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We Vend Almost Anything! 贩卖机：什么都卖什么都不奇怪

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Have you ever been thirsty or hungry, but far from a store? Have you ever wanted to catch up on the day’s news, but been in too much of a ___1___ to line up for your newspaper? Then maybe a vending machine has come to your rescue.

你曾经又饿又渴却离商店很远吗？你曾经想得知一天的新闻，但却因太匆忙无法排队去买报纸？那么也许一台贩卖机就可以拯救你！

Vending machines are everywhere, in cafeterias, train stations, parks, and offices. In Japan, there’s one for every 23 people! But this is nothing ___2___. In fact, the first recognizable vending machine was invented in the 1880’s in England, and it dispensed postcards. But, these machines have evolved ___3___ since then. Nowadays, customers don’t even need ___4___ to make their purchase. They can use credit and debit cards, smart cards, or pay with their cell phones through the use of text messages. There’s even a vending machine that provides free water, if you ___5___ answer a number of brainteasers!

贩卖机无所不在，不论在自助式餐厅、火车站、公园还是办公室都有贩卖机。在日本，每23人就有一台贩卖机可供使用，但这不是最近才有的事。事实上，第一台被视为是贩卖机的机器是在1880年代于英国发明，那台贩卖机卖明信片。然而贩卖机从那之后不断地进化。现在，顾客甚至不需要使用现金购买，他们可以使用信用卡、转账卡、智能卡或是透过手机发送简讯付费。甚至有贩卖机是在你正确回答多个谜题后，会提供免费的水。

The items that can be bought have changed over the years, too, and some vending machines are stocked up with more ___6___ goods than cans of cola. There’s a “Let’s Pizza” machine, which will prepare and bake your favorite Italian dinner in a ___7___ of minutes. And there’s the “MedCentre Machine,” at which you can ___8___ medicine prescribed to you by your doctor.

近几年来可以买到的商品也很不同，有些贩卖机存了比一罐罐可乐更为有趣的商品。一台叫做Let’s Pizza的贩卖机，不用几分钟就可以替你准备并烘烤你最喜欢的意大利式晚餐。而且还有一台MedCentre Machine，你可以在这台贩卖机取得医生替你开立处方的药。

Perhaps the strangest of all, though, is the “Gold to Go” machine. As its ___9___ suggests, this machine, at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, will ___10__ you with gold bars or coins in return for your money. However, it’s doubtful that the machine that vends gold bars will ever be as popular as the machines that vend chocolate bars!

或许最奇怪的是这台Gold To Go贩卖机，如同它的名字，这台位于阿布扎比的酋长皇宫饭店的机器会依你投进的钱换给你等值的金条或是金币。然而，贩卖金条的机器可能不会像贩卖巧克力棒的机器一样受欢迎。

－by Alice Davis

Vocabulary

单词发音

catch up on 得到...消息  to find out about something

vend [vɛnd] v. 出售；贩卖

come to one’s rescue 解围 to rescue or save someone or something

recognizable [ˋrɛkəg͵naɪzəb!] adj. 可辨认的，可识别的

credit [ˋkrɛdɪt] n. 信用; 赊账，赊欠

text [tɛkst] n. 文本，原文；课文

stock [stɑk] v. 进..货，存...货

prescribe [prɪˋskraɪb] v. 开药方；给医嘱

in return 作为回报

doubtful [ˋdaʊtfəl] adj. 令人生疑的; 不明确的

More Information

单词发音

dispense [dɪˋspɛns] v. (机器自动)提供(货物等)

brainteaser [ˋbren͵tizɚ] n. 难题；谜

stock up 储备足够 to build up a supply of something

a matter of 大约，左右  an amount that can be measured

GOLD to go - The Gold Vending Machine

Emirates Palace Hotel - Abu Dhabi - exclusive video of the Palace Suite

Answer