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For the past 3,000 years, when people thought of money, they thought of cash.From buying food to paying bills, daytoday 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 56% in 2019.
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, easytouse 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 cyberattacks.What's more, in a cashless economy the poor, the elderly and country folk may be left behind.
语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了过去十年，电子支付形式的兴起，并分析了其原因和利弊。
1．What do we know about digital payments in Paragraph 1?
A．They've been used in daily dealings for 3,000 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.
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“Over the past decade, however, digital payments have taken off”及全段内容可知，过去十年，数字支付开始流行。
2．Which country is the slowest in getting rid of cash?
A．America. B．Britain.
C．Sweden. D．Norway.
解析：选A 细节理解题。根据第二段第三至五句可知，几个国家中目前美国在电子支付取代现金方面速度最慢。
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.
解析：选C 推理判断题。根据最后一段“It also creates a credit history, helping consumers borrow.”可知，电子支付也能让消费者建立自己的信用历史，从而有助于借贷。
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.
解析：选B 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、兴起原因及其利弊，同时结合位于首段的主题句“digital payments have taken off”可知，本文主要讲的是“电子支付的兴起”。
