节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-08-15
难易度:High
关键字:vending machine, sustenance, plague, evolve, incorporate, fingerprint,
retinal scan
Hi, friends.
Welcome back from the break.
There's a lot of money to be made with vending machines.
In fact, it's a multibillion-dollar-a-year business.
To get even more people to want to use them, vending machine makers will need to
make them even quicker and more convenient.
Is that possible?
Let's find out under the heading "Making change" over on page 35.
(Music).
Quick, Convenient Vending Machines.
Making change.
You arrive at the machine ready for your snack, only to discover that you don't
have the right change!
Worse yet, you might have paper money but find that the machine is unwilling to
accept it.
These situations can quickly lead to frustrated customers and lost sales.
To eliminate these problems, vending machines are incorporating more ways for
people to pay.
Many machines already accept change, bills and even credit cards.
But companies are also experimenting with payments made through text messages
and even fingerprints or retinal scans.
(Music).
So friends, we're talking about vending machines and how convenient they are in
places where stores are not very practical,
where it doesn't make sense to have a store especially where you can buy things
all the time.
It never shuts down.
That's right.
And earlier we gave you a little story:
You're pretending that you're at a hotel, and it's late at night, and you are
hungry.
But you couldn't find food until you saw the solution to your problems glowing
softly in the darkness.
That's right.
Vending machines are a convenient way to get sustenance at midnight when you're
looking for a snack.
But there are also some problems that come with having a vending machine.
But thankfully, Ryan, we learned the word to "evolve." We know that vending
machines are evolving.
They are continuously changing.
So they are becoming better for both consumers and for businesses.
OK, friends. So let's say that when it's late at night and you see the vending
machine.
You arrive at the machine and you're ready for your snack, but you discover that
you don't have the right change.
That's right.
The beginning of this section is called "Making change." Now to make change
means that you have enough cash,
but you've paid a little bit over that, and they need to give you your change,
whatever is left over.
So what if you don't have enough?
Well, that's a good question.
What if you don't have enough change?
The word "change," we know it can mean when something is different.
But if we're talking about money, that means coins.
That's right. So these are the coins.
What if you get to the vending machine and realize you don't have the right
change?
Well, we're going to talk about what you can do.
But first, we need to visit Liz with Grammar on the Go.
Hello, friends.
My name is Liz.
And it's time for Grammar on the Go.
I'm staying at a friend's house right now.
And I'm going to get something to eat here at the kitchen.
If I were staying at a hotel, I would be looking for a vending machine just to
get a snack.
Speaking of vending machines, that's where our article is all about today.
We read:
You arrive at the machine, ready for your snack, only to discover that you don't
have the right change!
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Notice the phrase, only to discover.
We normally use the word "only" to mean there is no other, like: I'm the only
one left; there is no one else.
But in the case of today's sentence, "only" means however or except.
So today's sentence just means you arrive at the machine ready for your snack,
but then you discover you don't have the right change.
Now friends, use this phrase "only to discover" when you want to talk about how
somebody is doing something with an expectation,
but then they find out that things don't happen or turn out the way they had
expected.
For example:
Cheryl had booked a room at the seaside hotel, only to discover, after checking
in, that hotel guests cannot go into the water.
Or: Mr. and Mrs. Lee were hoping to enjoy a romantic dinner at the new
restaurant, only to discover that the restaurant was not open that day.
If you look at today's Grammar Tip section in your magazine, you'll find more
examples there.
And that's it for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go signing off.
Bye-bye.
OK, friends.
So you arrive at the machine and you discover that you don't have the right kind
of money to buy the snack that you want.
Well, worse yet, you might have the paper money you... and then you find that
the machine is unwilling to accept it.
So that phrase "worse yet" means we thought what we had was bad, but this, this
is even worse.
This is probably the worst situation you could come up with.
Yeah, because the machine it won't take the coins that you have.
And now we see it's unwilling to accept the paper money that you have.
And if something is unwilling, that means that it refuses or will not do what
you want it to do.
