There is nothing worse than fumbling around in your pocket trying to find some small change to pay for a newspaper or a coffee. So it's good to know that new technology is making cash -bank notes and coins – a thing of the past, turning us into a cashless society.
Today, many of us already use credit and debit cards for financial transactions（交易） so there's no need to carry around hard currency. And now it's possible to make contactless payments using tap-and-go cards which are regular bankcards but with a built-in chip and antenna（天线）. The card reader sends out a radio frequency and, when you bring the card close to the reader, the antenna picks up the signal to make the payment.
Paying this way or spending on ' plastic' – an informal name for a credit card – can put you at risk of fraud. Criminals try to steal cards, or the information on them, to make purchases online or in shops. However, contactless payment is capped——in the UK the limit is £30. And, if someone does go on a spending spree with your card, your bank covers you against the loss – something that wouldn't happen if your banknotes were stolen. Also, the introduction of chip and pin technology has led to a drop in fraud and has even been helping businesses by cutting the time people spend at tills in shops.
But, if getting your bankcard out seems like too much trouble, there's now a solution using wearable tech——that's clothing and accessories that include computer and electronic technologies. Kenneth Cukier, economist and technology expert, says "this is intended for people who are incredibly lazy who don't want to take their card out of their wallet, or use their phone, or use their watch. People are going to be making more purchases more of the time – particularly for small-valued goods."
And, although our mobile phones are another way of making payments, BBC reporter Kate Russell says that when this is inconvenient you can use the fingo—pay system which "reads the unique maps of veins under the surface of your finger." The trick is remembering which finger you registered with. What do you prefer to use when you buy something?
1.Which of the following doesn’t belong to the cashless payment?
A. Credit cards B. Tap-and-go pay
C. spending spree D. Fingo-pay
2.Many measures have been taken to ensure the credit card holders’ profits EXCEPT_______?
A. Setting a maximum in transactions
B. Using wearable tech
C. Applying chip and pin technology
D. Making up for loss in a fraud
3.What can we learn from Kenneth Cukier’s statement?
A. Contactless payment will promote purchase to some degree.
B. More and more people are too lazy to use bankcard as a way of payment.
C. Wearable tech is safer and thus should replace the credit cards.
D. Only phones and watches can be used as wearable tech to buy things.
Surfing: It’s Not Just for Boys Anymore
If you asked high school girls to name their favorite sports, most would probably say basketball or volleyball. I happen to be one of the few girls who would _____: surfing. But isn’t that a boy thing? Some people _____. Most certainly not.
I started surfing about five years ago and _____ in love with the sport on the very first day. Riding that first _____ was the best feeling I had ever experienced.
When I try to _____ surfing with other things, I find it very difficult because, in my _____, there’s nothing like it. It involves body, _____, and soul. There’s sand between my toes and cool, salt water all _____ us. The feeling I get when I’m surfing across that _____, becoming one with the ______, is like I’m weightless.
The one thing I can ______ from surfing and not any other sport is endless challenge. You can never be the “best surfer” because the ocean ______ an uncountable variety of waves that nobody can ever master. The variations of surfing styles are wonderful. Some surfers are free and lowing; others are very aggressive (活跃有力的) and ______. All of these things attract me to surfing and make it ______ from any other sport.
I’ve ______ to tell every girl I know to do something that people don’t think girls can do. It’s part of being human to advance to new ______, so shouldn’t it be expected that girls should step up and start ______ the limits of things boys and men used to dominate (主宰)?
There’re women ______ side by side with the President of our country, so why not side by side with the boys ______ the football team or out in the water surfing? Give girls a chance to ______ , and they will.
1.A. tell B. answer C. give D. realize
2.A. wonder B. understand C. reply D. believe
3.A. stayed B. came C. dropped D. fell
4.A. wave B. storm C. sail D. boat
5.A. bring B. connect C. compare D. tie
6.A. work B. study C. holiday D. life
7.A. mind B. effort C. health D. time
8.A. along B. above C. around D. by
9.A. beach B. water C. board D. lake
10.A. sky B. world C. earth D. ocean
11.A. take B. get C. make D. keep
12.A. catches B. includes C. offers D. collects
13.A. sharp B. great C. hard D. calm
14.A. known B. right C. far D. different
15.A. chosen B. tried C. learned D. promised
16.A. levels B. points C. steps D. parts
17.A. reaching B. accepting C. pushing D. setting
18.A. sitting B. walking C. fighting D. working
19.A. of B. from C. on D. with
20.A. think B. succeed C. perform D. feel
Complete each of the following sentences with proper forms of words (the first letter is given)
1.Arriving late won't create a very favorable i ____________ .
