{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?A Pay Rise or Not?{{/B}} ? ?"Unless I get a rise, I’ll have a talk with the boss, Henry Manley," George Strong said to himself. George liked his job and he liked the town he lived in, but his wife kept telling him that his pay was not enough to meet the needs of the family. That was why he was thinking of taking a job in Birmingham, a nearby city about 50 miles away. He had been offered a job in a factory there, and the pay was far better. ? ?George lived in Wyeford, a medium-sized town. He really liked the place and didn’t like the idea of moving somewhere else, but if he took the job in Birmingham, he would have to move his family there. ? ?Henry Manley was the manager of a small company manufacturing .electric motors. The company was in deep trouble because, among other reasons, the Japanese were selling such things at very low prices. As a result, Manley had to cut his own prices and profits as well. Otherwise he would not get any orders at all. Even then, orders were still not coming in fast enough, so that there was no money for raises (加工资) for his workers. Somehow, he had to struggle along and keep his best workers as well. He sighed. Just then the phone rang. ? ?His secretary told him that George Strong wanted to see him as soon as possible. Manley sighed again. He could guess what it was about. George Strong was a very young engineer. The company had no future unless it could attract and keep men like him. Manley rubbed his forehead (前额); his problems seemed endless.

{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Robots{{/B}}
1 ?The most sophisticated (先进的) Japanese robots, which have vision systems and work at very high speeds, are still based on American designs. Studies of robots, particularly computer control software, are considered to be generally less advanced in Japan than in America or Europe.
2 ?Although industrial robots, were originally developed as devices for simply handling objects, today their commonest uses are for more skilled work like welding (焊接), spray-painting and assembling components.
3 ?In Britain, robot sales appropriately peaked in 1984, but have been declining ever since. This is partly because British wage rates are too low to make robots financially attractive and partly because engineers now have more experience with robots and are more aware of the difficulties of introducing them effectively.
4 ?It has been calculated that a robot uses on average about 100 times more energy than a human to do an equivalent job.
5 ?It is estimated that 20% of all comic book heroes in Japan are robots. This is an enormous number because comics are so popular that they make up a third of all material published in Japan.
6 ?The reliability of robots is measured in their M.T.B.F. or mean time between failures. This has risen from about 250 hours in the mid-1970s to about 10,000 hours today (equivalent to working 18 hours a day for two years). One way robot manufacturers have increased reliability is to test every single component they buy, instead of the normal procedure of just testing a small sample.
7 ?The biggest single benefit of introducing robots claimed by Japanese companies is that they increase quality control. Once programmed, the robots can work more accurately and consistently than humans, who can get tired and bored.

{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Robots{{/B}}
1 ?The most sophisticated (先进的) Japanese robots, which have vision systems and work at very high speeds, are still based on American designs. Studies of robots, particularly computer control software, are considered to be generally less advanced in Japan than in America or Europe.
2 ?Although industrial robots, were originally developed as devices for simply handling objects, today their commonest uses are for more skilled work like welding (焊接), spray-painting and assembling components.
3 ?In Britain, robot sales appropriately peaked in 1984, but have been declining ever since. This is partly because British wage rates are too low to make robots financially attractive and partly because engineers now have more experience with robots and are more aware of the difficulties of introducing them effectively.
4 ?It has been calculated that a robot uses on average about 100 times more energy than a human to do an equivalent job.
5 ?It is estimated that 20% of all comic book heroes in Japan are robots. This is an enormous number because comics are so popular that they make up a third of all material published in Japan.
6 ?The reliability of robots is measured in their M.T.B.F. or mean time between failures. This has risen from about 250 hours in the mid-1970s to about 10,000 hours today (equivalent to working 18 hours a day for two years). One way robot manufacturers have increased reliability is to test every single component they buy, instead of the normal procedure of just testing a small sample.
7 ?The biggest single benefit of introducing robots claimed by Japanese companies is that they increase quality control. Once programmed, the robots can work more accurately and consistently than humans, who can get tired and bored.