That's right.
So all you have is paper, all you have is those bills and not the change.
So what are you going to do?
I've had the situation before, Ryan, where you have a vending machine, and you
got to put the money in and it just spit it back at you.
Oh, it's so frustrating.
Yeah. You have enough money, and if you went to a store, they would accept it,
but the machine will not accept it.
Well, unfortunately, these situations can quickly lead to frustrated customers
and lost sales.
That makes sense if you can't get what you want.
A vending machine is supposed to be convenient.
You should just put your money in and out comes your snack.
But if it's frustrating, you probably would not finish the sale.
Yeah. And Kaylah, you had this problem.
Were you frustrated when that happened to you?
Yes. And I think if you visit any high school or university, you can see
frustrated customers with the vending machines all the time.
All right.
If you are frustrated, that means you are upset because things are not happening
the way you want them to happen.
That's right. So you have a frustrated customer and a lost sale, meaning that
nobody will buy it, and it's bad for the business.
OK.
Now to eliminate these problems, vending machines are "incorporating," that
means to add new things, and they are adding new ways for people to pay.
That's right.
They're including different methods or different ways for people to pay.
Now many machines already accept change, those coins, and bills and even credit
cards.
Sometimes you can just swipe your credit card.
Yeah, I've seen some of these.
That is really convenient that you can use just your plastic card to pay.
But there are also companies that are experimenting with payments made through
text messages and even fingerprints or retinal scans.
Now we need to know what a fingerprint is.
A "fingerprint" is the unique design on your skin, on your fingers.
Now each person has it, and it is special.
Only your fingerprint looks like that.
So it's unique to you.
Yeah, so they can identify you and only charge you the money.
And a "retinal scan" is the pattern on your eyes.
And just like fingerprints, they can identify you and charge you the money.
Well, these are definitely creative ways for vending machines to be evolving.
And we're going to talk more about vending machine's evolution and where we're
headed next with them tomorrow.
But right now, we need to visit the Chat Room.
Hey, Bryan. Did you see this news report?
Congress is considering replacing the dollar bill with a dollar coin.
Yeah, I heard about that.
You know, dollar coins would make my pockets a lot heavier.
I'm not sure I'd like that.
So a bill is paper money?
Right. A bill is a piece of paper money.
In America, you will see $1 bills or even $100 bills.
So bills are the same as cash?
That's a good question.
Why don't we go to Doris for an answer.
OK.
Informally, we often use "bills" and "cash" interchangeably.
But strictly speaking, "cash" covers both bills and coins.
A more formal word for cash is "currency." If you travel to a different country,
you'll need to exchange your currency for that country's currency.
Hmm, so what are some examples of currency?
Well, in England, the British pound is used.
In Japan, you use the Japanese yen.
And in the U.S., you use the US dollar, of course.
Doris mentioned coins just now.
Are coins the same as changes?
No, Ken, not changes, but "change." Even though we say coins with an S, we can
not add an S to change.
So I might have five coins, but together they're called "change"?
Right.
We often call that loose change.
Also, we use "change" to mean not just coins but when we need smaller bills for
a larger bill.
For example, someone might have a $20 bill, but they need to make a phone call,
so they come to ask me if I have change for a $20 bill.
OK, I get it.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
Hey, Ken, can I see that article when you're done?
I'd like to see if I should start saving up some of my dollar bills.
Sure thing.
(Chinese).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And that concludes our Language Tips today.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Bye-bye.
OK. Thanks, Michelle.
In all of the world, Japan has the most vending machines per person.
About one machine for every 23 people in the whole country.
Now while many machines there contain the basics like drinks and snacks,
others have stuff you normally wouldn't associate with a typical vending
machine, stuff like iPods, live lobsters and potted plants.
OK. The vending machine revolution is certainly under way.
Tomorrow we'll look at two more innovations that are making them faster and more
convenient.
Until then, I hope all of you have a greatWednesday. Bye-bye.