.
So I'm...
Can I say, I'm short-sighted.
You can, but that means that you need glasses.
Ah, right.
So I'm short-sighted.
I need glasses.
But it would be short-sighted not to take eyes, right?
Oh, is it an idiomatic expression for a high score?
It is.
Oh, the other thing I want to talk about is something that I didn't say.
And the reason that I said it was I wanted to draw people's attention to it because I find that when I'm talking to students,
they repeat the question in their answer.
So the question was, are you interested in robots?
And a student might...
Or candidate might say, yes, I'm interested in robots because...
Try not to do that because you're a job in the exam is to paraphrase the answer.
Not to repeat the words in your question.
It's a missed opportunity to show off your vocabulary.
So what I didn't say was something we've talked about before, which is substitution.
Yes.
Well, is it substitution or is it ellipsis?
Because I said, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who isn't these days.
Who isn't interested in robots.
But I just said who isn't because we already know what the question is.
So we can just say who isn't without repeating the phrase in the question.
Robots have taken over many of the functions of our lives.
So robots take over some functions.
So they take over, they conquer the world.
So they just do some of the functions.
It's takeover of phrasal verb.
It's a phrasal verb.
I wonder if there...
If only there were a course on phrasal verbs that you could listen to.
Perhaps at some place with the address, successfithyles.com, forward slash podcastes, the link is in the description.
Who can say with any certainty, unless you look in the description?
All the phrasal verbs are in the one place.
But takeover just means to gain control over something.
Robots all machines.
You can say I'd love to have a machine which does all the cleaning.
To do the cleaning in my house and also Rory said, chose to do the chores.
I can't think of any chores that I don't want to do to be honest with you.
Cleaning the dishes perhaps?
Cleaning the floor, washing the floor, cleaning the windows, so chose housework.
And also Rory used two adjectives which are...
You said sentient or sapient, yes Rory?
Yes.
But they're not very...
They don't describe very complicated concepts.
Sentient is just being self-aware and sapient as...
Well, having the ability to be intelligent.
So if both of these things were true for the robot, it would be like having a...
And you were forcing them to do work.
That it would be like having a sleeve.
And I don't think that's moral.
So you can use these adjectives to describe robots.
Robots are not.
So sense, having like senses, sentient.
Be able to experience feelings.
Robots are not sentient.
Sapient, it's about intelligence.
So intelligent were able to think robots are not sapient.
Oh, that's right.
They are not...
Rory's nose is though.
It knows.
So for example, it's hard for a sentient person to understand why parents treat children badly.
Rory is sapient.
You hope.
He is an intelligent person.
You hope.
You use these adjectives again in one sentence.
So if a robot is sapient, then it's capable of intelligent conversation or using its intelligence.
And if it's sentient, then it's aware of it's a robot and if it's surroundings and how
to cope with that.
Yeah, but robots are not that.
Not yet, but soon.
They don't have souls, Rory.
Oh, wow.
Oh, this is a very interesting conversation.
What is a soul?
What is a soul?
Yeah.
It's such an interesting question.
But robots can't feel the wind on their face.
They can't experience love.
They can't experience emotions, anger, hatred.
It's a very interesting question because it's the fact that if it depends what you're doing
it with.
So if you're experiencing the emotion because of what you've got or what you've been
given by a robot, even if it's been pre-programmed to create that feeling, does it make it
any less real or valid?
Our robots are important.
Important, don't repeat the words, say they are crucial.
So robots are pretty crucial for something, for people.
Did I use substitution again?
Robots are pretty crucial for that.
Well, also substitution is kind of like synonyms.
We're just using synonyms.
But I said that.
Is that not substitution?
Or is that just a reference?
Because using referencing divides, it's accurately also brings up the score.
Oh, yeah.
Our job could be replaced by robots.
Right?
No.
Some jobs could be replaced by robots, passive voice and a specific verb replace.
Or robots can replace certain positions.
Okay?
Also you can say a job could be threatened by robots.
But they will never replace teachers, so don't worry about that.
So Dillis and I now we have robotic coffee kiosks.
We don't have human baristas, baristas who make coffee, but we may have robotic coffee kiosks.
You can say that robots can deliver food, can make coffee, and surely they're important.
Robots can affect our life.
