For the past 3,000 years, when people thought of money they thought of cash. From buying food to settling bar tabs, day-to-day dealings involved creased paper or clinking bits of metal. Over the past decade, however, digital payments have taken off. Now this revolution is about to turn cash into an endangered species in some rich economies. That will make the economy more efficient—but it also poses new problems that could hold the transition hostage.
In the main the prospect of a cashless economy is excellent news. When payments dematerialize, people and shops are less vulnerable to theft. Governments can keep closer tabs on fraud or tax evasion. Digitalization vastly expands the playground of small businesses and sole traders by enabling them to sell beyond their borders. It also creates a credit history, helping consumers borrow. Yet set against these benefits are a bundle of worries. Electronic payment systems may be vulnerable to technical failures, power blackouts and cyber-attacks —this week Capital One, an American bank, became the latest firm to be hacked. In a cashless economy the poor, the elderly and country folk may be left behind and eradicating cash, an anonymous payment method, for a digital system could let governments snoop on people's shopping habits and private titans exploit their personal data These problems have remedies. First, governments need to ensure that central banks' monopoly over coins and notes is not replaced by private monopolies over digital money. Rather than letting a few credit-card firms have a stranglechold on the electronic pipes for digital payments, governments must ensure the payments plumbing is open to a range of digital firms which can build services on top of it. They should urge banks to offer cheap, instant, bank-to-bank digital transfers between deposit accounts.
Second, governments should maintain banks ’ obligation to keep customer information private, so that the plumbing remains anonymous. Digital firms that use this plumbing to offer services should be free to monetize transaction data, through, for example, advertising, so long as their business model is made explicit to users. Some customers will favor free services that track their purchases; others will want to pay to be left alone.
Last, the phase-out of cash should be gradual. For a period of ten years, banks should be obliged to accept and distribute cash in populated areas. This will buy governments time to help the poor open bank accounts, educate the elderly and beef up internet access in rural areas. The rush towards digital money is the result of spontaneous demand and innovation. To pocket all the rewards, governments need to prepare for the day when crumpled bank notes change hands for the last time.
What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?（ ）
本题句意为：从前两段中我们能得知什么？
A项：在发达国家，现金已经成为一种濒危物种；
B项：政府可以通过数字化解决欺诈问题；
C项：近年来，数字支付很少出现；
D项：电子支付将提高经济效率。
根据第一段“Over the past decade, however, digital payments have taken off. Now this revolution is about to turn cash into an endangered species in some rich economies.”可知，过去十年间，电子支付突然取得成功。现在，这场革命即将让现金在发达国家成为濒危物种，A项中“已经”描述错误，C项错误；根据第二段“Governments can keep closer tabs on fraud or tax evasion.”可知，政府可以更密切地关注欺诈或逃税行为，并没有提到数字化能解决欺诈问题，B项错误；根据第一段“That will make the economy more efficient.”可知，数字支付能够让经济更高效，D项正确。
故正确答案为D。
Capital One is mentioned in Paragraph 3 to illustrate （ ）.
本题句意为：第3段中提到了第一资本银行来说明······
A项：数字支付系统容易受到网络攻击；
B项：美国银行将更容易被黑客入侵；
C项：数字系统可以让私人巨头窃取人们的数据；
D项：在无现金的世界里，乡村人民将受到影响。
根据第三段“Electronic payment systems may be vulnerable to technical failures, power blackouts and cyber-attacks—this week Capital One, an American bank, became the latest firm to be hacked.”可知，电子支付系统可能容易受到技术故障、停电和网络攻击的影响。破折号后提到美国第一资本银行成为最新一家遭到黑客攻击的公司，用以说明前面的内容，即数字支付系统容易受到网络攻击。
故正确答案为A。
According to Paragraph 4, governments ought to （ ）.
本题句意为：根据第四段，政府应该······
A项：让信用卡公司控制支付通道；
B项：确保中央银行对数字货币的垄断；
C项：敦促银行提供低费用的、即时的银行之间的数字转账；
D项：确保支付渠道对所有数字公司开放。
第四段中提到政府需要确保央行对硬币和纸币的垄断不会被私人对数字货币的垄断所取代。政府必须确保支付通道向一系列数字公司开放，而不是像美国可能允许的那样，让少数信用卡公司牢牢控制数字支付的电子通道。政府应该敦促银行像瑞典和荷兰那样，在存款账户之间提供费用低、即时的银行之间的数字转账服务。C项描述与文章内容相符，故选C项。
故正确答案为C。
Banks need to accept and distribute cash in populated areas because （ ）.
本题句意为：银行需要在人口稠密地区接受和发放现金，因为······
A项：现金应该很快被淘汰；
B项：这将使政府有时间帮助贫困人口；
C项：这是自发需求的结果；
D项：它将促进数字创新。
根据“For a period of ten years, banks should be obliged to accept and distribute cash in populated areas. This will buy governments time to help the poor open bank accounts, educate the elderly and beef up internet access in rural areas.”可知，银行应该在人口密集地区接受和发放现金，这将为政府争取时间，帮助贫困人口开设银行账户，教老年人使用，并加强农村地区的互联网接入。
故正确答案为B。
Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of the text?（ ）
本题句意为：以下哪一项最能概括本文的大意？
A项：如何逐步淘汰现金，建立一个无现金的世界；
B项：数字支付的利弊以及如何解决其问题；
C项：政府和银行在数字支付中不可或缺的作用；
D项：私人垄断数字货币的可能性。
文章第一段点明了主旨，根据“That will make the economy more efficient—but it also poses new problems that could hold the transition hostage. ”可知，电子支付使经济更加有效，但同时也带来了一些新的问题，这些问题可能会阻碍经济转型。后文则提到了针对这些问题的三个措施，首先，政府需要确保央行对硬币和纸币的垄断不会被私人对数字货币的垄断所取代；其次，政府应该保持银行对客户信息保密的义务；最后，现金应逐步淘汰。
故正确答案为B。