Humanoid robots can already walk, jump and even dance. But they are still missing something that people take for granted: skin. In June, a textile company in Changshu, a city in Jiangsu Province, received an order for 13,000 pieces of bionic skin. The buyer was a robot maker. For a town that has produced cloth and clothes for many years, the order was both a surprise and a chance.
Robot skin is more than a cover. It is a soft layer that can feel pressure, temperature and touch. A robot which works beside people must know when its arm has touched a hand, a table or a wall. Without such feelings, it may hurt someone by accident. Sensitive skin also makes a machine look friendlier, so people feel less afraid of it. In short, skin turns a cold machine into a safer partner.
The change is good news for local workers. Sewing, cutting and shaping soft materials are skills that textile workers already have. Now these skills are used to make parts for robots. A worker who once made winter coats may now make a flexible finger pad. The pay is better, and the job feels more modern. Old factories do not have to close their doors. They can move up and create higher value.
The young industry is growing fast. Some companies say they have already delivered more than 40,000 sets of robot skin products. Experts believe the market has reached a key turning point, because more humanoid robots are leaving the laboratory and entering factories, hospitals and homes. Demand is expected to keep rising in the coming years.
Not long ago, many people believed that traditional industries had no future. Changshu tells a different story. When a robot needs skin, an old textile town can answer the call. The lesson is simple: new technology does not always replace old skills. Sometimes it gives them a second life.
Words to know:
- humanoid (类人的，人形的)
- bionic (仿生的)
- textile (纺织的；纺织品)
- pressure (压力)
- sensitive (敏感的，灵敏的)
- flexible (柔韧的，灵活的)
- deliver (交付，运送)
- demand (需求)
长难句拆解 · 宾语从句 + 原因状语从句
例句：Experts believe the market has reached a key turning point, because more humanoid robots are leaving the laboratory and entering factories, hospitals and homes.
主干是 Experts believe + 宾语从句。believe 后面的 that 被省略，从句本身是个完整句子：the market has reached a key turning point（主语 the market，谓语 has reached，宾语 a key turning point）。
because 引导原因状语从句，说明专家这样判断的理由。从句内部是两个并列的现在进行时：are leaving the laboratory 和 are entering factories, hospitals and homes，用 and 连接，表示两件事同时发生。现在进行时在这里强调趋势正在进行，而不是一次性动作。
直译：专家认为市场已经到达了一个关键转折点，因为越来越多的人形机器人正在离开实验室，进入工厂、医院和家庭。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
下面 6 组替换都出自本文，右侧是对应的替换说法，点开核对。
- received an order → got an order / took in a batch of orders（receive 偏正式书面，口语与商务报道常用 get）
- a soft layer that can feel → a soft material able to sense（that 定语从句可压缩为形容词加不定式）
- good news for local workers → a welcome development for local workers（名词短语替换，语气更正式）
- hurt someone by accident → hurt someone accidentally / by mistake（介词短语与副词互换）
- reached a key turning point → hit a critical moment（动词搭配替换，reach 与 hit 常可互换）
- gives them a second life → brings them back to life / gives them a fresh start（比喻义的多种英文说法）
阅读自测 · 3 题
三道题分别对应细节、推断与词义，先不看答案。
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- 判断正误（T / F / NG）：The order for bionic skin came from a company that makes clothes.
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- 简答：According to the text, why does a robot that works beside people need sensitive skin?
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- 简答：What does the writer mean by saying that new technology sometimes gives old skills a second life?
参考答案与解析
每题给出答案与判断依据，注意最后提到的干扰项套路。
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- F（错误）。原文写 The buyer was a robot maker，买家是机器人制造商，不是服装公司。这是典型的「偷换主体」干扰项：句子结构照抄原文，只把主语的身份换掉，读得快就容易漏看。
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- Because it must know when its arm has touched a hand, a table or a wall; without such feelings, it may hurt someone by accident. 答案就在第二段第三、四句，属于直接定位题，不必自己发挥。
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- It means that old skills can find new uses in new industries instead of disappearing. 依据是第三段与第五段：纺织工人的缝纫、裁剪技能现在用来做机器人部件。干扰项常写成 new technology replaces old skills，正好与原文相反，属于「偷换结论」。
中文译文
人形机器人已经会走路、会跳跃，甚至会跳舞。但它们仍然缺少一件人们习以为常的东西：皮肤。今年六月，江苏常熟一家纺织企业接到了一笔 1.3 万件仿生外皮的订单。买家是一家机器人制造商。对于一座多年来生产布料和衣服的城市来说，这笔订单既是意外，也是机遇。
机器人皮肤不只是一层外壳。它是一层能感知压力、温度和触碰的柔软材料。在人身旁工作的机器人，必须知道自己手臂何时碰到了手、桌子或墙壁。没有这种感知，它可能一不小心就伤到人。灵敏的皮肤还能让机器看起来更友善，人们对它的恐惧也就少一些。简言之，皮肤把一台冷冰冰的机器变成了更安全的伙伴。
这一变化对当地工人是好消息。缝纫、裁剪和塑形软材料，本来就是纺织工人掌握的技能。如今这些技能被用来制造机器人的部件。过去做冬衣的工人，现在可能在制作柔韧的指腹垫。工资更高了，工作也显得更现代。老工厂不必关门，它们可以向上走，创造更高的价值。
这个年轻的产业正在快速成长。有企业表示，已累计交付超过 4 万套机器人皮肤产品。专家认为，市场已经到了关键的转折点，因为越来越多的人形机器人正走出实验室，进入工厂、医院和家庭。未来几年，需求预计还会持续上升。
不久前，许多人还认为传统产业没有前途。常熟讲了一个不一样的故事。当机器人需要皮肤时，一座老纺织城能够回应这份需求。道理很简单：新技术并不总是取代旧技能，有时它会给旧技能第二次生命。