2.R _________ me to take my medicine tomorrow.
3.One of her fellow passengers came to her a ________.
4.In the present s ___________, I wouldn't advise you to sell your house.
5.Mr. Young told Simon c ___________ he had done a good job and he should keep on doing like that.
6.S__________ milk won't make me get much fat so that I won't gain weight.
Directions: Fill in the blanks with only one word according to the text.
Eye contact is1.the key to communication. It can signal friendliness or hostility, interest or2. , and understanding or confusion.
In Western cultures, maintaining eye contact in conversations is necessary. As a matter of fact, a Westerner might consider a lack of eye contact as a lack of interest. In Spain. Italy and Greece. where people stand close together talking to each other, eye contact is more 3.and lasts longer.
In many Asian cultures, avoiding eye contact shows respect. It is done when talking with anyone in 4.or with anyone older.
Habits like this can cause problems when people do not understand 5.. For instance, an Asian might close his eyes in 6. while listening to a speaker.
All over the world mothers and fathers teach their children manners. Other children may have manners that are not like yours. There are all kinds of manners.
Many years ago, children who had good manners were seen and not heard. They kept quite quiet if grown-ups were talking. Today, well-mannered children have more freedom.
Sometimes good manners in one place are bad manners in other places.
Suppose you are a visitor in the land of Mongolia. Some friends ask you to eat with them. What kind of manners do they want you to have? They want you to give a loud “burp” after you finish eating. Burping would show that you liked your food.
In some countries, if you give a loud burp, you are told to say “excuse me, please.”
In many places people like to eat together. But in some parts of Polynesia it is bad manners to be seen eating at all. People show good manners by turning their backs on others while they eat.
What are manners like in an East African town? The people try not to see you. They are being polite. You may see a friend. He may not see you at all. If you are polite, you will sit down beside him. You will wait until he finishes what he is doing. Then he will talk to you.
Suppose you visit a friend in Arabia. You should walk behind the other tents until you come to his tent. If you pass in front of the other tents, you will be asked into each one. The people will ask you to eat with them. And it is bad manners if you say no.
Manners are different all over the world. But it is good to know that all manners begin in the same way. People needed ways to show that they wanted to be friends.
1.In an East African town, the people try not to see you. This is because_________.
A. they are busy doing things B. they don’t want to talk with you
C. it is good manners D. they are waiting for you to talk with them.
2.Which of the following statements is True?
A. In Mongolia, you should say “excuse me” when you give a burp after dinner.
B. Children with good manners are quiet.
C. You should not walk behind the tents in Arabia.
D. Manners are different all over the world.
3.Sometimes good manners in one place are bad manners in other places. Which should be supporting paragraph(s) to the idea?
A. the fourth one B. the fifth one
C. the sixth one D. all of above
4.The best title of the passage should be________.
A. What are good manners B. All kinds of manners
C. The importance of manners D. Some good manners
Children have their own rules in playing games. They seldom need a referee and rarely trouble to keep scores. They don't care much about who wins or loses, and it doesn't seem to worry them if the game is not finished. Yet, they like games that depend a lot on luck, so that their personal abilities cannot be directly compared. They also enjoy games that move in stages, in which each stage, the choosing of leaders, the picking-up of sides, or the determining of which side shall start, is almost a game in itself.
Grown-ups can hardly find children's games exciting, and they often feel puzzled at why their kids play such simple games again and again. However, it is found that a child plays games for very important reasons. He can be a good player without having to think whether he is a popular person, and he can find himself being a useful partner to someone of whom he is ordinarily afraid. He becomes a leader when it comes to his turn. He can be confident, too, in particular games, that it is his place to give orders, to pretend to be dead, to throw a ball actually at someone, or to kiss someone he has caught.
It appears to us that when children play a game they imagine a situation under their control. Everyone knows the rules, and more importantly, everyone plays according to the rules. Those rules may be childish, but they make sure that every child has a chance to win.
1.What is true about children when they play games?
A. They can stop playing any time they like.
B. They can test their personal abilities.
C. They want to pick up a better team.
D. They don't need rules.
2.To become a leader in a game, the child has to ___________.
A. play well B. wait for his turn
C. be confident in himself D. be popular among his playmates
3.What do we know about grown-ups?
A. They are not interested in games.
B. They find children's games too easy.
C. They don't need a reason to play games.
D. They don't understand children's games.
4.Why does a child like playing games?
A. Because he can be someone other than himself.
B. Because he can become popular among friends.
C. Because he finds he is always lucky in games.
D. Because he likes the place where he plays a game.
