CIMON 2 is a floating computer assistant. It first appeared as a helper in the International Space Station (ISS国际空间站) on December 5th, 2019. According to the space plan, CIMON 2 will go back to Earth in 2022.
Actually, the ISS is a science lab in space. Usually astronauts stay in it for five or six months. Can you imagine how boring it is to live in a tight space with just five other people for six months? So CIMON is here.
CIMON stands for Crew Interactive Mobile(互动移动) Companion. As a product(产品) of a European airplane company, it is a robot with a round face, weighing about 5 kilograms. It has no legs or arms, but it can move where it needs to go with motors(马达) inside. Some people also describe it as “a kind of flying brain”.
CIMON keeps two jobs in mind. One is helping astronauts with tasks. The other is trying to be “someone” astronauts can talk to. Helping astronauts is easy for CIMON—it can see, hear, understand, and speak. The brain of CIMON can understand not just what people say, but also what they mean. If astronauts ask it for instructions or information, it can give answers, or use its screen to show pictures or papers, if needed.
In addition, CIMON has several cameras, which can take pictures and videos to help astronauts keep records of experiments or important actions. The more difficult part of CIMON’s job is being a companion for the astronauts. The first CIMON was able to understand 1,000 sentences, but that wasn’t enough. CIMON 1 seemed to misunderstand and become confused(困惑的) when hearing difficult sentences.
CIMON 2 has been improved so that it can find out how people are feeling. The company wants CIMON 2 to be a calm and trusted friend. This could be especially important if tension(紧张气氛) in a group of astronauts causes them to stop thinking clearly, and the astronauts don’t want to discuss with their teammates, they can turn to CIMON 2.
【小题1】How long did CIMON 2 plan to stay in the science lab in space?| A．For about 5 to 6 months. | B．For about 3 years. |
| C．For about 6 to 12 months. | D．For about 1 year. |
| A．It is a huge, human-like robot floating by itself. |
| B．It is a helper moving freely in the space station. |
| C．People named it after a European company. |
| D．People create it for a less interesting life in space. |
| A．is a music and video player for astronauts | B．has the similar hobbies with the astronauts |
| C．is an experiment and life recorder for astronauts | D．lives, works and talks with the astronauts |
| A．get to know astronauts’ true feelings | B．help astronauts become trusted friends |
| C．stop astronauts from talking when doing their tasks | D．stop astronauts from having good discussions |
