Question

Stockholm’s street magazine sellers no longer only take cash — they now take cards too.

“More and more sellers were telling us that people wanted our magazine but weren’t carrying cash,” says Pia Stolt, the magazine’s publisher. “So with the help of a local computer company, we came up with a way to accept payment electronically.

“We didn’t know how it would turn out, or whether people would be unwilling to give the credit card information to a stranger on the street,” says Stolt, “but the results have been great—sales are up 59%.” “Swedes are pretty trusting and we’re used to taking up new technology so this was the perfect solution,” adds Stolt. “The cashless society campaign we’re seeing in Sweden is definitely a good move as far as we are concerned—it’s unstoppable.”

Banks and stores invested heavily in card payment systems in the 1990s and now local consumers are using them in huge numbers. Today, four out of five purchases are made electronically in Sweden and going totally cash-free is the next step.

Sweden’s public transport system has already been cashless for several years, after local public transport workers complained that handling cash had become dangerous. “Bus drivers were getting attacked for their money so Sweden banned cash on public transport,” says Arn Arvidsson, the president of Cashless, an organization supporting the move to a cash-free society. “There were also a number of bank robberies, so four years ago, the banks began to move away from cash. Now, all of Sweden’s big banks operate cash free wherever possible, and the number of bank robberies is at a 30-year low.”

There is, however, concern about how well Sweden’s 1.8 million pensioners—out of a total population of 10 million—will adapt. “A lot of elderly people feel excluded,” says Johanna Hallen of the Swedish National Pensioners’ Organization. “Only 50% of older people use cash cards regularly and 7% never use cash cards. So we want the government to take things slowly.”

The digital payment revolution is also a challenge for tourists, who need pre-paid tickets or a Swedish mobile to catch a bus in the capital. “There’s a worry about crime and theft as well,” says Arvidsson. “Figures show that computer-related credit card crime has almost doubled in the last decade.”

1.The demand for a cashless public transport system first came from _______.

A. transport companies to reduce their costs

B. banks so they could increase their profits

C. transport workers to protect their safety

D. the government to improve transport times

2.Which of the following about Sweden is true according to the passage?

A. No new banknotes will be produced in the future

B. There has been a huge reduction in bank robberies.

C. Local people don’t feel comfortable carrying cash.

D. It is the first country to have cash-free buses.

3.Why does Johanna Hallen think the cashless society should be introduced slowly?

A. She worries that computer-related crime will increase.

B. She is concerned about the inconvenience to foreign travellers.

C. She believes that it’s not easy for older people to get used to it.

D. She feels it is everyone’s right to be able to use cash if they wish.

4.What information is most likely to follow the last paragraph?

A. Some possible solutions to the problems of a cashless society.

B. The reasons for the change in customers’ attitudes to cards.

C. Some benefits a cashless society will bring to banks

D. The difficulties people face in a cashless society.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要讲瑞典电子支付的应用、优点及使用过程中出现的问题。

1. 细节理解题。根据第七段中的“Sweden's public transport system has already been cashless for several years，after local public transport workers complained that handling cash had become dangerous.”可知，首先提出在交通系统中使用电子支付是那些公共交通领域的工人，他们抱怨收现金变得危险，故选C。

2. 细节理解题。根据第七段中的“There were also a number of bank robberies，so four years ago，the banks began to move away from cash. Now，all of Sweden's big banks operate cash free wherever possible，and the numberof bank robberies is at a 30-year low.”可知，与之前相比，现在的银行抢劫案少了许多，故选B。

3. 推理判断题。根据第八段中“A lot of elderly people feel excluded，”says Johanna Hållén of the Swedish National Pensioners' Organization.“Only 50％of older people use cash cards regularly and 7％never use cash cards.So we want the government to take things slowly.”可知，许多老年人对电子支付的相关信息还不清楚或者一无所知，因此Johanna Hållén建议电子支付方式应该慢慢推进，慢慢普及，故选C。

4. 推理判断题。根据文章最后一段讲的是电子支付所产生的问题，由此可知接下来就会讲述如何解决这些问题或提出一些有效的办法回避这些问题，故选A。

考点：考查社会生活类短文阅读。

【名师点睛】

推理判断题的解题方法：

推理判断题不仅要求考生读懂文章中的每个句子的意思还要推理它们之间的关系，结合自己的生活常识和经验，再通过逻辑推理和判断，理解文章的言外之意，从而揭示文章的深层涵义。如文中第34小题根据第八段中“A lot of elderly people feel excluded，”says Johanna Hållén of the Swedish National Pensioners' Organization.“Only 50％of older people use cash cards regularly and 7％never use cash cards.So we want the government to take things slowly.”可知，许多老年人对电子支付的相关信息还不清楚或者一无所知，因此Johanna Hållén建议电子支付方式应该慢慢推进，慢慢普及，故选C。

任何一篇文章都有其特定的写作目的，读者应当知道如何去做或按照某种方式传递思考问题。第35小题根据文章最后一段讲的是电子支付所产生的问题，由此可知接下来就会讲述如何解决这些问题或提出一些有效地办法回避这些问题，故选A.

推理判断题的答案不可能在文章中直接找到，因此推理时我们务必要忠于原文，在文章中寻找并确定可推论的依据，即：已知部分－推论的前提，从中推测出未知部分－推理的结论，切忌妄加评论，把自己的观点当成作者的观点。33小题根据第七段中的“There were also a number of bank robberies，so four years ago，the banks began to move away from cash. Now，all of Sweden's big banks operate cash free wherever possible，and the numberof bank robberies is at a 30-year low.”可知与之前相比，现在的银行抢劫案少了许多，故选B.