The invention discloses a card reader and an intelligent card. The intelligent card prestores operation instruction information. The card reader comprises an instruction information reading unit, an instruction information analysis unit and an operation execution unit, wherein the instruction information reading unit is used for reading the operation instruction information prestored on the intelligent card; the instruction information analysis unit is used for analyzing the operation instruction information read by the instruction information reading unit to acquire operation information to be executed by the card reader; the operation execution unit is used for calling corresponding instruction to execute corresponding operation according to the operation information which is to be executed by the card reader and acquired by the instruction information analysis unit, sending data to the intelligent card in the operation execution process, and determining operation of the next step according to the data received from the intelligent card so as to complete the interactive communication process with the intelligent card. The card reader is used for completing communication with theintelligent card according to predetermined instruction execution process, thus leading hardware and bottom-layer software of the card reader to be unified.