Level 2 · Reading series
Lesson 48 · The Shop Without a Cashier
Audio track 48
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Near the station, a new shop opened without a cashier. You scan each item yourself and pay with a card or phone.
My father bought a bottle of tea. The machine worked quickly, but an older man next to us looked confused.
"Where do I put the coin?" he asked.
A staff member came from the back room and helped him.
Technology can make shopping faster, but people still need support. A smart shop should not forget human questions.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
车站附近开了一家没有收银员的新商店。顾客自己扫描每件商品，用银行卡或手机付款。
爸爸买了一瓶茶。机器操作得很快，但旁边一位年长的顾客有些不知所措。
他问：‘硬币要放哪里？’
一名店员从后面的房间走出来，帮了他。
技术能让购物更快，但人仍需要帮助。聪明的商店也不该忘记顾客会提出各种问题。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- cashier
- 收银员；商店没有固定的人工结账台。
- scan
- 扫描；结账时逐件扫商品。
- item
- 商品；顾客购买的每件东西。
- pay with
- 用……付款；可以用卡或手机。
- machine
- 机器；负责自助结账。
- older man
- 年长的顾客；不熟悉新的付款方式。
- confused
- 困惑的；不知道硬币放在哪里。
- coin
- 硬币；顾客想用现金付款。
- staff member
- 店员；从后屋出来提供帮助。
- human question
- 人的疑问；技术也要回应使用者的问题。
Background notes (Chinese)
自助结账缩短了部分顾客的等待时间，却不一定适合每个人第一次使用时的需要。课文中的商店虽然没有固定收银员，仍有人在顾客遇到问题时提供帮助。