7 THE ROBOT’S STORY

CHAPTER 7 THE ROBOT'S STORY None of the cows could believe that this monster, this robot, this machine, had just spoken to them in the animal language. They stared at her, nervously shifting in their stalls, wondering what she would do next. What Roz did next was simple. She told the truth. She stood in the middle of the barn and shared her story with the herd. "I spent my first year of life on a remote, wild island," Roz began. "I did not know how I got there, I only knew that I wanted to survive. So I studied the island animals, to see how they survived, and a surprising thing happened. Their sounds and movements started making sense to me. I was learning the language of the animals. "Even when I could speak to them, the animals wanted nothing to do with me. But that changed when I discovered an orphaned gosling. The poor

第七章机器人的故事奶牛们谁也不相信这个怪物、这个机器人、这个机器刚刚用动物的语言对它们说话了。 他们盯着她，紧张地在隔间里移动，想知道她下一步会做什么。 罗兹接下来做的事情很简单。 她说的是实话。她站在谷仓中央，和牛群分享她的故事。 “我在一个偏僻的荒岛上度过了我生命的第一年，”罗兹开始说。 “我不知道我是怎么到达那里的，我只知道我想活下去。 所以我研究了岛上的动物，想看看它们是如何生存下来的，一件令人惊讶的事情发生了。 他们的声音和动作开始让我明白了。 我在学习动物的语言。 “即使我能和它们说话，动物们也不想和我有任何关系。 但当我发现一只孤儿小鹅时，一切都变了。 穷人

little thing would have died on his own, so I cared for him, and adopted him as my son. His name is Brightbill." A murmur spread through the herd. "When the animals saw me caring for Brightbill, they finally accepted me. I was no longer alone. I had friends and a family and a home. Life was good. "Until the RECO robots arrived. They came in their sleek white airship to take me away, and when I resisted, they became violent. The animals defended me—they fought bravely and destroyed the RECOs. But I was badly damaged in the fighting. I needed

这个小家伙本来会自己死去的，所以我照顾他，把他收养为我的儿子。 他的名字叫布莱特比尔。”一阵窃窃私语传遍了兽群。 “当动物们看到我照顾布莱特比尔时，它们终于接受了我。 我不再孤单了。我有朋友，有家人，有家。 生活是美好的。“直到RECO机器人到来。 他们开着白色的飞艇来接我，当我反抗时，他们变得很暴力。 动物们保护了我——它们勇敢地战斗，摧毁了RECOs。 但我在战斗中受了重伤。 我需要

repairs, and I could not get them on the island. So the animals loaded my broken body into the airship, and it took me far away from my home." Lily the calf poked her head through the railing and said, "What about Brightbill?" "My son is smart and tough, and he has a good flock," said Roz. "I think he will be okay without me." "Where were you taken?" said Tess. "I was taken back to the factory where I was made. The factory is run by a crew of robot workers called the Makers. When I arrived, they put me in a room filled with other broken robots. Some robots were completely ruined, and the Makers immediately sent them away. But those of us with working computer brains were given a test."

我在岛上找不到维修人员。 于是动物们把我受伤的身体装进飞艇，把我带离了我的家。” 小牛莉莉从栏杆里探出头来，问道：“布莱特比尔怎么办？”罗兹说：“我儿子既聪明又坚强，他有一群很好的羊群。 “我想他没有我也会过得很好。” “你被带到哪儿去了？”苔丝问。 “我被带回了生产我的工厂。 这家工厂由一群被称为“制造者”的机器人工人管理。 当我到达时，他们把我放在一个满是其他坏机器人的房间里。 有些机器人完全毁了，制造者立刻把它们送走了。 但我们这些有电脑大脑的人要接受一个测试。”

"What kind of test?" said Lily. "The Makers simply asked us questions. They asked us how we had become damaged. They asked us how we would respond to different emergencies. They asked us to identify certain sounds and smells and objects. Robots who answered every question correctly were repaired. All others were destroyed. "In the wilderness, I camouflaged my body to survive. In the robot factory I camouflaged my personality to survive. I pretended to be a perfectly normal robot. I did not say that I had adopted a goose, or that I could speak with animals, or that I had resisted the RECOs. I said what I had to say to pass the test. And it worked." "Good for you, Roz!" shouted Tess, and the other cows smiled. "The Makers shut me off, and when I awoke, my body was fixed and I was on this farm. Now, like all of you, I belong to Mr. Shareef." The cows stopped smiling. Everyone was quiet. And then old Annabelle spoke up. "I was taken from my friends and family too," she said. "They're back on the farm where I was born. I

“什么样的测试？”莉莉问。 “造物主只是问了我们一些问题。 他们问我们是怎么受伤的。 他们问我们如何应对不同的紧急情况。 他们要求我们识别特定的声音、气味和物体。 正确回答所有问题的机器人都得到了修复。 其他的都被摧毁了。 “在荒野中，为了生存，我伪装了自己的身体。 在机器人工厂里，我为了生存伪装了自己的个性。 我假装自己是一个完全正常的机器人。 我并没有说我收养了一只鹅，也没有说我能和动物说话，也没有说我抵制过法律。 为了通过考试，我说了该说的话。 这招奏效了。”“你真棒，罗兹！”苔丝喊道，其他的奶牛都笑了。 “造物主把我关了起来，当我醒来时，我的身体被修复了，我在这个农场里。 现在，像你们所有人一样，我属于谢里夫先生。” 奶牛们不再笑了。每个人都很安静。 然后老安娜贝尔说话了。 “我也被从我的朋友和家人身边夺走了，”她说。 “他们回到了我出生的农场。 我

still think about them every day." "It is difficult to be apart from our loved ones," said the robot. "You know, Roz, things could be worse," said Tess. "At least on this farm you're still surrounded by nature." "Yes, things could be worse." The robot's eyes brightened a little. "But I am not safe here. If any human ever learns who I really am, they will have me destroyed. And that is why, when the time is right, I will try to escape."

我仍然每天都在想他们。” “和我们所爱的人分开是很难受的，”机器人说。 “你知道，罗兹，事情可能会更糟，”苔丝说。 “至少在这个农场，你仍然被大自然包围着。” “是的，情况可能会更糟。” 机器人的眼睛亮了一点。 “但是我在这里不安全。如果任何人类知道了我的真实身份，他们会毁了我。 这就是为什么，当时机成熟时，我会设法逃跑。”