A silver and blue ATM (n.自動櫃員機), perched (v.放置) up next to the espresso (n.特濃咖啡) bar (n.櫃�) in a trendy (adj.時髦的) Vancouver (n.溫哥華) coffee shop, could launch (v.展開) a new era (n.時代) for the digital (adj.數碼的) currency (n.貨幣) bitcoin (n.位元幣), offering (v.提供) an almost instant (adj.即時的) way to exchange (v.兌換) the world's leading (adj.領先的) virtual (adj.虛擬的) money for cash (n.現金). The kiosk (n.小亭), which looks like the average (adj.普通的) ATM but with hand and barcode (n.條碼) scanners (n.掃描器), opened for business on Tuesday and by mid-morning (n.早上稍後時間) people were lined up (v.排隊) to swap (v.兌換) their bitcoins for cash, or to deposit (v.存款) cash to buy more bitcoins. "With this, it's a 2-minute process (n.過程). For any online (adj.網上的) exchange (n.交易), it's at least two days," said Jordan Kelley (n.凱利), chief executive (n.行政總裁) of Las Vegas(n.拉斯維加斯)-based (adj.位於……的) Robocoin, the company that builds the ATMs. With the bitcoin ATM, users (n.用戶) scan (v.掃描) their hand to confirm (v.確認) identity (n.身分), then funds (n.資金) move to or from a virtual wallet (n.錢包) on their smartphone (n.智能手機). Bitcoins can be bought with near anonymity (n.匿名), which supporters say lowers fraud (n.欺詐) risk and increases privacy (n.私隱). But critics (n.批評者) say that also makes bitcoins a magnet (n.有吸引力的東西) for drug (n.毒品) transactions (n.交易), money-laundering (n.洗黑錢) and other illegal (adj.非法的) activities.(Reuters, October 29)--------------------------------------------------------------------- 一部銀藍色的自動櫃員機，放置了在溫哥華一間時髦咖啡店的特濃咖啡櫃�旁。它可能為數碼貨幣「位元幣」展開了一個新時代，使這種領先全球的虛擬金錢，提供幾乎即時兌換現金的方法。 這座小亭外表像一部普通的自動櫃員機，但設置了掃描手和條碼的儀器。它星期二開始投入服務，而當天早上稍後時間，已有人排隊把位元幣兌換成現金，又或存入現金購買更多位元幣。 建造這些自動櫃員機的是拉斯維加斯的Robocoin，公司行政總裁凱利說：「利用它，過程是兩分鐘；而若用任何網上交易，則至少要兩天。」 利用位元幣的自動櫃員機，用戶藉�掃描他們的手來確認身分，然後資金便可以從他們智能手機的虛擬錢包提存。 位元幣可以接近匿名的方式購買，支持者認為這樣可降低欺詐風險和加強私隱。但批評者說，這也令位元幣成為了毒品交易、洗黑錢及其他非法活動的溫�。（路透社，十月二十九日）1. bitcoin (n) /'bItk�In/，BIT-coin 位元幣、比特幣知多點：bitcoin由bit和coin組成，前者是電腦的最小信息單位，意譯作位元或音譯作比特，也叫二進制位，而coin便是硬幣、金屬貨幣；正如文中所說，它是一種digital currency（數碼貨幣）、virtual money（虛擬金錢），也可叫electronic currency（電子貨幣）。2. ATM (n) /'eIti:'em/，ay-tee-EM 自動櫃員機、自動提款機知多點：ATM的英文全名是automatic teller machine，當中的automatic解作自動的，teller解作銀行的出納員，而machine則是機器，其實當中的teller已可指自動櫃員機；ATM的另一些名稱是cash machine、cash dispenser、cashpoint、cashline以至hole in the wall等等。3. kiosk (n) /'ki:sk/，KEE-osk 小亭、售貨亭知多點：kiosk即是stand，通常指售賣報刊或飲料的小亭，例如food kiosk是食物售賣亭，station kiosk是車站的售賣亭；在英國，kiosk也是公用電話亭（public telephone box）的較古舊說法，相當於booth。請把下列5個英文字填在句子的橫�上，並使用適當的單複數、大小寫、時態等。ATM bitcoin instant kiosk magnet1. That _____ sells some rare magazines.2. With a new casino, the area became a(n) _____ for gamblers.3. Some people conduct online transactions using _____.4. Her new novel became a(n) _____ best-seller.5. I need to get some money at the _____.Answers1. kiosk 2. magnet 3. bitcoins 4. instant 5. ATM文：范斌mini storage
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