{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Robots{{/B}}
1 ?The most sophisticated (先进的) Japanese robots, which have vision systems and work at very high speeds, are still based on American designs. Studies of robots, particularly computer control software, are considered to be generally less advanced in Japan than in America or Europe.
2 ?Although industrial robots, were originally developed as devices for simply handling objects, today their commonest uses are for more skilled work like welding (焊接), spray-painting and assembling components.
3 ?In Britain, robot sales appropriately peaked in 1984, but have been declining ever since. This is partly because British wage rates are too low to make robots financially attractive and partly because engineers now have more experience with robots and are more aware of the difficulties of introducing them effectively.
4 ?It has been calculated that a robot uses on average about 100 times more energy than a human to do an equivalent job.
5 ?It is estimated that 20% of all comic book heroes in Japan are robots. This is an enormous number because comics are so popular that they make up a third of all material published in Japan.
6 ?The reliability of robots is measured in their M.T.B.F. or mean time between failures. This has risen from about 250 hours in the mid-1970s to about 10,000 hours today (equivalent to working 18 hours a day for two years). One way robot manufacturers have increased reliability is to test every single component they buy, instead of the normal procedure of just testing a small sample.
7 ?The biggest single benefit of introducing robots claimed by Japanese companies is that they increase quality control. Once programmed, the robots can work more accurately and consistently than humans, who can get tired and bored.

{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Robots{{/B}}
1 ?The most sophisticated (先进的) Japanese robots, which have vision systems and work at very high speeds, are still based on American designs. Studies of robots, particularly computer control software, are considered to be generally less advanced in Japan than in America or Europe.
2 ?Although industrial robots, were originally developed as devices for simply handling objects, today their commonest uses are for more skilled work like welding (焊接), spray-painting and assembling components.
3 ?In Britain, robot sales appropriately peaked in 1984, but have been declining ever since. This is partly because British wage rates are too low to make robots financially attractive and partly because engineers now have more experience with robots and are more aware of the difficulties of introducing them effectively.
4 ?It has been calculated that a robot uses on average about 100 times more energy than a human to do an equivalent job.
5 ?It is estimated that 20% of all comic book heroes in Japan are robots. This is an enormous number because comics are so popular that they make up a third of all material published in Japan.
6 ?The reliability of robots is measured in their M.T.B.F. or mean time between failures. This has risen from about 250 hours in the mid-1970s to about 10,000 hours today (equivalent to working 18 hours a day for two years). One way robot manufacturers have increased reliability is to test every single component they buy, instead of the normal procedure of just testing a small sample.
7 ?The biggest single benefit of introducing robots claimed by Japanese companies is that they increase quality control. Once programmed, the robots can work more accurately and consistently than humans, who can get tired and bored.

{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Robots{{/B}}
1 ?The most sophisticated (先进的) Japanese robots, which have vision systems and work at very high speeds, are still based on American designs. Studies of robots, particularly computer control software, are considered to be generally less advanced in Japan than in America or Europe.
2 ?Although industrial robots, were originally developed as devices for simply handling objects, today their commonest uses are for more skilled work like welding (焊接), spray-painting and assembling components.
3 ?In Britain, robot sales appropriately peaked in 1984, but have been declining ever since. This is partly because British wage rates are too low to make robots financially attractive and partly because engineers now have more experience with robots and are more aware of the difficulties of introducing them effectively.
4 ?It has been calculated that a robot uses on average about 100 times more energy than a human to do an equivalent job.
5 ?It is estimated that 20% of all comic book heroes in Japan are robots. This is an enormous number because comics are so popular that they make up a third of all material published in Japan.
6 ?The reliability of robots is measured in their M.T.B.F. or mean time between failures. This has risen from about 250 hours in the mid-1970s to about 10,000 hours today (equivalent to working 18 hours a day for two years). One way robot manufacturers have increased reliability is to test every single component they buy, instead of the normal procedure of just testing a small sample.
7 ?The biggest single benefit of introducing robots claimed by Japanese companies is that they increase quality control. Once programmed, the robots can work more accurately and consistently than humans, who can get tired and bored.

{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Robots{{/B}}
1 ?The most sophisticated (先进的) Japanese robots, which have vision systems and work at very high speeds, are still based on American designs. Studies of robots, particularly computer control software, are considered to be generally less advanced in Japan than in America or Europe.
2 ?Although industrial robots, were originally developed as devices for simply handling objects, today their commonest uses are for more skilled work like welding (焊接), spray-painting and assembling components.
3 ?In Britain, robot sales appropriately peaked in 1984, but have been declining ever since. This is partly because British wage rates are too low to make robots financially attractive and partly because engineers now have more experience with robots and are more aware of the difficulties of introducing them effectively.
4 ?It has been calculated that a robot uses on average about 100 times more energy than a human to do an equivalent job.
5 ?It is estimated that 20% of all comic book heroes in Japan are robots. This is an enormous number because comics are so popular that they make up a third of all material published in Japan.
6 ?The reliability of robots is measured in their M.T.B.F. or mean time between failures. This has risen from about 250 hours in the mid-1970s to about 10,000 hours today (equivalent to working 18 hours a day for two years). One way robot manufacturers have increased reliability is to test every single component they buy, instead of the normal procedure of just testing a small sample.
7 ?The biggest single benefit of introducing robots claimed by Japanese companies is that they increase quality control. Once programmed, the robots can work more accurately and consistently than humans, who can get tired and bored.

