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עמוד:44
Great Short Stories : A Collection MOXOWS WLASTtEQi Part i "ARE you serious ? Do you really believe that a machine thinks ?" I got no immediate reply . Moxon was staring at the fire in the fireplace . For several weeks , I had noticed something different about him . It took him a long time to answer even the simplest questions . Something was on his mind . A few minutes later he said , "What is a machine ?" "A machine , " I replied , "is something that man has made and controls . " "When the machine does not control him , " he said , looking out at the black , stormy night . A moment later he smiled and said , "I believe that a machine thinks about the work that it is doing . " That was a clear answer but it was not what I wanted to hear . I was worried that Moxon was spending too much time studying and working in his machine-shop . I knew that he did not sleep well at night . Had it affected his mind ? In turn I asked him , "And what does it think with — without a brain ?" While Moxon was explaining I heard a sound from the next room . It was coming from a room that no one was allowed into . Everyone called it "Moxon ' s machine shop . " It was a thumping sound , as if someone were pounding upon a table with an open hand . Moxon heard the noise too , and hurried into the room . I listened carefully but only heard a whisper , which said , "Stop ! " Then all was silent . Moxon reappeared and said , "Sorry for leaving you so suddenly . I have a machine in there that got very angry . " Moxon sat down and we began talking again as if nothing had happened . "As an inventor and builder of machines , I believe machines are , in a way , alive , " he explained . "They do things , just as people do things . " It was getting late and I thought it time to be going . However , I did not like the idea of leaving him alone in that house , except for someone , or something , in the other room . Before leaving , I pointed to the door and asked , "Moxon , who is in there ?" 128 1 . Who is telling the story ? 2 . What does Moxon think about machines ? 3 . What do you think caused the sound from the next room ? 4 . How does Moxon explain the noise in the other room ?
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