智能襯衫測心率

江蘇 盧 江

研究人員最新研發出一種新型材料，它既像棉花一樣柔軟，又像凱芙拉合成纖維一樣堅固，還像許多金屬一樣能夠導電。

?主題語境：人與社會 篇幅：353詞 建議用時：7分鐘

A group of researchers has developed a new material which is as soft as cotton but as strong as Kevlar and as conductive as many metals. It can be worn and washed like normal clothing and could eventually turn clothes into smart wearables.

The new material works similarly to the wires in an electrocardiogram(ECG) monitoring device, which measures heart rhythms to detect heart conditions. But instead of having to be attached to the skin, they can be sewn into a T-shirt and worn like normal athletic wear. Unlike wires, the threads can comfortably move with the wearer, and be washed, and worn repeatedly without breaking down.

The smart shirt is also designed for athletes, whether you're a runner, a cyclist or any other athlete. With the help of the integrated sensors into the shirt along with the clip-on box to record the data, it can not only measure heart rate but also fitness and stress levels.

The Rice University lab first developed carbon nanotube fibers in 2013, and has studied its use in medical procedures. But at the time, the original filaments (細絲) were too thin to be used by a standard sewing machine. For this latest research, researchers worked with a rope-maker to weave the filaments together into a material similar to regular sewing thread that could be sewn into athletic wear. The resulting smart shirt provides soft, wearable, dry sensors for heart monitoring. With some changes, clothing with these fibers could eventually be able to track other vital signs.

The smart shirts aren't entirely without wires, however. One example shows the nanotube fibers in the shirt feeding signals to wires on the bottom that send the information through Bluetooth technology to a computer.

“You don't just find soft, flexible, thread-like materials that are comfortable to the touch, that you can work with, that you can build a bridge out of it, but you can also run it through a sewing machine,” said a member of the research team. “Nothing else behaves like this.”

Reading Check

1. What can we learn about the new material?

A. It is firm and washes well. B. It feels soft as well as warm.

C. It looks similar to the wires. D. It can update clothes frequently.

2. What can the smart shirt be used to do?

A. Remind the wearers to work out. B. Control the wearers' heart rate.

C. Help the wearers to keep fit. D. Measure the wearers' stress levels.

3. What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A. The function of the material. B. The potential of the material.

C. The importance of the material. D. The development of the material.

4. Which section of a newspaper is the text probably taken from?

A. Fashion. B. Technology. C. Lifestyle. D. Medicine.

Language Study

Difficult sentence in the text

With the help of the integrated sensors into the shirt along with the clip-on box to record the data, it can not only measure heart rate but also fitness and stress levels. 在記錄數據的內置傳感器和夾在T恤上的盒子的幫助下，智能襯衫不僅可以測量心率，還可以測量健康和壓力水平。

【點石成金】本句運用了not only...but also的結構。 如果not only置于句首時，用部分倒裝結構，but also部分用正常語序。