In Zhangzhou, a city in Fujian Province, a sewing machine has become an unexpected star. Volunteers set it up in the corner of a community centre and offered to repair clothes, shoes and small home machines for local families. The service is free, and it is spreading fast. Within months, similar small repair corners appeared in several districts, and some of them follow the market day so that people in nearby villages can find help without travelling far.
The idea sounds simple, but it answers a real problem. Many old people live alone and cannot carry a heavy appliance down several floors. Some young workers are too busy to find a repair shop after work. Throwing away a good coat because of a broken zip also feels like a waste. Repair corners solve these small troubles quietly, and they cost almost nothing to run.
What makes the plan work is that the city first asked people what they wanted. Researchers collected more than two hundred lists of needs, then chose the ten most common requests. Residents can now request a service, and a community centre sends a volunteer team to answer it. Since the start of the year, over six thousand such activities have taken place, and local people gave them a satisfaction score of ninety-nine per cent.
The warmest part, however, is not the repair itself. A grandmother said she comes not only for a fixed chair but also to meet her neighbours and chat. Volunteers carry their tool bags to the homes of people who cannot leave their beds. In a big city, such small visits remind people that someone is thinking about them, and that is often worth more than the thing that was repaired.
Words to know:
- volunteer (志愿者；自愿的)
- appliance (家用电器)
- satisfaction (满意；满意度)
- resident (居民)
- spread (传播；扩散)
- request (请求；需求)
- neighbour (邻居)
- chat (聊天)
长难句拆解 · 并列句中套形式主语
原句：Throwing away a good coat because of a broken zip also feels like a waste. 主干：Throwing away a good coat … feels like a waste.（动名词短语作主语，feels 是谓语，like a waste 作表语） 修饰：because of a broken zip 是介词短语作原因状语，插在动名词短语内部，不影响主干；also 是副词。 语法点：动名词短语作主语时视为单数，谓语用 feels；because of 后接名词，不接句子（若接句子要用 because）。 直译：因为一条坏掉的拉链就把一件好外套扔掉，也让人觉得是种浪费。
长难句拆解 · not only … but also 并列 + 定语从句
原句：A grandmother said / she comes not only for a fixed chair / but also to meet her neighbours and chat. 主干：A grandmother said (that) she comes …（宾语从句，said 后省略了 that） 并列：not only for a fixed chair 与 but also to meet … 平行，一个用介词短语、一个用不定式，都作目的状语。 语法点：not only 与 but also 连接的两个成分必须结构对称；本句为了简洁用了两种形式，考试写作中最好统一（都用 for，或都用 to do）。 直译：一位老奶奶说，她来不仅是为了一把修好的椅子，也是为了见见邻居、聊聊天。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
雅思阅读最爱把原文换个说法再出题，下面每组左边是原文表达，右边是常见替换，先遮住右边自测。
- a sewing machine has become an unexpected star → a sewing machine has stolen the show / a sewing machine has drawn surprising attention（换主语+换动词，是雅思最爱的手法）
- it answers a real problem → it solves a real problem / it meets a real need（answer a problem 不能直译，替换常用 solve / meet a need）
- too busy to find a repair shop → so busy that they cannot look for a repair shop（too…to 与 so…that…cannot 互换）
- asked people what they wanted → found out what people actually needed（asked 换成 found out，语气更书面）
- gave them a satisfaction score of ninety-nine per cent → rated their satisfaction at ninety-nine per cent（名词化改写，句子更紧凑）
- someone is thinking about them → someone has them in mind / someone remembers them（分词短语替换被动，避免重复）
- worth more than the thing that was repaired → more valuable than the repaired item itself（定语从句压缩成名词短语）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- The repair service in Zhangzhou charges a small fee for each item. (True / False / Not Given)
- How many lists of needs did researchers collect before choosing the ten most common requests?
- According to the passage, the warmest part of the service is ______. (A) the low cost (B) the company people find (C) the skill of the volunteers
参考答案与解析
- FALSE。题干说 charges a small fee，但第二段首句明确 the service is free，属于「细节反着改」的经典干扰项。
- More than two hundred. 第三段 Researchers collected more than two hundred lists of needs，数字要照抄原文，不能写成 two thousand。
- B。第四段 The warmest part, however, is not the repair itself … to meet her neighbours and chat，落点是人与人的陪伴；A 项 low cost 是原文提过的事实，但被拿来做「偷换结论」——把段落重点换成次要信息。
中文译文
在福建漳州，一台缝纫机意外成了明星。志愿者把它摆在社区中心的一角，免费为居民缝补衣服、修鞋、修小家电。这项服务不收钱，传开得很快。几个月里，好几个区都出现了类似的修补角，有的还特意跟着赶集日走，让附近村里的人不用跑远路也能找到帮助。
这个主意听着简单，却解决了一个真问题。不少老人独居，搬不动沉甸甸的电器，也没法把它扛下好几层楼；有些年轻人下班太晚，找不到还开着的修理铺；因为一条拉链坏了就把一件好外套扔掉，也实在可惜。修补角安安静静地把这些小事解决掉，而维持它几乎不花什么钱。
这套办法能行，关键在于城市先问了大家想要什么。调研人员收集了两百多份需求清单，从中挑出最集中的十项。现在居民可以提出需求，社区中心再派志愿队伍去对接。今年以来，这样的活动已经办了六千多场，群众给出的满意率是百分之九十九。
不过，最暖的地方并不是修补本身。一位老奶奶说，她来这里不只是为了一把修好的椅子，更是为了见见邻居、说说话。志愿者还背着工具包，上门给卧床出门不便的人修东西。在一座大城市里，这样小小的探访让人知道自己被人惦记着，而这一点，往往比修好的那件东西更值钱。