A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.
Date: 2026/04/29
Difficulty: Intermediate B1
PDF: Robot hugs student at university event
| humanoid • | • thinking |
| malfunction • | • planners |
| incident • | • robot |
| unpredictable • | • accident |
| organisers • | • surprising |
| awareness • | • technical problem |
| humanoid | robot |
| malfunction | technical problem |
| incident | accident |
| unpredictable | surprising |
| organisers | planners |
| awareness | thinking |
A surprising moment at a university sports event in Xi'an, China has started a lively debate about robots and safety. During a dance show, a humanoid robot suddenly left its planned routine and hugged a female student. Staff quickly stepped in and moved the robot away. Luckily, no one was hurt.
Some people online asked if the robot had its own awareness. However, experts said it was likely a simple malfunction, possibly caused by signal problems from nearby drones.
The incident shows that robots can be unpredictable in real situations. Experts say organisers must plan carefully, keep safe distances, and always be ready to stop machines if something goes wrong.
| A: | Did you see that robot hug the student? |
| B: | Yes, I was shocked! I thought it was part of the show. |
| A: | Me too, but then the staff rushed in. |
| B: | I wonder if the robot just wanted to make a new friend. |
| A: | Maybe, or maybe it just got confused by the drones. |
| B: | Either way, I'm glad no one got hurt. |