It's two o'clock in the morning, and you can't sleep. You want something to eat and a magazine to read. You don't want to talk to a clerk in a convenience store. Where do you go? If you are in Japan, you go to RoboShop. It's in downtown Tokyo, and it's the first store in the world where there are no humans at work. Robots work 24 hours a day serving the customers2 who come in.
　　RoboShop is like a giant3 vending4 machine. Customers come into the shop and look at the display5 cases. They write the numbers of the items6 they want on order cards. Next they punch7 the numbers into a machine similar to an ATM8 machine. Then a robot9, called Robo, goes to work.
　　Robo looks like a bucket on wheels. It moves quickly around the store, choosing items and putting them into a shopping basket. Robo always chooses the biggest things first. If you buy a new toaster10, Robo will not put it on top of your fresh sushi11. Then Robo comes back with your order.
　　RoboShop sells many things that people buy every day, from food and drinks to household goods, magazines, and cosmetics12. It also sells many other things, such as expensive watches and perfumes13. In Japan, people buy lots of things from vending machines—pajamas14, comic15 books, even fresh flowers. RoboShop is just like a vending machine but much bigger.
　　Many people like to shop at RoboShop. “It's fun and interesting to shop here,” says Michiko, a regular customer. “The prices are lower because the stores don't have to pay salaries16.” Other people don't like the idea. Junko, who shops at a convenience store down the street, says, “I don't like it. No one says hello when you come in. People like to talk to other people. You can't talk to a robot.”

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1. RoboShop  n．机器人商店
2． customer  n．顾客
3． giant  adj．巨大的
4． vending  adj．自动售货的
5． display n．陈列
6． item  n．细项
7． punch  v．打孔
8． ATM＝ Automatic Teller Machine 自动取款机
9． robot  n．机器人
10． toaster  n．烤面包机
11． suchi  n．寿司（日本米食）
12． cosmetic  n．化妆品
13． perfume   n．香水
14． pajama  n．宽长裤
15． comic n．连环漫画
16． salary  n．薪水