新奇事件簿 纽约市禁止无现金商店（在线收听）

The advance of technology in our lives has been halted somewhat in New York City. Lawmakers have passed a bill to ban cashless businesses. With many parts of the world in a seemingly relentless drive to replace cash with plastic or digital payments, New York City officials have decided cash still has a valuable part to play in our lives. The officials have approved legislation that prohibits stores, restaurants and other retail outlets from refusing to accept cash. They want to provide the ability for people who prefer to pay via traditional means, through notes and coins. This means businesses in the city will no longer be able to insist that customers make use of cashless payments in any transactions.

我们生活中的科技进步在纽约多少有些停滞不前。立法者通过了一项法案禁止无现金业务。世界很多国家似乎都在用信用卡或数字支付取代现金，但纽约市的官员认为现金仍在我们的生活中扮演重要角色。官员们已经通过了一项立法，禁止商店、餐厅和其他零售商店拒收现金。他们希望为喜欢传统支付方式，如纸币和硬币的人提供支付能力。这意味着城市中的商户将不再能够坚持要求客户在任何交易中使用无现金支付。

Businesses that violate the new regulation could face hefty fines of up to $1,500 for each offense. Critics of cashless businesses say they discriminate against the poorer sections of society, many of whom do not have bank accounts or credit cards. One city resident said: "I worry about the real-world discriminatory effect that cashless business can have on New Yorkers, especially in communities of color." Another said: "I think it's incredibly discriminatory not to accept cash because some people can't get credit." An opponent of the bill said it was a sign of government interference: He said: "We are inserting ourselves in the business of business in a way that we don't have the right to."

违反新规定的商户将面临最高达1500美元的罚款。无现金商户的批评者称，这是对社会贫困阶层的歧视，他们中的许多人没有银行账户或信用卡。一位市民表示：“我担心在现实世界中，无现金业务可能会对纽约人产生歧视性影响，尤其是在有色社区。”另一位市民表示：“我认为我认为不收现金是非常歧视的，因为有些人没有信用卡。”一名法案反对者称这是政府干预的迹象：他说到：“我们以一种我们没有权利去做的方式把自己投入到生意中去。”