The Lunchroom Robot
"Robot! Tie my shoe!" A boy shouted.
"Robot! Clean up my mess!" Another sixth-grade boy poured his 1 on the floor.
Lee had a pain in his stomach as he watched the older kids 2 the lunchroom robot around. The robot did as it was asked, but it moved 3 , almost tiredly. When it rolled (滚动) from task to task, 4 head hung down. It almost seemed sad. Lee tried and failed to shake the bad feeling.
It couldn't possibly be...could it?
The school bell 5 that lunch period was over. The sixth graders left, laughing, as the robot continued to 6 the milk.
Lee collected his lunch tray (托盘), his eyes 7 on the robot. After it finished cleaning, it rolled up against the wall.
Lee walked toward the robot uncertainly. "Are you...okay?" he asked. The robot turned its head toward Lee. Lee looked into the raindrop-shaped cameras that served as the robot's eyes. They looked the same as always, but he knew there was something different 8 them.
Lee patted the robot's back panel. "I think I know how you feel," he said. "Those kids shouldn't 9 you that way. They should at least be 10 when you do your job."
The robot looked up at Lee, and the words "11 " appeared on the front screen in blue letters.
Lee smiled. "You're welcome."
The next day, the sixth graders were at the lunchroom again. One of them 12 mints (口香糖) across the floor. "Robot, pick them up!" he said.
13 Lee watched from another table, his face burned. He nearly stood up to say something, but the robot didn't move. "Robot!" the boy shouted angrily.
Suddenly Lee got up from his seat and walked over. All the sixth graders watched him with 14 . "Robot," Lee said. "Could you pick up the candy for us, please?"
Then the robot 15 sweeping up the mints. Lee turned to the sixth graders. "Remember to say ‘thank you,' too."
