英语PK台 第163期:英语新闻:APP开启"AA制"付账时代

 No coins, no red faces: Apps change Chinese attitudes to splitting bills

Splitting the bill is a relatively¹ new idea to most Chinese. It's being embraced by cash-strapped young people. This is how young Chinese "go Dutch" these days -- scan a QR code and pay their share via smart phones in one easy click or swipe. "It has made going Dutch less hassle and so much more fun," said Zhou Ye, a Beijing-based journalist. "Young people think splitting bills this way is fun, and older ones may find it fashionable to do so. Most importantly, it saves people the embarrassment² of figuring out who owes what.

Massages⁴, haircuts, manicures, pedicures, house cleaning, laundry services and personal trainers can be ordered in your own home with a swipe. Zhao Mengsha, 28, an editor with a bilingual arts magazine enjoys a manicure once every month, and pays half of the price charged in salons⁵. She's also ordered a massage³ when she had to work overnight and the masseur came right to her office.

Vocabulary:

Cash-strapped

1 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

2 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

3 massage   

n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据

参考例句：

• He is really quite skilled in doing massage.他的按摩技术确实不错。
• Massage helps relieve the tension in one's muscles.按摩可使僵硬的肌肉松弛。

4 massages   

按摩，推拿( massage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At present the doctor is giving him daily massages to help restore the function of his limbs. 目前医生每天在给他按摩，帮助他恢复腿臂的功能。
• His father massages his nose and chin. 他爸爸揉了揉鼻子和下巴。

5 salons   

n.（营业性质的）店( salon的名词复数 )；厅；沙龙（旧时在上流社会女主人家的例行聚会或聚会场所）；（大宅中的）客厅

参考例句：

• He used to attend to his literary salons. 他过去常常去参加他的文学沙龙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Conspiracy theories about Jewish financiers were the talk of Paris salons. 犹太金融家阴谋论成为巴黎沙龙的话题。 来自互联网