1 . It’s not so long ago that contactless card payments were exciting and new, but the technology is already old-hat. The new, better way to pay for things in shops? By using your phone to make a contactless payment.

Because traditionally, when you have paid with a card tap (轻敲) or using a chip and pin machine, ultimately the shop you are buying from will be noting down all of your card details.     1     And this could be a problem — it means that if the shop is hacked (侵入) or plays fast and loose with its data, you could find your card number exposed to the world.

However, when you tap to pay with your device, it generates a unique ID number for that deal and sends that instead. So you can pay for your goods and the shop can get your money.     2     That is to say, phone payments are smarter.

    3     If a pickpocket steals your card they can immediately use up the money. But if they get your phone, when the phone goes to pay it will typically perform a biometric check-it will ask for a finger-print or use the camera to look at your face, to check that you are who you say you are.

    4     Because of this added security, the limit (限额) is typically higher than for contactless cards. In the UK, it’s around £ 100 for most retailers-though some shops including most supermarkets let you spend much more with just a tap of the phone.

Want to give it a try? To actually set things up, go to your Wallet app and follow the instructions.     5     Then it will automatically recognise the numbers and connect with your bank. Usually you receive a text message with a special code on it. And then, well, you’re done. When you pay, hold your phone over the payment machine, and pay for your goods!

A．It helps to build the client list.

B．The setup process varies with banks.

C．No one needs to share any sensitive data.

D．It’s also more effective against the threat of thefts.

E．And phone payments are increasingly convenient too.

F．Typically this starts by scanning your card with your phone.

G．Therefore, it knows which bank account to take the money from.

2 . Why can’t the man pay at this register?

A．It has broken down.

B．It has been closed out.

C．There is no person in charge.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What did the program say about the life in the future?

A．More time will be spent on people’s work.

B．More free time will be available to people.

C．More supermarkets will come into being.

2. What is the speakers’ attitude to the program’s opinion on shopping in the future?

A．Approving.

B．Doubtful.

C．Unclear.

4 . 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。

A cashless society is defined as one that doesn’t use cash in monetary transactions (交易). These societies favor alternative means of payment, such     1     credit cards, or contactless payment.

Of all the companies     2     (move) closer to becoming cashless, most people agree that Sweden is the closest. 85% of the country has access to online banking and only 2% of the country’s transactions consist of cash.

There     3     (be) a number of reasons for this cashless trend. Sweden has access to a popular payment app     4     (call) Swish, which more than 50% of the country uses. But the     5     (big ) catalyst (引发变化的因素) so far is that most Swedish merchants don’t access cash payment.

China also has a vast cashless market,    6     is mostly dominated by Tencent’s WeChat Pay or Alipay, which is owned by Alibaba. But unlike many other countries, China hasn’t embraced (欣然接受) credit card payment. Instead, most Chinese consumers make payment by scanning QR codes (二维码) on     7     (they) phones.

Most merchants request payment via QR codes and it’s not uncommon     8     (see) QR codes located all throughout China. And this trend is starting to spread to other countries that have a lot of Chinese     9     (travel).

The growing cashless trend has led many people to wonder     10     the U.S. will eventually go cashless. It is possible since U.S. consumers are increasingly moving away from cash and embracing other forms of payment.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。1.

A．By using cash.	B．By entering a password.
C．By scanning the code.	D．By using a tap-and-go card.

2.

A．Because it touches the card reader.	B．Because it uses the password.
C．Because it has a built-in signal receiver.	D．Because it receives the flying data.

3.

A．The bank will cover its clients against the loss.

B．Every transaction is completed within half a second.

C．People must enter their ID card number for continual use.

D．Each payment is restricted to a certain amount of money.

4.

A．Look for his wallet.	B．Apply for a tap-and-go card.
C．Borrow cash from the woman.	D．Stick to buying things in cash.

6 . Three months ago, I landed in Beijing International Airport after a very long flight from Vancouver, Canada. I thought that it would just be a normal summer, but little did I know that my understanding of how to pay for things was about to be completely changed. 

As an international student who had not been back to China for three years, I knew that it would take me some time to readjust to the life in China. However, I did not expect that I wouldn’t even be able to do things as simple as taking the subway. 

I still remember asking my cousin if I could borrow his metro card. He looked at me with such astonishment and then started laughing: “No one uses a metro card now. You have your phone!” He then explained to me which application I needed to download and how to connect it with WeChat pay. 

I was so dumbfounded by how convenient payment had become in China. When I had just come back, I still had the habit of carrying some cash with me when I went out. But soon, I realized that there was no place for me to use it. Even the smallest convenience stores support Alipay or WeChat pay. Online transactions (交易) and mobile payments have become the new norm.

