Imagine walking to a bus stop when you cannot see the road. For many blind people, every trip outside is a test of courage. This month, a new kind of helper is drawing attention in China: a four-legged robot guide dog. It appeared at a large welfare exhibition in Beijing, where hundreds of companies showed products for people with disabilities and older adults.
The robot can recognize steps, poles, cars and people within five metres in one second. Then it plans the safest route and leads its user forward. It can also call for help if the user falls down. In Tangshan, a city in Hebei Province, five of these robots will guide blind athletes into the opening ceremony of a provincial sports event in late October.
Real guide dogs are wonderful, but they are very hard to get. Across the country, fewer than 400 dogs are officially certified, and training them takes a long time and costs a lot. As a result, most blind people have no chance to apply for one. The makers of the robot do not want to replace real dogs. They want to offer another choice: users say the robot can chat about the weather and tell stories, which makes a long walk feel shorter.
The exhibition opened not long after an important date. On September 1, China’s law on building an accessible environment turned three years old. The law asks the government to support new technology for accessibility through funding, public buying and tax benefits. Other products on show included a bionic hand with twenty moving joints, a smart leg controlled by brain signals, and glasses that describe the world through a small speaker.
There is still a gap between bright ideas and daily life. Some high-end devices cost too much for ordinary families, and small towns often lack places to repair them. Experts called for more subsidies and lower prices. Technology alone cannot remove every barrier, but when it is designed with care, it can give people back something precious: the freedom to go out on their own.
Words to know:
- welfare (福利，福祉)
- disability (残疾，无行为能力)
- recognize (识别，认出)
- certified (经认证的，持证的)
- accessible (无障碍的；可进入的)
- bionic (仿生的)
- joint (关节)
- subsidy (补贴，补助金)
长难句拆解 · 关系副词 where + make 复合宾语
例句：It appeared at a large welfare exhibition in Beijing, where hundreds of companies showed products for people with disabilities and older adults.
主干是 It appeared at a large welfare exhibition，in Beijing 是后置的地点定语，限定是哪一场博览会。逗号后的 where 是关系副词，引导定语从句，先行词就是前面的 exhibition；这里的 where 等于 at which，意思是「在那场博览会上」。判断技巧：只要先行词表示地点（哪怕是个活动、场合），后面都可以用 where，不必死记「地点名词」这四个字。
从句内部结构是 hundreds of companies（主语）+ showed（谓语）+ products（宾语），for people with disabilities and older adults 是介词短语作后置定语，修饰 products，说明这些产品是给谁用的。注意 with disabilities 中的 with 表示「带有某种特征」，不是「和……一起」。
直译：它出现在北京一场大型福祉博览会上，同场有数百家企业展示了面向残疾人和老年人的产品。
再看一句：They want to offer another choice: users say the robot can chat about the weather and tell stories, which makes a long walk feel shorter.
这句话中间有一个冒号，冒号后面的整段用来解释说明前面的 another choice 到底是什么，这是英文报刊里极常见的「先给结论、再给例证」写法。冒号后面的主干是 users say，再往后整个是宾语从句，从句里又用 and 并列了两个动作：chat about the weather 和 tell stories。逗号后的 which 引导非限制性定语从句，指代前面整件事——「机器人能聊天、能讲故事」。如果只把 which 理解成 stories，句子就说不通了，这是「which 指代整句」的又一例。
从句里还有一个高频结构：make a long walk feel shorter，即 make + 宾语 + 形容词，形容词作宾语补足语，表示「使某物变成某种状态」。类似的还有 make it easier、make people happy。另外 a long walk 并不是真的变短了，而是「感觉」变短了，这种心理感受正是作者想强调的温度。
直译：他们想提供另一种选择：有使用者说，这台机器人能聊天气、讲故事，让一段漫长的路走起来都变短了。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
下面 7 组替换都出自本文，右侧是对应的替换说法，点开核对。
- is drawing attention → is attracting attention / is catching people’s eye（draw 与 attract 同义）
- within five metres → no more than five metres away（within 表示范围之内）
- very hard to get → extremely difficult to obtain（get 与 obtain 同义）
- fewer than 400 dogs → under 400 dogs / no more than 399 dogs（fewer than 与 under 同义）
- have no chance to apply for one → are unable to apply for one（have no chance 与 be unable 同义）
- turned three years old → reached its third anniversary（法律「满三岁」即施行三周年）
- Experts called for more subsidies → Experts urged larger subsidies（call for 与 urge 同义）
阅读自测 · 3 题
三道题分别对应性能、数量与结论，先不看答案。
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- 判断正误（T / F / NG）：The robot guide dog can recognize obstacles within five metres in one second.
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- 简答：How many guide dogs are officially certified in China?
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- 判断正误（T / F / NG）：The passage says robot guide dogs will completely replace real guide dogs.
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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- T（正确）。第二段写 The robot can recognize steps, poles, cars and people within five metres in one second，题干把 steps, poles, cars and people 概括成 obstacles（障碍物），把具体罗列换成上位词，属于「具体转概括」的同义改写，意思没有变。
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- Fewer than 400. 依据在第三段。原文是 fewer than 400 dogs are officially certified，注意 fewer than 是「少于」，答题时不能写成 about 400 或 400，那样就把上限说成了确数。
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- F（错误）。第三段明确写 The makers of the robot do not want to replace real dogs，还说要 offer another choice。原文把机器狗定位成「另一种选择、有益补充」，题干却把它升级成「完全取代」，属于「偷换结论」里最常见的一种——把补充关系偷换成替代关系。做题时只要看到 completely、only、all 这类绝对词，就要回到原文核对语气。
中文译文
想象一下，在看不见路的情况下走向一个公交站。对许多盲人来说，每一次出门都是一次勇气的考验。这个月，一种新的帮手在中国引起了关注：一只四条腿的机器导盲犬。它出现在北京一场大型福祉博览会上，同场有数百家企业展示了面向残疾人和老年人的产品。
这台机器人能在一秒之内识别五米范围内的台阶、立柱、车辆和行人。随后它会规划出最安全的路线，带领使用者往前走。如果使用者摔倒，它还能呼叫求助。在河北省唐山市，其中五台机器人将在十月下旬引导盲人运动员进入一场省级残疾人运动会的开幕式。
真正的导盲犬非常出色，但极难获得。全国范围内，正式通过认证的导盲犬不到 400 只，而训练一只犬耗时长、花费高。结果就是，大多数盲人根本没有机会申请。机器狗的研发者并不想取代真正的导盲犬，而是希望提供另一种选择：有使用者说，这台机器人能聊天气、讲故事，让一段漫长的路走起来都变短了。
这场博览会开幕前不久，有一个重要的日子。9 月 1 日，中国无障碍环境建设法迎来了施行三周年。这部法律要求政府通过经费支持、政府采购和税收优惠等方式，支持无障碍领域的新技术。展出的其他产品还包括一只有二十个活动关节的仿生手、一条由脑信号控制的智能腿，以及一副能通过小扬声器向使用者描述世界的眼镜。
在亮眼的想法和日常生活之间，仍然存在差距。一些高端设备对普通家庭来说价格太高，小城镇也常常缺少维修的地方。专家呼吁加大补贴力度、降低价格。仅靠技术无法消除所有障碍，但当技术被用心设计时，它能还给人一样珍贵的东西：独自出门的自由。