At about nine in the evening, a delivery rider parks his electric bike outside a busy shopping centre in Xiao County, Anhui Province, and walks into a small room at the corner of the street. He fills his bottle with hot water, charges his phone and sits down for a few minutes. The room is open all day and all night, and it costs him nothing.
Such rooms are called rider stations, and they are appearing in more and more Chinese cities. Some are run by local governments, and some are built with the help of shops. Inside, a rider can find chairs, drinking water, a microwave, a first-aid box and tools for fixing a bike. In winter there is ginger tea and a hand warmer; in summer there are cold drinks. Riders call these places their second home.
The stations are only one part of a larger change. Many residential areas in China once refused to let delivery riders in, because managers worried about safety. Now some of them print friendly route maps and allow riders to enter at a fixed gate. Hospitals and government service centres have opened a special door for delivery workers. In one city, a rider who brings food to an old person living alone can now also buy medicine for that person on the way.
These changes matter because the people they serve are easy to forget. Riders work long hours, often in bad weather, and a single late order can cost them money. A chair, a cup of hot water and a door that opens for them may look small, but they tell these workers that the city sees them. Many riders now report hidden dangers or help old neighbours during their trips, so the kindness travels in both directions.
Words to know:
- delivery (递送；投递)
- rider (骑手)
- residential (住宅的；居住的)
- first-aid (急救)
- route (路线)
- fixed (固定的)
- hidden (隐藏的；不易发现的)
- danger (危险)
长难句拆解 · 分词短语作原因状语
原句：Many residential areas in China once refused to let delivery riders in, / because managers worried about safety. 主干：Many residential areas refused to let delivery riders in.（let sb in 是「动词+宾语+副词」结构，in 不可省） 从句：because managers worried about safety 是原因状语从句，主语 managers 与主句主语不同，不能改成分词。 语法点：若从句主语与主句主语一致才可用 worrying 这类分词；本句只能用 because。另外 refuse to do 后接不定式，不用 doing。 直译：中国许多小区曾拒绝让外卖骑手进入，因为物业管理者担心安全。
长难句拆解 · 比较结构 + 宾语从句并列
原句：A chair, a cup of hot water and a door that opens for them may look small, / but they tell these workers / that the city sees them. 主干：A chair, a cup of hot water and a door may look small（三个并列名词作主语，谓语用复数 may look） 定语从句：that opens for them 修饰 a door，谓语用单数 opens，遵循就近原则。 并列+宾语从句：but 引出第二个分句，tell these workers that … 中 that 引导宾语从句。 直译：一把椅子、一杯热水和一扇为他们打开的门，也许看起来很小，但它们告诉这些工人：这座城市看见了他们。
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。
- it costs him nothing → he pays nothing for it / it is free of charge（cost nothing 换成免费表达）
- are appearing in more and more Chinese cities → are spreading to a growing number of Chinese cities（more and more 换成 a growing number of，更书面）
- Riders call these places their second home → Riders regard these places as a second home（call A B 换成 regard A as B）
- refused to let delivery riders in → would not allow delivery riders to enter（refuse 与 not allow 互换，注意后接形式不同）
- have opened a special door → have set up a special entrance（door 换成 entrance，动词换成 set up）
- a single late order can cost them money → one late delivery may mean a fine（cost money 换成遭罚款的具体说法）
- the kindness travels in both directions → the goodwill goes both ways（双向善意，固定说法 goes both ways）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- All rider stations in China are paid for by local governments. (True / False / Not Given)
- What can a rider find inside a station besides chairs and water?
- The writer believes these small services are ______. (A) too expensive to keep (B) a sign that the city notices these workers (C) only useful in winter
参考答案与解析
- FALSE。第二段 Some are run by local governments, and some are built with the help of shops，题干用 All … are paid for by local governments 把「部分」偷换成「全部」，是 T/F/NG 最常见的量化陷阱。
- A microwave, a first-aid box and tools for fixing a bike (also ginger tea in winter and cold drinks in summer). 第二段列举要至少答出两项。
- B。第四段 they tell these workers that the city sees them 与 B 对应；A 项在原文没有依据（属于「无中生有」），C 项把 winter 的细节扩大成 only，属于偷换结论。
中文译文
晚上九点左右，安徽萧县一处热闹的商圈外，一名外卖骑手把电动车停好，走进街角一间小屋。他灌满一瓶热水，给手机充上电，坐下来歇几分钟。这间屋子昼夜开着，对他不收费。
这样的屋子叫骑手驿站，正在越来越多的中国城市出现。有的由地方政府运营，有的靠商户出地方建起来。里面备着座椅、饮用水、微波炉、急救箱和修车工具。冬天有姜茶和暖手宝，夏天有冷饮。骑手们把这里叫作自己的第二个家。
驿站只是更大变化的一部分。国内不少小区曾经不让骑手进，因为物业担心安全。如今有些小区印了友好配送路线图，允许骑手从固定门口进入。医院和政务服务大厅也专门开了一道供配送员走的门。有座城市里，给独居老人送餐的骑手，如今还能顺路替老人买药。
这些变化之所以重要，是因为它们服务的人很容易被忘掉。骑手一天干很久，常在坏天气里跑单，一单送晚了还可能被扣钱。一把椅子、一杯热水、一扇为他们打开的门，看上去很小，却在告诉这些劳动者：这座城市看得见他们。如今很多骑手跑单时会顺手报告安全隐患、帮一帮独居的老邻居，善意就这样来回流动。