【一起听英语】自动贩卖机

 Dima: Hello and welcome to this edition of 6 Minute English with me, Dima

Kostenko

 

Kate: and me, Kate Colin.

Dima: Kate will be our language guide for today.

Today we'll hear a fascinating report about a new vending¹ machine that's

unlike any other. But first - Kate, how would you describe what a vending

machine is?

Kate: Responds + short dialogue to introduce synonyms³ (slot machine, dispenser)

-- soft drinks-snacks-newspapers-transport tickets-Mars bars…

Dima: Well Kate, if you're only using vending machines to buy things like chocolate

bars, you are in for a surprise! As Steve Rosenberg, the BBC's correspondent

in Berlin has discovered, a German company is planning to install some very

different dispensers at stations, airports and shopping centres. Would you like

to hear more?

Kate: Well, hearing all these phrases from you - 'very different' and 'unlike any other'

- I must say I'm a bit intrigued⁵.

Dima: You won't be intrigued for too much longer because in a moment we'll hear

from Steve Rosenberg to find out what those machine will be selling. I'll say

just one thing: it's something really valuable. 

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Kate: OK, let's listen, and as you are listening, try to find out what it is. Also, listen

out for these words and phrases. 'On the go goodies', meaning small things that

we buy and consume without stopping - like chocolate bars, crisps and other

snacks, for example. And - 'precious', which means very expensive and

valuable.

Dima: Here's Steve Rosenberg:

Clip 1

I'm standing⁶ next to a vending machine at a Berlin railway station. It offers a typical selection

of on the go goodies. There are fizzy drinks and crisps, chewing gum... But very soon

machines like this one could be selling something far more precious than a packet of peanuts.

As well as chocolate bars you'll be able to buy gold bars.

Dima: So Kate, what is it that the new vending machines will be selling?

Kate: Steve says it isn't going to be 'on the go goodies'. Not chewing gum, not

packets of peanuts. It will be the precious metal gold! Well, sounds interesting,

but I am not quite sure I understand… Why would anyone want to by a gold

bar from a slot machine?

Dima: Well apparently⁷, with the global financial crisis more and more people decide

that they can no longer rely upon stocks and shares the way they used to.

Kate: 'Stocks and shares' - that's a useful expression, often heard among business

people. It means part of the ownership of a company which people can buy as

an investment.

Dima: Indeed, they can. But in reality many start turning to other types of investment,

which they consider safer - like buying precious metals. And with this new slot

machine, buying gold simply can't be easier! The price will be adjusted daily, 

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and in the next part Steve Rosenberg quotes some prices at current rates. And

here comes your challenge for this week: what currency unit is mentioned? Is it

a) euro

b) dollar, or

c) pound? Kate, which of these three currencies would you expect to hear in a

report about gold, recorded in Germany by a reporter of a British broadcaster?

Kate: Responds

Dima: We'll check your guess later, but first, what's your language point for the

second part of the report Kate?

Kate: It's the expression 'to keep a close eye on', meaning to watch closely. Steve

says 'built-in video cameras will be keeping an especially close eye on all the

customers', so his word of warning is, watch out how you behave when you use

them:

Clip 2

The machine will dispense⁴ a gram of gold for about 40 dollars and a 10 gram bar - for just

under 350 dollars. But one word of warning. If you put in your money and nothing comes

out, don't start banging your fist on this treasure chest - built-in video cameras will be keeping

an especially close eye on all the customers.

Dima: That was our correspondent Steve Rosenberg at a railway station in Berlin.

Now, before we talk about the answer to this week's question, do you mind

going through some of today's vocabulary again Kate?

Kate: Responds. We began by talking about vending machines - that is machines

from which small items such as packaged food or drinks can be bought by

inserting money. Because cash is inserted through a slot, they are also known

colloquially⁸ as slot machines. And another synonym² is dispensers. We then

mentioned the phrase on the go goodies meaning small things that we buy and 

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consume without stopping - like chocolate bars, crisps and other snacks, for

example. And then, the word precious, which means very expensive and

valuable. We talked briefly⁹ about stocks and shares, which means part of the

ownership of a company which people can buy as an investment. And finally,

the expression to keep a close eye on, meaning to watch very closely.

Dima: Thanks Kate. Finally, back to our question. Which currency was used in the

report to talk about the price of gold?

Kate: Responds (the choice was euro, dollar and pound and I said… which was

correct/wrong…)

Dima: Responds. I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. Until next week.

Both: Goodbye! 

1 vending   

v.出售（尤指土地等财产）( vend的现在分词 )；（尤指在公共场所）贩卖；发表（意见，言论）；声明

参考例句：

• Why Are You Banging on the Vending Machine? 你为什么敲打这台自动售货机？ 来自朗文快捷英语教程 2
• Coca-Cola had to adapt almost 300,000 vending machines to accept the new coins. 可口可乐公司必须使将近三十万台自动贩卖机接受新货币。 来自超越目标英语 第5册

2 synonym   

n.同义词，换喻词

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• The term 'industrial democracy' is often used as a synonym for worker participation. “工业民主”这个词常被用作“工人参与”的同义词。

3 synonyms   

同义词( synonym的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• If you want to grasp English, you must carefully discriminate synonyms. 如果你想掌握好英语，你必须仔细区分同义词。
• Study the idioms and synonyms l wrote down before your test. 学考试前我给你写的习惯用语和同义字。

4 dispense   

vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施

参考例句：

• Let us dispense the food.咱们来分发这食物。
• The charity has been given a large sum of money to dispense as it sees fit.这个慈善机构获得一大笔钱，可自行适当分配。

5 intrigued   

adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！
• He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

8 colloquially   

adv.用白话，用通俗语

参考例句：

• For some little time the Jurymen hang about the Sol's Ams colloquially. 那些陪审员在太阳徽酒店里呆着，东拉西扯地谈了一会儿。 来自辞典例句
• This building is colloquially referred to as the barn. 这个建筑，用通俗的话来说就是一个谷仓。 来自互联网

9 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。