Interactive Reading

Read the passage and answer the question.

Vending machines are far older than most people assume. The earliest known design was described by a Greek inventor nearly two thousand years ago. His device dispensed a fixed amount of holy water when a coin was dropped into a slot. The coin's weight pressed on a small lever, which briefly opened a valve and let the water flow until the coin slid off. The clever mechanism solved a practical problem at temples, where some visitors had been taking more than their share. Modern machines rely on electronics rather than levers, but the basic idea of trading a coin for goods has barely changed.