Question

The cash machine is 47 years old, but where was the birthplace of this world-beating invention? New York? Tokyo? No. The first ever cash machine was born in Enfield Town, north London. It was a Scottish inventor, John shepherd Barron, who realized the concept of a self-service machine that could be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to withdraw cash from one’s own bank account. It struck the inventor while he was in the bath. He hit upon the idea of a chocolate bar dispenser, replacing chocolate with cash.

On September 2 in 1969, America’s first automatic teller machine (ATM) appeared in public, giving out cash to customers at Chemical Bank, New York. It was only able to give out cash, but in 1971, an ATM that could handle many functions, including depositing(存款) money, was introduced. Today there are over one million ATMs around the world, with a new one added every five minutes. It is reported that Americans over the age of 18 use their ATM card six to eight times a mouth. Not surprisingly, ATMs get their busiest workouts on Fridays. In the 1990s, banks began charging fees to use ATMs, a profitable move for them and an annoying one for consumers.

Consumers were also faced with an increase in ATM crimes. Robbers preyed(抢夺) on people using money machines in poorly lit or otherwise unsafe locations, and criminals also thought up ways to steal customers’ PINs (personal identification numbers), even setting up fake money machines to capture the information. In response, city and state governments passed laws such as New York’s ATM Safety Act in 1996, which required banks to install such things as surveillance cameras (监控摄像头), reflective mirrors and locked entryways for their ATMs.

1. What does the underlined word, “It”, in the first paragraph, probably refer to?

A. The opening time of the bank.

B. The concept of an ATM.

C. Ordinary banking service.

D. The act of withdrawing cash.

2. Which of the following is true about ATM?

A. It appeared earlier than the chocolate bar dispenser.

B. It was invented by a Scottish man in 1971.

C. It was at first free of charge for its consumers.

D. It was originally designed to deposit money.

3. What can we learn from the text? "

A.Americans under the age of 18 are not allowed to have an ATM card.

B.People are more likely to turn to ATMs for banking service on Fridays.

C.Criminals usually choose unsafe locations to steal customers' PINs.

D.The ATM crime rate in New York is much lower than that in other state

4. Which of the following might be the best title for the text?

A.How to Operate on an ATM

B.What is Waiting for ATMs in the Future?

C.The First ATM Opened for Business

D. The Unknown Truth about ATM

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】本文主要讲述的是ATM的一些不为人所知的事情，ＡＴＭ的发明者以及具体的发展历程。

1.B

【试题解析】推理题。根据第一段3,4,5行It was a Scottish inventor, John shepherd Barron, who realized the concept of a self-service machine that could be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to withdraw cash from one’s own bank account.可知是苏格拉人John shepherd Barron首先有了the concept of a self-service machine的概念。所以下句中的it就是指自动取款机的想法。故B正确。

2.2】C

【试题解析】推理题。根据第二段最后2行In the 1990s, banks began charging fees to use ATMs, a profitable move for them and an annoying one for consumers.可知在1990s，银行开始对ATM的使用收费了，说明之前在刚刚开始使用的时候是不收费的。故C正确。

3.3】B

【试题解析】细节题。根据第二段第6行Not surprisingly, ATMs get their busiest workouts on Fridays.

可知在星期五的时候，ATM是最忙的，也就是说人们最喜欢是在星期五使用ATM。故B正确。

4.4】D

【试题解析】主旨大意题。根据文章第一段前3行The cash machine is 47 years old, but where was the birthplace of this world-beating invention? New York? Tokyo? No. The first ever cash machine was born in Enfield Town, north London. 可知本文主要讲述的是关于ATM的一些我们所不知道的事情。故D正确。

【长难句解析】

It was a Scottish inventor, John shepherd Barron, who realized the concept of a self-service machine that could be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to withdraw cash from one’s own bank account.

【翻译】正是一位苏格兰的发明家，John shepherd Barron他意识到一种自动服务的机器可以一天24小时、一周7天、天天都被使用，来从银行账户里取钱。

【分析】本句中有一个强调句型，It was a Scottish inventor, John shepherd Barron, who realized the concept of a self-service machine 。强调句子的主语a Scottish inventor, John shepherd Barron。句中还有一个定语从句that could be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to withdraw cash from one’s own bank account.修饰先行词a self-service machine。