新奇事件簿 智能公司发明省钱机器

A British firm has developed a new product to help us save money. The product is a wristband that gives us an electric shock if we spend too much money. The wristband is called Pavlok. It is linked to our bank account. It knows how much money we have in the bank. If we go shopping and there is not enough money in our bank account, the wristband delivers a 255-volt electric shock to our wrist. This warns us not to overspend. The company is called Intelligent Environments. It wants to work with banks to help customers with their money. So far, no banks in Britain have said they would offer the Pavlok to their customers. They could start doing this in the future.

英国公司发明省钱机器。若大把花钱，手环将给你触电的感觉。这根腕带名叫“Pavlok”。它可与银行账户相连。它知道我们的银行存款。若在购物时入不敷出，腕带将“赐予”手腕255伏电击。警告人们不要大把花钱。生产公司为“Intelligent Environments”。该公司希望与银行合作，帮助顾客管钱。但到目前为止，英国还没有一家银行愿意为顾客提供“Pavlok”。他们或将在未来展开合作。

The Pavlok wristband is part of the Internet of Things. This is the idea that everything in our life will be connected to the Internet. The CEO of Intelligent Environments, David Webber, said people liked the idea of the Pavlok. Shoppers would rather get a small electric shock in the store from the wristband than get a big shock later when they see their credit¹ card bill. Mr Webber said the Pavlok would be great for people who cannot stop spending because they have no willpower or their willpower is weak. He added that many young people suffer from the "ostrich² effect". This is when people stick their heads in the sand and buy things rather than look at how much money they have in their bank.

“Pavlok”腕带是物联网的一部分。它是世间万物与“网”相连的产物。“Intelligent Environments”首席执行官大卫·韦伯认为，人们喜欢“Pavlok”的创新。比起接到信用卡账单的震惊，顾客更愿意先尝试“触电”的感觉。韦伯称“Pavlok”对于购物成瘾者有益，因为他们缺乏意志力，或意志力薄弱。他还称许多年轻人深受“鸵鸟效应”之毒。他们不顾银行存款，逃避现实疯狂买东西。

1 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

2 ostrich   

n.鸵鸟

参考例句：

• Ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs.驼鸟是双腿跑得最快的动物。
• The ostrich indeed inhabits continents.鸵鸟确实是生活在大陆上的。