| Vending machines (自动售货机) sell many
different kinds of things. Some of them sell cold drinks like coke or orange
juice, or hot drinks like coffee or tea. Others sell sweets, stamps, tickets,
newspapers, and other small things. In some cities, vending machines are even
used to sell a lot of hot meals. These machines have been welcomed for two reasons. They save (节省) time and they are convenient (方便的). Things sold in vending machines need no shop assistant or cashier. In many places people can use the machines at any time of day or night, and they can find vending machines everywhere. Although there are many different sizes and kinds of vending machines, they all work in nearly the same way. People put money into the machine and then open a door to receive what they buy. Some machines will also return change to the people, and a few will even give change to paper notes. But the idea is the same. People like to save time and are usually willing to pay a higher price for this convenience. |