1 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Zhang Ying, head of WeChat Pay, introduced that WeChat Pay is beginning to attempt the launch of “WeChat Palm(手掌) Payment”, during the 2023 Open Class PRO     1     (host) by WeChat last night.

According to the     2     (introduce), in the future, users can bind (绑定) their membership cards, transportation cards, etc. to their palms     3     (achieve) “one palm to rule them all”. They can consume, pass through and verify their identity without carrying a phone,     4     is extremely convenient. 

Now this feature     5     (attract) businesses to jointly develop the technology continuously. Although the official arrange time has not been announced, given WeChat’s speed, it is highly likely     6     we will be able to use palm payment this year. According to previous tests, users only need to register palm information on palm-scanning devices and link it to their     7    (privacy) WeChat account. They can complete payments directly by     8     (scan) their palms when consuming offline, solving the embarrassing situation of difficult-to-use face-scanning offline. 

Moreover, in terms of principle, palm pattern recognition should be     9     (easy) than facial recognition, and     10     degree of individual difference is relatively large, making it more secure.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why did the woman call?

A．To cancel an order.

B．To extend the payment.

C．To confirm the delivery.

2. When will the cash flow problem be solved?

A．After delivering the new order.

B．After making another new order.

C．After finding an important customer.

3. What does the woman think of the man?

A．Helpful.

B．Strict.

C．Disappointing.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Which ping-pong bat will the woman buy?

A．The blue one.

B．The red one.

C．The pink one.

2. What does the man think of the pink bat?

A．It looks good.

B．It is suitable for games.

C．It feels hard.

3. How much is the tax on the bat?

A．Eight yuan

B．Sixty yuan.

C．Sixty-eight yuan.

4. How will the woman pay for the bat?

A．By credit card.

B．In cash

C．By check.

9 . As COVID-19 continues to influence consumer behavior, the use of non-plastic payment methods is rising. But does this spell the end of the plastic credit card era?

Since the first Diners Club credit card was unveiled in 1950, much has changed. Recent technological developments and in-store consumer preferences could suggest times are changing. For some years now, various founders of financial institutions, as well as industry experts, have foreseen plastic credit cards or any other means of physical payment methods including cash will not be around much longer. They based their predictions on the light-speed growth of digital payment.

At the beginning of the global pandemic (大流行病), governments took measures to protect their citizens, leading to lockdowns of varying degrees. The fear of contracting the virus through high-traffic ATMs and the refusal of merchants to accept cash can only be seen as a great addition to an already declared war on cash. Meanwhile, the urgency to spend a minimum time period in stores in order to avoid interactions led consumers towards digital solutions.

Furthermore, options like QR codes (二维码), NFC, and PINs have been around for a while but a true market breakthrough seems to only have happened since the beginning of the pandemic. According to Worldpay, without these telecommunication innovations, the shift in people’s payment behavior is out of the question. 86% of contactless adapters built into smart devices have seen themselves proceed with contactless payment. This trend will help to wipe out cash and plastic credit cards.

From a different perspective, countries like France, Italy, and Germany had almost 150 million smartphone users in 2019 alone. And it’s been reported that 80% of the transactions (交易) will be done via Internet-backed devices by 2025. And this figure will keep rising as more and more cheap smartphones are pouring into the global market. It is expected that e-wallets are going to be the most preferred payment method by then.

So, will there be a comeback for our beloved plastic spending power? I would put away my cash and plastic cards, switch on my phone instead of inserting cards, and present QR codes at a self-checkout instead of queuing behind a mass of people. I believe that many people think the same way.

1. What are the predictions in the financial circle about?

A．The Diners Club credit card will make a comeback.

B．Consumers’ preferences will be varied around the world.

C．The era of traditional payment will come to an end soon.

D．New technologies will cause the decline of physical stores.

2. What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The worldwide efforts to fight against the pandemic.

B．The economic slowdown caused by the pandemic.

C．The impact of the health crisis on ways of payment.

D．The public’s tendency to shop online during lockdowns.

3. What set the stage for the trend in payment methods according to Worldpay?

A．The fast update rate of smart devices.

B．The existing digital payment technologies.

C．Many physical stores’ excellent online service.

D．The acceptance of digital payment among customers.

4. What can be inferred from Paragraph 5?

A．E-wallets will achieve increasing global popularity.

B．Smartphones will become cheaper and cheaper in the future.

C．Developed countries have high rates of Internet popularization.

D．The number of global smartphone users will rise by 80% by 2025.

5. What’s the author’s attitude towards the comeback of plastic credit cards?

A．Negative.

B．Favorable.

C．Unclear.

D．Hopeful.

10 . What paying method does Tim mostly suggest?

A．WeChat pay.

B．Bank cards.

C．Credit cards.