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—tapping your plastic on a terminal or swiping a smartphone has become normal. 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.

　　countries are eliminating cash at varying speeds. but the direction of travel is clear， and in some cases the journey is nearly complete. in sweden the number of retail cash transactions per person has fallen by 80% in the past ten years. cash accounts for just 6% of purchases by value in norway. britain is probably four or six years behind the nordic countries. america is perhaps a decade behind. outside the rich world， cash is still king. but even there its dominance is being eroded. in china digital payments rose from 4% of all payments in 2012 to 34% in 2017.

　　cash is dying out because of two forces. one is demand—younger consumers want payment systems that plug seamlessly into their digital lives. but equally important is that suppliers such as banks and tech firms (in developed markets) and telecoms companies (in emerging ones) are developing fast， easy-to-use payment technologies from which they can pull data and pocket fees. there is a high cost to running the infrastructure behind the cash economy—atms， vans carrying notes， tellers who accept coins. most financial firms are keen to abandon it， or deter old-fashioned customers with hefty fees.

　　in the main， the prospect of a cashless economy is excellent news. cash is inefficient. in rich countries， minting， sorting， storing and distributing it is estimated to cost about 0.5% of gdp. but that does not begin to capture the gains. when payments dematerialize, people and shops are less vulnerable to theft. governments can keep closer tabs on fraud or tax evasion. digitalisation 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 three 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 stranglehold on the electronic pipes for digital payments， as america may yet allow， 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， as in sweden and the netherlands. competition should keep prices low so that the poor can afford most services， and it should also mean that if one firm stumbles others can step in， making the system resilient.

　　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 monetise transaction data， through， for example， advertising， so long as their business model is made explicit to users. some customers will favour 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.

　　1. according to paragraph 2, which of the following statements is false? ( )

　　a. america has been left behind perhaps a decade comparing to britain regarding the number of retail cash transaction.

　　b. the speeds of eliminating cash in several countries are different.

　　c. the dominance of cash is being eroded even in the non-rich areas.

　　d. there is a rise of numbers of digital payments in china form 2012 to 2017

　　【答案】a。是非题。由第二段中“britain is probably four or six years behind the nordic countries. america is perhaps a decade behind.”可知美国是相比于北欧国家或许落后了十年，不是比英国落后十年，所以答案选a。

　　2. which of the following is the correct understanding of two forces that are “making cash die out”? ( )

　　a. most financial firms prefer to use cash in the transactions of buying and selling.

　　b. cash economy is bringing high cost comparing to the cashless economy.

　　c. one of the forces is the new generation of consumers who are eager for using online payments because they suggest cash is causing sanitary problems.

　　d. few people could catch up with the trend of the wide use of online payments.

　　【答案】b。细节理解题。由第三段最后一句可知“大多数金融公司都热衷于放弃现金，或者用高昂的费用阻止传统的客户。”故a项错误。文中未提及卫生问题，故c项错误。网上支付蓬勃发展，故d项表述错误。由第三段倒数第二句 “运营现金经济背后的基础设施成本很高”可知，现金相比网络支付成本更高，b项正确，所以答案选b。

　　3. which of the following is not one of the advantages of cashless economy based on the article? ( )

　　a. governments can keep closer tabs on fraud or tax evasion.

　　b. cashless economy vastly expands the playground of small businesses and sole traders by enabling them to sell beyond their borders.

　　c. when payments dematerialise people and shops are less vulnerable to theft.

　　d. countries are hiring more tellers to accept coins for them.

　　【答案】d。细节理解题。由第四段中“当支付电子化时，人们和商店就不那么容易被盗。政府可以对欺诈和逃税进行更密切的监控。数字化使小型企业和个体贸易商能够在海外销售产品，从而极大地拓展了经营范围”可知a、b、c项均正确，d项表述错误，所以答案选d。

　　4. according to the article, which of the following is not supporting the point that “the phase-out of cash should be gradual”? ( )

　　a. in rural areas the internet access still need time to be enhanced.

　　b. the rush towards digital money should be targeting at the most beneficial results of government.

　　c. it could buy government time for helping those impoverished people open bank accounts, and to teach elderly people to prepare for the electronic payments systems.

　　d. banks are obliged to offer assistance in the long process towards the final eliminating of cash.

　　【答案】b。由最后一段“beef up internet access in rural areas.(加强农村地区的互联网接入) ”可知a项正确。由“this will buy governments time to help the poor open bank accounts, educate the elderly(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) ”可知c项正确。由“banks should be obliged to accept and distribute cash in populated areas. (银行有义务在人口密集的地区接受和发放现金)”可知d项正确。网上支付不是为了保证政府利益最大化，b项表述错误，所以答案选b。

　　5. according to the article, what is the correct method for banks and digital firms to deal with customers’ privacies? ( )

　　a. banks, under the government’s supervisions, need to fulfill the obligations of keeping customer information private.

　　b. banks should cooperate with advertisement companies to sell customers’ privacies for better profits.

　　c. digital firms do not have to protect users’ privacies as long as their business model is made explicit to users.

　　d. banks should assume that all the customers are glad to enjoy free services even their privacies are being tracked.

　　【答案】a。由倒数第二段“governments should maintain banks' obligation to keep customer information private， so that the plumbing remains anonymous.(政府应该保持银行对客户信息保密的义务，这样银行的信息管道才能保持匿名。)”可知a项表述正确，所以答案选a。