99.99%的人都没有见过的自动售货机！英语读头条（第38期）

This 150-foot-tall 'vending machine' will serve you a Ferrari

这个150英尺高的自动售货机能卖给你一辆法拉利

A 15-story tower of Ferraris and Lamborghinis in glass boxes has become a quirky landmark in Singapore. And it all started with a visit to Toys R Us.

一个用装在玻璃盒子里的法拉利和兰博基尼做起来的15层高的塔已经成为新加坡的一个另类地标。这一切都是从逛了一趟玩具反斗城开始的。

Struggling with a lack of space at his sports car showroom, Gary Hong was inspired by a vertical display of Matchbox cars while shopping at the toy store with his son.

Gary Hong 一直在为自己的跑车展销厅面积太小而发愁。一天当他和儿子一起去逛玩具反斗城时，从’火柴盒’跑车玩具的立体展示盒上大受启发。

Hong, 45, has turned his vision into a 148-foot tower housing some of the world's most expensive cars.

今年45岁的Hong，把他的想象变成了一个148英尺高的塔，放满了世界上最昂贵一些的汽车。

"We decided to build something a bit different to solve the problem," Hong, general manager at Autobahn Motors, told CNNMoney.

Hong，身为Autobahn汽车公司的总经理，对CNN说“我们决定做一个与众不同的东西来解决这个问题”。

Believed to be the world's tallest "car vending machine," Autobahn's tower displays roughly 60 different vehicles, ranging from newer models such as the Lamborghini Aventador to more collectible cars such as the Ferrari 512M.

据信是世界上最高的“汽车自动销售机”，Autobahn的高塔展示差不多60种不同的车辆，从像兰博基尼鬼怪这样的较新款式到更有收藏价值的车辆，比如法拉利512M。

The cars arrive at the touch of a button using a mobile app customized by Autobahn, and a video showcasing the customer's chosen car plays while they wait for it to reach the ground for a viewing, test drive or sale.

只需在Autobahn特制的移动端App上轻轻一点即可送到，在车辆到达之前，客户可以在视频里一直看到所挑选的车的展示，直到他选择的车达到地面，供他们仔细观看，试驾，或购买。

The experience isn't entirely self-service, though. Staff supervise customers when they request a vehicle.

但这可不是全程自自助呦。员工在顾客求取车辆的过程中会提供指导。

Hong's creation isn't a new concept. Car vending machines have sprung up in countries around the world in recent years, including the U.S. and Japan. Aside from their novelty value, they solve dealers' longstanding problem of how to showcase more cars using a limited amount of land -- a big issue in densely populated Singapore.

Hong的杰作并非是个新的概念。汽车自动售货机近几年来在世界各国，包括美国和日本，脱颖而出。除了它的新鲜奇异价值，这个方式解决了汽车销售商们一直以来的一个问题，也就是怎么能在有限的地面上展示更多的车辆－在人口密集的新加坡这可是个大问题。

Autobahn has managed to turn some of that attention into money, too. Sales rose roughly 30% in the first quarter of this year compared with the fourth quarter of 2016, Hong said.

Autobahn已经能够把这些注意力转为金钱。据Hong说，今年第一季度比起去年，2016年第四季度销售额增长了大概30%。

His team is now busy patenting some of the technology, which they plan to sell to businesses looking to solve inventory management problems in China and other countries.

他的团队正在积极的为这些技术申请专利。他们计划把这些专利的技术推广给中国及其它需要解决存货管理问题的国家。

单词汇总

vending machine : 自动售货机

landmark : 地标

showroom : 展示厅

vertical : 垂直的

self-service : 自助

test-drive : 试驾

今天学习之后，也要复习一下前几天的单词哦：

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