Which are you more likely to have with you at any given moment-your cell phone or your wallet? Soon you may be able to throw your wallet away and pay for things with a quick wave of your smart phone over an electronic scanner.
In January, Starbucks announced that customers could start using their phones to buy coffee in 6,800 of its stores. This is the first pay-by-phone practice in the U.S., but we’re likely to see more wireless payment alternatives as something called near field communication (NFC) gets into America’s consumer electronics. Last December, some new smart phones which contain an NFC chip were introduced to the public.
Already in use in parts of Asia and Europe, NFC allows shoppers to wave their phones a few inches above a payment terminal – a contact- free system built for speed and convenience. But before NFC becomes widely adopted in the U.S., a few problems need to be worked out, like who will get to collect the profitable transaction（交易）fees. Although some credit card providers have been experimenting with wave-and- pay systems that use NFC-enabled credit cards, cell phone service providers may try to muscle their way into the point-of-sale（POS）market. Three big cell phone service providers have formed a joint venture（合资企业）that will go into operation over the next 15 months. Its goal is “to lead the U.S. payments industry from cards to mobile phone.”
The other big NFC issue, apart from how payments will be processed, is security. For instance, what’s to stop a thief from digitally pick-pocketing you? “We’re still not at the point where an attacker can just brush against you in a crowd and steal all the money out of your phone,” says Jimmy Shah. A mobile- security researcher, “Users may also be able to set transaction limits, perhaps requiring a password to be entered for larger purchases.”
Still uneasy about this digital-wallet business? Keep in mind that if you lose your smart phone, it can be located on a map and remotely disabled. Plus, your phone can be password protected. Your wallet isn’t.
【小题1】What is predicted to happen in the U.S.?

Which are you more likely to have with you at any given moment-your cell phone or your wallet? Soon you may be able to throw your wallet away and pay for things with a quick wave of your smart phone over an electronic scanner.
In January, Starbucks announced that customers could start using their phones to buy coffee in 6,800 of its stores. This is the first pay-by-phone practice in the U.S., but we’re likely to see more wireless payment alternatives as something called near field communication (NFC) gets into America’s consumer electronics. Last December, some new smart phones which contain an NFC chip were introduced to the public.
Already in use in parts of Asia and Europe, NFC allows shoppers to wave their phones a few inches above a payment terminal – a contact- free system built for speed and convenience. But before NFC becomes widely adopted in the U.S., a few problems need to be worked out, like who will get to collect the profitable transaction（交易）fees. Although some credit card providers have been experimenting with wave-and- pay systems that use NFC-enabled credit cards, cell phone service providers may try to muscle their way into the point-of-sale（POS）market. Three big cell phone service providers have formed a joint venture（合资企业）that will go into operation over the next 15 months. Its goal is “to lead the U.S. payments industry from cards to mobile phone.”
The other big NFC issue, apart from how payments will be processed, is security. For instance, what’s to stop a thief from digitally pick-pocketing you? “We’re still not at the point where an attacker can just brush against you in a crowd and steal all the money out of your phone,” says Jimmy Shah. A mobile- security researcher, “Users may also be able to set transaction limits, perhaps requiring a password to be entered for larger purchases.”
Still uneasy about this digital-wallet business? Keep in mind that if you lose your smart phone, it can be located on a map and remotely disabled. Plus, your phone can be password protected. Your wallet isn’t.

1. 1.

   What is predicted to happen in the U.S.?

   1. A.
      The expansion of cell phone companies.
   2. B.
      The boom of pay-by-phone business.
   3. C.
      The disappearance of credit cards.
   4. D.
      The increase of Starbucks sales.
2. 2.

   The NFC technology can be used to __________.

   1. A.
      ensure the safety of shoppers
   2. B.
      collect transaction fees easily
   3. C.
      make purchase faster and simpler
   4. D.
      improve the quality of cell phones
3. 3.

   Three cell phone service providers form a joint venture to __________.

   1. A.
      strengthen their relationship
   2. B.
      test the NFC technology
   3. C.
      sell more cell phones
   4. D.
      get a share in the payments industry
4. 4.

   According to the passage, what can users do if they lose their smart phones?

   1. A.
      Stop the functioning of their phones.
   2. B.
      Set up a password.
   3. C.
      Get all the money out of their phones.
   4. D.
      Report it to the bank.

Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house. One of them crawled into the house while the other waited outside.

There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl into the house. “look! In comes one.” She said to the man in the house. Te thief was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside, “She found me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn’t believe him, so he said, “Let us two try to crawl into the house together.” At that time, two mice happened to crawl into the house too. The woman saw the mice and shouted, “In come two. Catch them!” the two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in he house said, “You saw them come in but where are they?” I will catch them tonight.” The two thieves started to run away at once.

The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rope broke and the woman came home for one. She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn’t wait of her any longer and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said, “How they look like the two of last night.” The man said, “ I asked you to fetch a rope. Why don’t you hurry for it?” the two thieves ran away very quickly without their sweet potatoes

The two thieves failed to steal anything from the house because ________.

A. they were found out

B. they were frightened by what they had heard in the house

C. they didn’t work together well with each other

D. mice stopped them from doing so

From the last paragraph we know that __________.

the two thieves were farmer selling potatoes.

The woman recognized the two thieves

The woman pretended to know nothing about the two thieves and mad fun of them

The two thieves didn’t know that they were not found at all

When the woman said “How thy look like the two of last night”___________.

A. she referred to the two thieves          B. she meant nothing    

C. she said it on purpose                 D. she referred to the two mice

“__________” is the title for this passage.

A. Two Clever Thieves               B. Terrible Mice

C. Hit the Mark by a Fluke          D. A Clever Couple

Which of the following statements is false?

The two thieves not only failed to steal things but also lost their sweet potatoes.

Whenever thy found mice, the people in the house would try to catch them.

The two thieves ran away at once because they thought the woman had seen them.

The man let the woman go home for a rope, which would be used for catching the thieves.