For many elderly people, the hardest part of seeing a doctor is not the illness. It is the journey. They have to walk to a bus stop, change buses, find the right building, queue for a ticket and then wait for a number on a screen. A healthy adult can do all this in an hour. A person of eighty with a bad knee may give up before leaving home. That is why one city has decided to move the service in the other direction: it sends care to them.
In Chengdu, a small programme on a phone now lets an older person ask for help with a single touch. They can book a hot meal, a bath, a physiotherapy visit or a simple check of blood pressure. The request goes to a local centre, and a worker arrives at the door. Community staff say the change is easy to see. In the past, a family had to visit several offices to arrange one service. Now it comes to the flat where the person already feels safe.
Technology has entered this field more quietly than most people expected. In one centre in the city, more than a hundred and fifty products for older users are on display, and visitors are invited to touch them. There are rings that watch sleep, walking sticks that call for help, and phones with very large letters. Visitors often stay for half a day because nothing is being sold to them; they are simply allowed to try. The makers gain too, since they can watch real users and hear their complaints directly.
There is still a question that no device can answer. Smart tools are not cheap, and not every family can afford them. If new products only reach people who live in new flats and have money, the gap between rich and poor will grow inside the same city. Local officials say the aim is to keep basic care within reach of ordinary families while letting better products serve those who want them. A city that remembers this difference grows old more gently.
Words to know:
- elderly (上了年纪的)
- touch (轻触)
- community (社区)
- complaint (抱怨；投诉)
- afford (负担得起)
- gap (差距)
- ordinary (普通的)
- gently (温和地)
长难句拆解 · 名词性从句作表语 · That is why…
That is why + 从句，是英文里非常常用的「这就是为什么……」结构，why 引导的从句整体作表语。 in the other direction 是方向状语，和前面的 come to care 形成对照，读懂它才能抓住全文的转折。 冒号后的 it sends care to them 是对这句话的具体解释，不是新的主句。 直译：这就是为什么有一座城市决定把服务往另一个方向搬。
长难句拆解 · 条件句 + 比较级 · If…, then… will grow
If 从句里 who live in new flats and have money 是定语从句修饰 people，两个动词 live 和 have 共用 who。 主句是 the gap will grow，逗号后面紧跟结果，中间没有 then 也不影响结构。 注意 grow 在这里是「扩大」而不是「生长」，同一单词在不同语境下意思会变。 直译：如果新产品只到达那些住新小区、有钱的人手里，那么贫富之间的差距会在同一座城市里扩大。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
下面每组左边是原文表达，右边是可以在写作和阅读中互换的说法，点一下即可自测。
- the hardest part of seeing a doctor → the biggest difficulty in getting medical help → 动名词作介词宾语
- may give up before leaving home → might stop trying even before they set out → give up before doing 的改写
- sends care to them → brings the service to their door → send / bring 的方向差异
- the change is easy to see → the improvement is obvious → easy to see 就是 obvious
- are on display → are shown to the public → on display 的动词化表达
- not every family can afford them → many families find them too expensive → not every 是部分否定，不等于 none
- within reach of ordinary families → affordable for average households → within reach 表示负担得起、够得着
阅读自测 · 3 题
- True / False / Not Given: For many elderly people, travelling to hospital is harder than the illness itself.
- Short answer: Why do visitors often stay for half a day at the centre?
- Short answer: What risk does the writer mention about smart products for older people?
参考答案与解析
- True。第一段开头就是 the hardest part of seeing a doctor is not the illness. It is the journey，与题目一致。这类题最怕把 not the illness 误读成「病不重要」，那是偷换结论。
- Because nothing is being sold to them and they are allowed to try the products freely. 依据是 nothing is being sold to them; they are simply allowed to try。
- That they are expensive, so poorer families may fall further behind and the gap between rich and poor may grow. 依据是末段 Smart tools are not cheap… the gap between rich and poor will grow，注意干扰项常写成「技术会伤害老人」，那是把「可能加剧差距」换成了「直接伤害」。
中文译文
对很多上了年纪的人来说，看病最难的部分并不是病本身，而是路上那一程。他们要走一段到公交站，换几趟车，找到正确的那栋楼，排队挂号，然后盯着屏幕等叫号。一个健康的成年人一小时就能办完，而一位膝盖不好的八十岁老人，可能还没出门就放弃了。正因如此，有一座城市决定把服务搬到另一个方向去：把照护送到老人身边。
在成都，手机上一个小程序如今让老人轻触一下就能求助。他们可以预约一顿热饭、一次助浴、一次理疗上门，或者简单量一量血压。请求会发到附近的中心，随后有工作人员上门。社区工作人员说，变化一眼就能看出来。过去家里人要跑好几个地方才能约到一项服务，现在服务会来到那个人已经感到踏实的家里。
技术进入这个领域的方式，比大多数人想的要安静。在成都的一个中心里，一百五十多款面向老年人的产品摆出来供人试用，参观者被邀请亲手摸一摸。有监测睡眠的戒指，有一按就能呼救的拐杖，也有字号特别大的手机。参观者常常一待就是半天，因为没有人向他们推销，只是让他们尽管试。厂家同样有所收获，因为他们能观察真实的用户，直接听到他们的抱怨。
还有一个问题是任何设备都回答不了的。智能产品并不便宜，也不是每个家庭都负担得起。如果新产品只到达那些住在新小区、手里有钱的人，那么同一座城市里，富裕与普通之间的差距反而会拉大。当地官员说，目标是在把基本照护留在普通家庭够得着的地方的同时，让更好的产品服务于需要它们的人。一座记得这个分别的城市，才会老得更从容。