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Robot Beats Humans at Table Tennis

technologyApril 24, 2026·139 words·2 min read

This is a A2 (elementary) English article about robot beats humans at table tennis. Read the article below, then check the key words and test your understanding with 5 exercises. You can also listen to the audio and tap any word to see its meaning.

How to practice
Key Vocabulary

Tap any underlined difficult word to see its definition in your language and hear it pronounced.

Exercises

Multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and ordering tasks check that you understood what you read.

Dictation Practice

Listen to each sentence, then type what you hear word by word. Trains your ear and spelling.

Memorize Practice

Read a sentence, then reconstruct it from memory by filling in the blanks. Active recall locks vocabulary in.

Read & Listen

0:00 / 1:00
Robot Beats Humans at Table Tennis
A robot can play table tennis very well. The robot is called Ace. A big company from Japan, Sony, made it. Ace played against very good players. It won three of five games. The games used real rules. One player said Ace hit a ball in a way he thought was impossible.
Ace uses cameras to see the ball. The cameras watch how the ball moves and spins. Ace learned to play by practising 3,000 hours on a computer. Sony made sure Ace plays fair. It does not hit the ball too fast.
Some people are excited about this robot. It is the first time a robot plays a sport this well. But some experts say the cameras give Ace an unfair advantage. Humans only have two eyes. Players also say it feels strange to play against a machine.

Key Vocabulary

v.
to turn round and round fast
v.
to do something many times to get better
n.
something that helps you win
n.
a person who knows a lot
adj.
cannot be done
adj.
the same for all, not bad for one side
Vocabulary Translations· 6 words · 12 languages

Every definition is context-aware — translated based on how the word is used in this article, not a dictionary.

spinv.

to turn round and round fast

旋转girarxoaygirar回転するdönmek회전하다يدورdraaienkręcić sięвращаться
practisev.

to do something many times to get better

练习practicarluyện tậppraticar練習するalıştırma yapmak연습하다يتدربoefenenćwiczyćтренироваться
advantagen.

something that helps you win

优势ventajalợi thếvantagem有利な点avantaj이점ميزةvoordeelprzewagaпреимущество
expertn.

a person who knows a lot

专家expertochuyên giaespecialista専門家uzman전문가خبيرdeskundigeekspertэксперт
impossibleadj.

cannot be done

不可能的imposiblekhông thểimpossível不可能なimkânsız불가능한مستحيلonmogelijkniemożliwyневозможный
fairadj.

the same for all, not bad for one side

公平的justocông bằngjusto公平なadil공정한عادلeerlijkuczciwyсправедливый

Check Your Understanding

Question 1: True or False

1

The robot learned to play by practising on a computer.

2

Some people think the cameras give the robot an unfair help.

3

The robot won all five games against the players.

4

The robot hits the ball as fast as it can.

Question 2: Multiple Choice

How does the robot see the ball?

Question 3: Multiple Choice

What did one player say about the robot?

Question 4: Matching

Tap a word, then tap its meaning.

Question 5: Fill in the Blank

The robot ______ for 3,000 hours on a computer before playing real games.

Dictation Practice

Sentence 1 / 170/8 words

Memorize Practice

Sentence 1 / 17

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