英語学習

英語ニュース教材：These robots can clean, exercise – and care for you in old age. Would you trust them to?（Intermediate レベル）

 

Contents

🎧 Audio

📖 Script

In the UK, scientists are developing robots that can help care for people, especially the elderly. With an aging population, the UK care system is under a lot of pressure. These new robots could be a solution to alleviate some of these strains. The robots are designed to perform various tasks, including cleaning, exercising, and even providing companionship. This technology sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but it is becoming a reality.

One of the main reasons for developing these robots is to address the shortage of caregivers in the UK. As the population ages, more people need assistance with daily activities, but there aren’t enough human caregivers available. Robots could fill this gap by taking on some of the tasks, allowing human caregivers to focus on more complex care needs.

However, there are concerns about using robots in care settings. Some people worry that robots might not provide the same level of emotional support that human caregivers do. Others are concerned about privacy and security, as these robots would have access to personal information and spaces. Developers are working to ensure that these robots are safe and can interact with people in a meaningful way.

The use of robots in care is still in its early stages, but the potential benefits are significant. If successful, this technology could improve the quality of life for many elderly people and reduce the burden on the UK’s care system. As technology continues to advance, it will be interesting to see how these robots are integrated into everyday life and how they change the way we think about care.

📝 Vocabulary

  • alleviate: to make something less severe
    例文: “The new policy aims to alleviate the financial burden on families.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • alleviate stress
    • alleviate pain
    • alleviate poverty
    軽減する
  • companionship: the feeling of having a friend or someone to be with
    例文: “Pets can provide companionship and comfort to their owners.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • provide companionship
    • seek companionship
    • enjoy companionship
    仲間意識
  • shortage: a situation where there is not enough of something
    例文: “There is a shortage of nurses in the hospital.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • labor shortage
    • water shortage
    • food shortage
    不足
  • privacy: the state of being free from public attention
    例文: “People are concerned about their privacy on social media.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • privacy concerns
    • privacy policy
    • invade privacy
    プライバシー
  • burden: a heavy load that is difficult to carry
    例文: “Caring for an elderly relative can be a burden without support.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • financial burden
    • heavy burden
    • emotional burden
    負担

✏️ Grammar Point

Relative Clauses – “These new robots could be a solution to alleviate some of these strains.”

文法の日本語補足を見る
この文では「that」や「which」で始まる文を使い、名詞を修飾しています

💡 使用場面

(会話や文章で、情報を追加して具体化したいときに使います)

📝 使用例文

“例: In a business meeting, you might say: ‘If we cut costs now, we can increase our profit margin next quarter.’”

❓ Listening Questions

  1. True/False: The robots are designed to completely replace human caregivers.
  2. MCQ: What is one of the main tasks that these robots are designed to do?
    a) Cooking meals
    b) Providing companionship
    c) Driving cars
    d) Teaching classes
  3. MCQ: Why are people concerned about using robots in care settings?
    a) They are too expensive
    b) They don’t have enough power
    c) Privacy and security issues
    d) They are too slow
🔑 Listening Answersを見る
  1. False
  2. b) Providing companionship
  3. c) Privacy and security issues

📚 Reading Questions

  1. What are the robots designed to do in the UK?
  2. Why do some people have concerns about robots in care settings?
  3. What does “alleviate” mean in the context of the script?
🔑 Reading Answersを見る
  1. They are designed to help care for people, especially the elderly.
  2. Because of concerns about emotional support and privacy.
  3. To make something less severe

🇯🇵 日本語での経済ニュース解説

英国では、高齢化が進む中、介護システムへの負担が増しています。この問題に対処するため、科学者たちはロボットを開発しています。これらのロボットは清掃や運動、さらには仲間としての役割を果たすことができます。ロボット技術の進化は、介護の質を向上させ、介護者不足を補う可能性を秘めています。ただし、感情的なサポートやプライバシーへの懸念もあります。技術が進歩する中、これらのロボットがどのように日常生活に溶け込んでいくのか注目されます。

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wdzyyglq5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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