Cards and digital(数字的) technologies     1    (kill) off cash slowly, but is it a cause for concern? Not     2    (necessary). Here are some ways of making the most of digital finance.

Cash is no longer king. Over recent years fewer and fewer transactions have been made with cash. The most recent figures show coins and notes are used just 34% of     3     time, down from 63% a decade ago. And usage     4    (predict) to fall to just 10% in 15 years.

Instead we’re paying with cards and digital technologies. Some of this is down to user choice, with contactless cards and smartphones making spending     5    (fast) and more convenient.

But it’s also being forced upon us. Some retailers are refusing physical money as they can avoid the high bank charges levied(征收) at them for     6    (handle) cash. Meanwhile it’s harder to get your hands on notes as cash machines and     7    (bank) disappear from the high street. And these are trends which are likely     8    (increase) in the coming years.

This could be bad news if you still primarily use cash,     9     that’s how you pay your bills or how you budget. For some, cash is just what you know. For     10    , cash is a necessity—especially when going digital is the alternative.

As a result this move towards cashless society makes many uneasy.

3 . People have always wanted to know what the future will look like. Then, how can we?     1       The world has changed a lot in the last 150 years, but we humans are driven by the same basic needs as we were 150 years ago, such as food, sleep, the feeling of being appreciated and loved.     2     No. In addition, generally speaking, the inventions for the last 150 years have been a human effort for freedom and communication, to be able to get in control of the time and world. Since there is still much to do in this area, this will be the focus at least for the next 150 years.

But why do we need to predict the future? Predicting the future is important for two reasons: First, we need to start to think about what kind of future we would like for ourselves and to pass on to the next generation.     3    

How about the virtual worlds? It might be in the future to experience the sand between your toes, and hear the waves, just lying in your bed at home.     4     So, even if a great invention is there for an affordable price, it’ll never take the place of the common experience if it is not real.

    5     What we’ll see in the next 50 years is the transition (过渡) from an oil-dependent society to a new society. Here there’ll be new medicine, continued exploration of space, challenges in the climate change, and new inventions that make life a little easier.