Stockholm'sstreetmagazinesellersnolongeronlytakecash...

问题详情：

    Stockholm's street magazine sellers no longer only take cash一they now take cards too．

    In the most cashless society on the planet，Swedish street magazine sellers have been

equipped with portable card readers to accept credit card payments．

    “More and more sellers were telling us that people wanted our magazine but weren't carrying

cash，”says Pia Stolt，the magazine's publisher.' "So with the help of a local computer

company，we came up with a way to accept payment electronically．

    “We didn't know how it would turn out，or whether people would be unwilling to give their

credit card information to a stranger on the street，”says Stolt，“but the results have been great一

sales are up 59％．

    “Swedes are pretty trusting and we're used to taking up new technology so this was the

perfect solution，”adds Stolt.“The cashless society campaign we're seeing in Sweden is

definitely a good move as far as we are concerned一it's unstoppable．”

    Banks and stores invested heavily in card payment systems in the 1990s and now local

consumers are using them in huge numbers．Today，four out of five purchases are made

electronically in Sweden and. going totally cash-free is the next step．

    Sweden's public transport system has already been cashless for several years，after local

public transport workers complained that handling cash had become dangerous．“Bus drivers were

getting attacked for their money so Sweden banned cash on public transport，”says Am

Arvidsson，the president of Cashless，an organisation supporting the move to a cash-free society.

“There were also a number of bank robberies，so four years ago，the banks began to move away

from cash．Now，all of Sweden's big banks operate cash free wherever possible，and the number

of bank robberies is at a 30-year low．”

    There is，however，concern about how well Sweden's 1．8 million pensioners一out of a total

population,of 10 million一will adapt.“A lot of elderly people feel excluded，”says Johanna

Hall6n of the Swedish National Pensioners' Organisation.“Only 50％of older people use cash

cards regularly and 7％never use cash cards．So we want the government to take things slowly．”

    The digital payment revolution is also a challenge for tourists，who need pre-paid tickets or a

Swedish mobile to catch a bus in the capital．“There's a worry about crime and theft as well，”

says Arvidsson．“Figures show that computer-related credit card crime has almost doubled in the

last decade．”

41．Why has the change to cashless selling been so successful in Sweden according to Stolt?

    A. Paying by cards costs less and is much quicker.

    B ．Selling electronically is more convenient and safer.

    C ．Swedish people are trusting and they welcome new technology·

    D. Swedish people are more willing to buy from street sellers．

42．The demand for a cashless public transport system first came from＿．

    A. transport companies to reduce their costs

    B ．banks so they could increase their profits

    C ．transport workers to protect their safety

    D ．the government to improve transport times

43．Which of the following about Sweden is true according to the passage？

    A. No new banknotes will be produced in the future．

    B ．It is the first country to have cash-free buses.

    C ．Local people don't feel comfortable carrying cash.

    D ．There has been a huge reduction in bank robberies．

44 ． Why does Johanna Hallen think the cashless society should be introduced slowly？

    A ．She worries that computer-related crime will increase．

    B ．She is concerned about the inconvenience to foreign travellers.

    C ．She believes that it's not easy for older people to get used to it.

    D ．She feels it is everyone's right to be able to use cash if they wish.

45 ．What information is most likely to follow the last paragraph?

    A. The difficulties people face in a cashless society.

    B ．Some benefits a cashless society will bring to banks.

    C ．The reasons for the change in customers' attitudes to cards.

    D ．Some possible solutions to the problems of a cashless society．

【回答】

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