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Reader's Bank_Level 6_Unit 09                                    Reading Text

You might think robots are a recent invention. But they existed even in the 1800s. Here is an amazing story. In 1928, a mysterious machine arrived at the Franklin Institute Science Museum. The machine looked like a young boy, but it was not in good shape. Not knowing what it could do, the museum staff carefully put the parts together to test it. Suddenly, it started to move! The boy opened his eyes and picked up a pen. Then, he drew pictures and even wrote poems. After writing, the machine signed: “Written by the Automaton of Maillardet.” Henri Maillardet, a Swiss clockmaker, made this machine in London around 1800. Back then, clockmakers often invented machines to show off their skills. Maillardet may have made this machine to show his talent—and also for fun, but it also helped create the path for today’s robotics technology.

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Smell affects our emotions and memories more than other senses. This is because it is linked to the brain’s emotional control center. Some stores and companies know this, so they use scents to affect how customers behave. A chain of ice cream shops uses the smell of a waffle cone. This sweet aroma makes people want to eat ice cream. Women’s clothing stores often smell like vanilla. Vanilla has a relaxing and calming effect, which causes shoppers to stay in stores longer and spend more money. Nowadays, smell is being used in unusual ways. In Australia, electricity companies add the smell of sweat to overdue bills. Anxiety and fear often cause cold sweat. The smell may remind people of a scary time. This makes them pay their bills right away. How amazing! The next time you shop or check your mail, be careful of what you smell. You might be influenced by the smell without even realizing it.

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Long ago, farmers on the islands in the West Indies had a big problem. Rats were destroying their *sugarcane farms, causing serious damage. Luckily, the farmers heard about a great rat hunter in the East Indies. It was a 45-cm-long animal called a mongoose. The farmers brought in several mongooses. Soon, the mongooses grew in number, and reduced the rat population almost to zero. At first, the farmers felt happy because the problem was over. However, they were wrong. As the number of rats fell, the mongooses started to eat other animals. They ate animals such as birds, snakes, and turtles, creating a bigger problem. These animals used to eat the insects that harm sugarcane. Without these animals, the number of insects increased a lot. As a result, the insects damaged the sugarcane more than before. In the end, the farmers were upset and had no choice but to catch the mongooses to solve the problem.