Question

    For the past 3000 years, when people thought of money, they thought of cash. From buying food to paying bills, day-to-day dealings involved paper or metal money. Over the past decade, however, digital payments have taken off—tapping your credit card on a machine or having the QR Code (二维码) on your smart phone scanned has become normal. Now this revolution is about to turn cash into an endangered species in some rich countries. That will make the economy more efficient, but it also brings new problems.

Countries are getting rid of cash at different speeds. In Sweden the number of retail cash transactions (交易) per person has fallen by 80% in the past ten years. Cash accounts for just 6% of purchases by value in Norway. Britain is probably four or six years behind it. America is perhaps a decade behind. Outside the rich world, cash is still king. However, in China, digital payments rose from 4% of all payments in 2012 to 34% in 2017.

Cash is dying out because of two forces. One is demand—younger consumers want to enjoy their digital lives with payment systems. But equally important, suppliers such as banks and tech firms are developing fast, easy-to-use payment technologies from which they can pull data and pocket fees.

In general, the future of a cashless economy is excellent news. When cash payments disappear, people and shops are less likely to be stolen. Besides, digitalisation greatly expands the playground of small businesses by enabling them to sell beyond their borders. It also creates a credit history, helping consumers borrow. Yet it is not without problems. Electronic payment systems may suffer technical failures, power blackouts and cyber-attacks. What’s more, in a cashless economy the poor, the elderly and country folk may be left behind.

1.What do we know about digital payments in paragraph 1?

A.They've been used in daily dealings for 3000 years.

B.They have become popular in the past ten years.

C.They can only be made on the smart phones.

D.They are leading to cash's dying out worldwide.

2.Which country is the slowest in getting rid of cash?

A.America. B.Britain. C.Sweden D.Norway.

3.Which of the following would the author most probably agree with?

A.Cash payments are less likely to disappear.

B.Digitalisation enables small businesses to sell nationally.

C.Customers can have their credit history built through digital payments.

D.Digital payments may benefit the poor, the elderly and country folks.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A.The future of a cashless society. B.The rising of digital payments.

C.The reasons for cash being endangered. D.The development of payment technologies.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了过去十年，数字支付形式的兴起，并分析其原因和利弊。

1.

细节理解题。从第一段“Over the past decade, however, digital payments have taken off”及全段内容可知，过去十年（decade=ten years），数字支付开始流行，人们通过刷卡和扫描手机二维码进行支付。一些富裕国家里，数字支付将现金支付逼到濒危灭绝的地步，B选项“数字支付在过去十年里流行起来”符合原文内容，故选B。

2.

细节理解题。从第二段“In Sweden the number of retail cash transactions (交易) per person has fallen by 80% in the past ten years. Cash accounts for just 6% of purchases by value in Norway. Britain is probably four or six years behind it. America is perhaps a decade behind.”可知，过去十年，瑞典电子支付发达，零售业现金交易额人均降低了 80%，挪威现金交易只占交易额的 6%。与之相比，英国落后 4 到 6 年，美国落后或许 10 年，因此几个国家中目前使用现金比例最高的是美国，在电子支付取代现金方面速度最慢，故选A。

3.

推理判断题。本题要求推断作者最可能同意的观点，根据最后一段“It also creates a credit history, helping consumers borrow.”可知，数字支付也能让消费者建立自己的信用历史，从而有助于借贷。因此C选项正确。此外结合全文特别是最后一段的内容，现金支付的消失可能让现金盗窃减少；文章没有提到现金支付不会消失或是不大可能消失；数字支付能让生意人跨国境做生意，而不是国内做生意；数字支付让穷人，老年人和乡下人被抛在后面，所以他们不能从中受益。综上，其它选项也可以排除，故选C。

4.

主旨大意题。纵观全文，作者第一段介绍电子支付兴起的现状，接下来三段分别介绍电子支付的发展速度，兴起原因，正反影响，同时结合位于首段的主题句“digital payments have taken off”，因此本文围绕的是“电子支付的兴起”（即B选项The rising of digital payments），进行多方面的分析，故选B。