Mobile payment is so common for people in China that they are used to it by now. But for me, it has been new and exciting. 

Back in Vancouver, there was no way of going to the mall or supermarket without carrying cash, a debit card (借记卡) or a credit card. Mobile payment in Canada is not as prevalent (流行的) as it is in China. Personally, I have never paid using my phone during my stay in Canada. I had to carry cash around everywhere. Contrary to that, I have not used cash to pay at all since I arrived back in China. 

Now I am getting used to the concept of mobile payment. Gradually, I stopped asking the vendors (小贩) if I could use WeChat pay and just showed them my payment code. Thinking back on my experience with this “new” method of paying over the past few months, I have to admit that our lives have indeed become much more convenient with the presence of mobile payment.

1. Why did the author mention her experience of taking the subway in China?

A．To compare the subways in China and Canada.

B．To explain how to use WeChat pay to take the subway.

C．To show she was unprepared for the change in lifestyle.

D．To describe how her cousin helped her when she returned.

2. What does the underlined word “dumbfounded” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Confused.

B．Astonished.

C．Excited.

D．Bothered.

3. What is paragraph 6 mainly about?

A．The benefits of mobile payment.

B．The concept of mobile payment.

C．Why the author preferred to pay by cash in Vancouver.

D．How people pay differently in Vancouver and China.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward mobile payment in China now?

A．Supportive.

B．Doubtful.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Annoyed.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How does the woman want to pay?

A．In cash.

B．By credit card.

C．With her smartphone.

2. What does the man think of PayPal?

A．It is free.

B．It is popular.

C．It isn’t very fast.

3. Where is Venmo accepted?

A．At many small shops.

B．At most large stores.

C．At a lot of restaurants.

4. What does the woman offer to do for the man?

A．Download the app.

B．Send him an invitation.

C．Lend him some money.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话, 回答以下小题。
1. What does the woman suggest the man do?

A．Go to the Electric Company Office.

B．Pay electric bill first.

C．Open a checking account.

2. How do most people pay the electric bill?

A．In cash.

B．By check.

C．By phone.

9 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Buy Now, Pay Later Spending

Buy now, pay later(BNPL) spending is expected to rise to record levels this holiday season. With so many young “buy now, pay later” shoppers already in debt from this short-term financing tool not requiring interest, questions emerge: Why do these shoppers use such a tool? And what risks does it pose to their budgets in the months     1     (come)?

The many Generation Z and millennials (typically around 40 years and younger) tend to use this short-term financing,     2     allows them to buy items and pay for them over time. Offered mostly by financial technologies, BNPL allows these customers to pay back their purchases     3     interest and with the first payment usually made at checkout. The most common “buy now, pay later” plan is     4     customers make four equal payments and pay off the debt in six weeks. It’s been a lifeline for some people, such as a university student     5     weekly income is not big enough. “BNPL provides consumers with flexible payment options so they     6     manage spending,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights. That is of great importance for many consumers, especially     7     with a tendency to purchase higher-cost items.

However, since BNPL     8     (appear), warnings from experts have come into our view. They have been indicating that it’s financially unhealthy to form such a spending habit. According to New York Federal Reserve economists, BNPL may encourage debt to increase over time,     9     (influence) a consumer’s ability to meet non-BNPL commitments, or users to over extend themselves. Users should also note that     10     interest is not charged on the loan, they’ll be hit with late fees for missed payments, which can add up quickly, says the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

10 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当内容（一个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式

WeChat, one of the world’s most popular mobile apps and social networks, brought home iF Gold Award for its smart retail innovation, Scan & Go. It is     1     first ever Chinese product to win gold in the iF Service Design category.

Scan & Go enables shoppers at retail stores to turn    2     (they) mobile phones into a virtual checkout counter. When shopping, customers use their mobile phones     3     (scan) product barcodes, view product information, get discounts, complete self-checkout, and pay     4     (direct) within the app via WeChat Pay. There is no queuing up at the cash register. “This concept     5     (show) a customer-centric scan-and-go-solution for an optimized (充分利用的) shopping and retail context. All standards of the good user experience     6     (meet) in this service design, including touchless access, efficiency or ease-of-use in scanning of market products and the final payment and checkout. This is user-friendly design at its     7     (good),” says iF Gold Award in its Gold Statement to Scan & Go.

According to statistics, sales during peak hours in     8     (tradition) supermarkets account for 60% of total turnover, and     9     average customers spend three to five minutes on queuing and payment during peak hours. With Scan & Go, customers no longer have to queue, and the payment time     10     (shorten) to one minute.