{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Robots{{/B}}
1 ?The most sophisticated (先进的) Japanese robots, which have vision systems and work at very high speeds, are still based on American designs. Studies of robots, particularly computer control software, are considered to be generally less advanced in Japan than in America or Europe.
2 ?Although industrial robots, were originally developed as devices for simply handling objects, today their commonest uses are for more skilled work like welding (焊接), spray-painting and assembling components.
3 ?In Britain, robot sales appropriately peaked in 1984, but have been declining ever since. This is partly because British wage rates are too low to make robots financially attractive and partly because engineers now have more experience with robots and are more aware of the difficulties of introducing them effectively.
4 ?It has been calculated that a robot uses on average about 100 times more energy than a human to do an equivalent job.
5 ?It is estimated that 20% of all comic book heroes in Japan are robots. This is an enormous number because comics are so popular that they make up a third of all material published in Japan.
6 ?The reliability of robots is measured in their M.T.B.F. or mean time between failures. This has risen from about 250 hours in the mid-1970s to about 10,000 hours today (equivalent to working 18 hours a day for two years). One way robot manufacturers have increased reliability is to test every single component they buy, instead of the normal procedure of just testing a small sample.
7 ?The biggest single benefit of introducing robots claimed by Japanese companies is that they increase quality control. Once programmed, the robots can work more accurately and consistently than humans, who can get tired and bored.

{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Robots{{/B}}
1 ?The most sophisticated (先进的) Japanese robots, which have vision systems and work at very high speeds, are still based on American designs. Studies of robots, particularly computer control software, are considered to be generally less advanced in Japan than in America or Europe.
2 ?Although industrial robots, were originally developed as devices for simply handling objects, today their commonest uses are for more skilled work like welding (焊接), spray-painting and assembling components.
3 ?In Britain, robot sales appropriately peaked in 1984, but have been declining ever since. This is partly because British wage rates are too low to make robots financially attractive and partly because engineers now have more experience with robots and are more aware of the difficulties of introducing them effectively.
4 ?It has been calculated that a robot uses on average about 100 times more energy than a human to do an equivalent job.
5 ?It is estimated that 20% of all comic book heroes in Japan are robots. This is an enormous number because comics are so popular that they make up a third of all material published in Japan.
6 ?The reliability of robots is measured in their M.T.B.F. or mean time between failures. This has risen from about 250 hours in the mid-1970s to about 10,000 hours today (equivalent to working 18 hours a day for two years). One way robot manufacturers have increased reliability is to test every single component they buy, instead of the normal procedure of just testing a small sample.
7 ?The biggest single benefit of introducing robots claimed by Japanese companies is that they increase quality control. Once programmed, the robots can work more accurately and consistently than humans, who can get tired and bored.

{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?What Makes a Soccer Player Great?{{/B}} ? ?Soccer is played by millions of people all over the world, but there have only been few players who were truly great. How did these players get that way—was it through training and practice, or are great players "born, not made"? First, these players came from places that have had famous stars in the past—players that a young boy can look up to and try to imitate (效仿). In the history of soccer, only six countries have ever won the World Cup—three from South America and three from Western Europe. There has never been a great national team—or a really great player from North America or from Asia. Second, these players have all had years of practice in’ the game. Alfredo Di Stefano was the son of a soccer player, as was Pele. Most players begin playing the game at the age of three or four. ? ?Finally, many great players come from the same kind of neighbourhood (聚居区)—a poor, crowded area where a boy’s dream is not to be a doctor, lawyer, or businessman, but to become a rich, famous athlete or entertainer. For example, Liverpool, which produced the Beatles (甲壳虫乐队.), had one of the best English soccer teams in recent years. Pele practiced in the street with a "ball" made of rags (破布). And George Best learned the tricks that made him famous by bouncing the ball off a wall in the slums (贫民窟) of Belfast. ? ?All great players have a lot in common, but that doesn’t explain why they are great. Hundreds of boys played in those Brazilian streets, but only one became Pele. The greatest players are born with some unique quality that sets them apart from all the ethers.