Lesson 4 The Essence of Being Human
Klara and the Sun
Klara is an ____ (Artificial Friend), a companion robot for children.
She is solar-powered. She stays healthy ____ she gets the Sun’s nourishment but feels weak and lifeless without sunlight.
At the robot store, she enjoyed taking in the outside world ____ the windows.
Klara closely observed ____ she saw, hoping to learn everything necessary to be a caring and helpful AF.
One evening, she discovered that ____ homeless man was lying on the street without moving.
Klara was sad ____ she believed he had died.
But the next morning when the Sun was shining, she was surprised to see that ____ homeless man was sitting up and stroking his dog.
Klara believed the Sun had saved him and came to have strong faith in ____ Sun’s power to restore everything.
One day, a fourteen-year-old girl named Josie visited the shop ____ her mother, Chrissie.
Josie chatted with Klara joyfully.
Josie immediately took a liking to Klara ____ asked whether Klara wanted to be her friend.
____ really want you to come to my home.
I think you’ll like my room, and we’ll see ____ beautiful sunset from the windows there.
We ____ do all the great things together all the time while I’m growing up. You want to come, right?
That’s ____ good, but I want to be honest with you.
I know how bad you’ll feel after people promise you perfect things and they turn out not to be ____
____ days I’m not so healthy or happy. I do not know why.
Do you ____ want to come, Klara?
If there’s anything difficult or scary, we will face it ____
To show that she would do her best to be Josie’s friend, ____ held her hands together and shook them slightly.
Pleased ____ Klara’s gesture of friendship, Josie asked Chrissie for her permission to buy the AF.
Chrissie asked Klara what she had observed ____ Josie, and found Klara to be highly observant.
After requesting that Klara continue to care about ____ Chrissie agreed to buy Klara and took her home.
In Josie’s country home,
In Josie’s country home, Klara ____ out that Josie had gone through a procedure known as “lifting.”
____ being lifted, Josie’s cognitive abilities had been genetically enhanced so that she had a better chance of getting into prestigious universities.
However, Josie was suffering from serious side effects similar to those that had claimed the ____ of her sister, Sal.
A mysterious chronic illness often caused her ____ stay in bed for days on end.
Because of this, Josie spent most of her time at home ____ was being educated there.
One day when Josie felt better, her mother took her and Klara to the city so that Josie could have her portrait ____ by Mr. Capaldi.
In Capaldi’s studio, Klara was asked to ____ a questionnaire about Josie.
Looking around the studio after completing the questionnaire, Klara entered Capaldi’s ____
To her surprise, she saw something that looked like Josie suspended in ____ air-it was an AF replica of Josie’s body!
As it turned out, Mr. Capaldi was not a ____ but a scientist, who planned with Chrissie to transfer Klara’s consciousness to the replica and make a new Josie if the real Josie were to die.
____ tell me what you think about the replica.
Klara: It resembles Josie quite accurately.
Mr. Capaldi, you have done a good job of capturing ____ appearance.
I now understand why Chrissie asked me, at every step, to observe and learn ____
The survey seems to test how well I have come to know Josie and how well I understand her decisions and ____
We will ask you to become her and to live in that replica ____ Josie with everything you have learned.
Learn Josie, ____ just superficially, but deeply, entirely.
You have to continue her for Chrissie and for ____ else who loves Josie.
I have doubts. I’m still not sure if this whole plan is the best thing we ____ do.
I have been ____ of losing Josie ever since I lost Sal.
That is why I agreed with you on this replica, but however well you make it, I don’t think I will be able to ____ this AF as my Josie.
You must not ____ faith, Chrissie.
The survey Klara has successfully completed is clear evidence that she is already well on her way to understanding all of Josie’s drives and ____
You believe that there is something unreachable inside each of us, ____ that is unique and won’t transfer.
____ there is nothing like that. The new Josie won’t be an imitation.
She will be the ____ same person and you will have every right to love her just as you love Josie now.
____ will I believe in it? When the day comes, will I really?
Klara: Excuse me,
Excuse ____ but I would like to say there is a chance you will never need the new Josie.
She may ____ her illness.
If the ____ comes when you do need the new Josie, I will do my best to become as close to her as possible.
____ it is wrong to give up hope already.
Josie’s health ____ a turn for the worse after she returned from the city.
This made Klara ____ to do everything she could for Josie.
Klara remembered the barn into which the Sun had disappeared when she and Josie had ____ watching the sunset in Josie’s room.
Believing it to be the Sun’s resting place, Klara visited there to pray to the Sun for Josie’s ____
You ____ be so tired, and I’m very sorry to disturb you, but I have come here this evening to ask a special favor.
I have ____ forgotten how strong your power to restore everything is.
Josie ____ becoming weaker and weaker each day.
Please send Josie the special nourishment ____ so desperately requires as you did that day to the homeless man.
The Sun was then sinking into the ground, but Klara could tell he was smiling ____ her as he went down for his nightly rest.
Out of gratitude and respect, Klara continued to ____ at the Sun until his last light vanished into the ground.
After several rainy days,
After several rainy days, the Sun came out to shine light ____ Josie and her whole bed.
Josie ____ up and made a miraculous recovery.
Seasons ____ years went by, and she grew into a healthy adult.
When Josie left ____ college, Klara was sent to the Yard, a place where old AFs spend their remaining days at the end of their lives.
In the Yard, she remembered her days with ____
Josie was the ____ teenager for me.
I did all I ____ to learn Josie and to do what was best for her.
If it had become necessary, I could ____ continued Josie.
But I don’t think ____ would have worked out so well.
Not because I wouldn’t have achieved accuracy, but however hard I tried, I believe now there would have remained something ____ my reach.
Mr. Capaldi believed there was nothing special inside ____ but I believe now that there was something very special.
But it ____ inside Josie. It was inside those who loved her.
I would have never reached what they felt for ____ in their hearts.
I am sure of this ____