Effect is a verb, a, effect, or you can say they can have an influence on our life.
Okay? Or they can have an effect on our life, an effect on, or affect something, affect
our life.
Oh, Rory, you've used your favorite phrase of a verb, wind up.
Yes, wind up.
I do like wind up.
It's like end up.
You can end up having more time, end up doing something, or you can wind up having
lots of free time because everything is done by a robot.
What about this responsibility?
What do you do with responsibility?
So it's just, you do it your robots.
No, off you go, clean my windows.
Oh, you, you offload the responsibility.
So the responsibility is something you carry, but if you offload it, then you give it
to another person or thing.
Yeah.
So you can offload the responsibility to robots, right?
Yes.
But if your job is replaced by a robot, you can end up destitute.
The third super adjective in this episode, destitute.
So really a super adjective to be honest, it doesn't describe anything complex.
It's just, you could end up homeless.
Without money, food, or possessions, possessions what we have.
So for example, floods left many people destitute.
No money, no home, nothing.
Many businesses are employing humanoid robots.
Now you came as customer service representatives.
Humanoid robots like robots with a face like people have.
These machines, these humanoid robots function as people.
So they are designed to resemble, to resemble people.
So maybe like there's a robot who looks like Rory and they function like humans.
Creepy.
Rool.
Extremely creepy.
Please do not have a robot that looks like me.
And also they have synthetic skin.
Oh, that's horrible.
I know, I know.
Oh, Dielis, you should really watch some videos on YouTube about robots and it's amazing.
So the robot with pretty much like skin like we have and they do all the emotions.
Oh my gosh, it's so scary.
Yeah.
And one robot which is called grace.
So grace is the most advanced humanoid healthcare robot.
Health care robot.
Grace can recognize emotions, shows empathy, okay, and speaks and understands 100 languages.
Shall we talk about cars?
Yes, Rory, how can we paraphrase driverless car?
Yes.
Well, a robot car or an autonomous vehicle?
Oh my God, what a, what a merciful autonomous vehicle.
Or automated car, automated car, autonomous car, robot operated car or driverless car.
Or electric car.
Assuming it's been safety tested.
So this car has been safety test.
And here you can say human drivers.
So it could be safer than human drivers.
Usually we don't say humans, people humans, but here in this topic you can say humans versus
robots.
I feel like the driverless car might be a better driver than most of the human drivers
that I know.
You should see some of the driving in my hometown.
It is absolutely spectacular.
So you can say it's safer or more efficient.
More efficient, like more productive, more effective than human drivers.
Robots will never take over the world.
Well, at least they won't take over teaching, hopefully.
On the subject of teaching, the reflection activity for today is pick one piece of vocabulary
or one phrase that you really liked and send it to me on my Instagram.
And I'll be happy to have a look at what people are sending me there.
This is just to help people remember the words and phrases more effectively for their exam.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Are you interested in robbers?
Well, I mean, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who isn't these days.
And machine intelligence have taken over so many of the functions of our daily lives.
It would be short-sighted not to have an interest, really.
Would you like to have robbers in your home?
Yeah, why not?
I love the idea of having a machine going around, doing all the chores that I wouldn't want
to do.
To be honest, who wouldn't want that?
Unless they were sentient or sapient, of course, because that's kind of on power with
slavery.
But as they are right now, that would be a great idea.
Are robots important?
Well, that depends on the kind of world that you want to live in, really.
Like, if you want to work less and have more free time in order to do things, because,
well, your time's been freed up by machines, then they would be very important for this.
Although you might have a job that you would be threatened by having so many machines in
your life, so that's something that you need to think about in advance.
How can robots affect people's lives?
They could go either way, frankly, that you could wind up having more free time just by
offloading the responsibility onto robots.
Although, on the other hand, if your job was taken over by machines before the systems
were in place to cope with this or to address the problem, then you might wind up destitute.
So it's important to keep these things in mind when we're talking about the advantages
of robots.
Would you like to drive a robot-operated car?
I'm not sure about the phrasing of that question, to be honest with you.
I mean, if it's a robot car, then who is driving?
Me or the robot?
But assuming it's an autonomous vehicle that's driving itself, then yeah, assuming it's
been safety tested, I don't see why not.
