Recently, a parent posted a photo on the Internet. It showed a smartwatch made for children. On the screen, the watch told a 14-year-old girl that she was “overweight.” It even said her weight was higher than 99 percent of girls of her age. The girl was 167 cm tall and weighed only 50.5 kg. Many people were surprised. “She looks perfectly normal,” they said. “How can a watch judge a person like that?”
The watch company later said sorry. It explained that the report was not careful enough, and it has improved the software. But the story made many people think. More and more children now wear smartwatches. These watches can count steps, measure sleep, and even judge weight. But can a machine really tell us if we are healthy? Health is a complex thing. It includes body, mind, and daily habits. A single number cannot describe a whole person.
This event also raised another question: how do these numbers affect young people? Teenagers are often sensitive about their bodies. A simple message like “you are overweight” can make them worried, unhappy, or even ill. Experts say parents should help children understand that numbers are only tools, not judgments. If a watch says something strange, we should think twice instead of feeling bad.
Technology should serve us, not control us. A smartwatch can be a helpful friend, but it cannot decide who we are. We should learn to use it wisely, and love ourselves just the way we are.
Words to know:
- overweight (超重的)
- judge (评判，判断)
- improve (改进)
- complex (复杂的)
- sensitive (敏感的)
- tool (工具)
- serve (服务)
- wisely (明智地)
长难句拆解 · 宾语从句与转折并列
① It even said her weight was higher than 99 percent of girls of her age. 主干是 It even said…（它甚至说……）。said 后面是省略 that 的宾语从句 her weight was higher than…，从句自带主语和谓语，不能写成 her weight being higher；higher than 99 percent of girls of her age 是形容词比较级结构，than 后接的是比较对象，of her age 作 girls 的后置定语，译作「同年龄段的女孩」。
② Technology should serve us, not control us. 主干是 Technology should serve us（科技应当服务我们）。逗号后的 not control us 是并列结构中的否定项，相当于 and should not control us，省略了重复的情态动词 should；这种「肯定 + not + 动词」的写法比 and should not 更紧凑，常用于口号式收尾，语气更强。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
题干从不照抄原文，全靠同义替换改写。做题时先在题干里圈出「信号词」，再回原文找它们的同义变体，定位速度会明显变快。本文可迁移的替换组：
- judge a person → pass judgement on someone
- said sorry → issued an apology
- improved the software → upgraded the system
- describe a whole person → capture the whole of a person
- be sensitive about their bodies → feel self-conscious about their appearance
- think twice → give it a second thought
- use it wisely → make sensible use of it
阅读自测 · 3 题
- 判断（T / F / NG） — The girl was 167 cm tall and weighed 50.5 kg.
- 简答（不超过 6 个词） — What can a single number not do?
- 判断（T / F / NG） — Parents should stop children from wearing smartwatches.
参考答案与解析
- T — 原文「The girl was 167 cm tall and weighed only 50.5 kg」，身高体重一一对应，属原文直述，不需要推断。
- Describe a whole person. — 首段末句「A single number cannot describe a whole person」，题目问的是 not do 的内容，答宾语 core 即可，不要答成主语 a single number。
- NG — 原文只说「parents should help children understand that numbers are only tools, not judgments」，并未提出让孩子不戴手表，属「无中生有」式建议。
中文译文
最近，一位家长在网上发了一张照片。照片里是一只专为儿童设计的智能手表。表盘上，手表告诉一名14岁女孩，她「超重」了。它甚至说，她的体重超过了同年龄段99%的女孩。这个女孩身高167厘米，体重只有50.5公斤。许多人都感到惊讶。「她看起来完全正常，」他们说。「一块手表怎么能这样评判一个人？」
手表厂商后来道了歉。它解释称，这份报告不够严谨，并已改进了软件。但这个故事让许多人陷入思考。如今佩戴智能手表的孩子越来越多。这些手表能计步、测睡眠，甚至判断体重。但机器真的能告诉我们是否健康吗？健康是一件复杂的事，它包含身体、心理和日常习惯。一个单一的数字无法描述完整的一个人。
这件事还引出了另一个问题：这些数字会如何影响年轻人？青少年往往对自己的身体很敏感。像「你超重了」这样简单的一句话，就可能让他们焦虑、不开心，甚至生病。专家说，家长应当帮助孩子明白，数字只是工具，而非评判。如果手表说出奇怪的话，我们应该多想一想，而不是因此难过。
科技应当服务我们，而不是控制我们。智能手表可以是一位有用的朋友，但它无法决定我们是谁。我们应当学会明智地使用它，并且爱真实的自己。