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C
Customers would feel right at home as Chili’s recently expanded(扩展) application of the robot Rita to 51 restaurants, on top of the 10 in which the technology was already being tested. Rita, created by Bear Robotics, can act as a sort of server, guiding guests to their tables, carrying food and even singing “Happy Birthday”.
And while this type of automation is quickly expanding throughout the restaurant industry due to historic labor shortages(劳动力短缺), Wade Allen, senior vice president of innovation at the parent company Brinker International, said Rita’s pilot wasn’t performed because of the “economic situation”.
Chili’s expansion signals the chain’s confidence in Rita’s early performance, particularly in utilization(使用) and error rates. Allen said Rita produced great utilization rates, based on whether employees were using—and engaging with—the technology. Adding seemingly useless functionalities such as singing provides more opportunities and higher utilization rates that are above 30%. On the error side, Allen said Rita functions without a problem over 99% of the time.
However, such technology could be seen as bells and whistles to customers. And, indeed, there is a risk here as most customers have said they prefer to communicate with staff even as this type of guest-facing technology increases.
Allen said the company hasn’t looked deep to see if Rita translates into labor savings. The company also doesn’t know whether Rita’s presence has affected servers’ tips, stating, “We hope to learn more as Rita expands.” “My goal is not to take people out of the hospitality industry(服务业); people are who make this industry. My goal is to make our employees’ jobs easier, and I absolutely think robotics is service evolution(演进). The future is a world where we still have amazing hospitality, but we can simplify and automate some of the difficult and unnecessary tasks,” Allen said. “We know Rita adds value. We’re not toying with this. Our intention is to go broader.”
(D) 8. What do we know about the robot Rita?
A. It reduces servers’ tips.
B. It shakes up the job market.
C. It increases labor costs in restaurants.
D. It is skilled in the food service industry.
(B) 9. Why did Rita make the chain feel confident?
A. It made a big profit for owners.
B. It won the favor of employees.
C. It expanded rapidly worldwide.
D. It was equipped with unique functions.
(A) 10. What does the underlined part “bells and whistles” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Attractive but unnecessary things.
B. Small but critical tools.
C. Practical ideas.
D. Strategic plans.
(D) 11. What can we expect of Rita according to Allen?
A. It will hit the hospitality industry.
B. It will help speed up robotic research.
C. It will become more customer-friendly.
D. It will improve the work experience of waiters.

答案： 8.D 9.B 10.A 11.D
C[语篇解读]本文是一篇说明文。Chili’s餐厅引入了机器人作为服务员，这一现象会不会给服务业带来巨大的影响呢？
8.D 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“Rita，created by Bear Robotics，can act as a sort of server，guiding guests to their tables，carrying food and even singing‘Happy Birthday’.”可知，机器人Rita可以引导客人就座、上菜，甚至唱《生日快乐歌》。由此可知，它熟练掌握了餐饮业的业务。
9.B 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“Allen said Rita produced great utilization rates，based on whether employees were using—and engaging with—the technology... 99％of the time.”可知，Rita很少出错，餐厅雇员对它的使用率很高，这加强了这家连锁餐饮品牌的信心。
10.A 词义猜测题。根据第四段中的most customers have said they prefer to communicate with staff可知，大多数顾客更喜欢与餐厅员工交流。由此可知，机器人服务员这一技术对于顾客来说似乎是中看不中用。bells and whistles意为“华而不实的点缀品”。
11.D 推理判断题。根据最后一段中的My goal is to make our employees’jobs easier和we can simplify and automate some of the difficult and unnecessary tasks可知，Allen认为，机器人能简化复杂的任务，也能完成人类不必要承担的任务。由此可知，Rita这类机器人的出现能提升服务员的工作体验。