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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 trading 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 companies that will go into
operation over the next 15 months. Its goal is "to lead the U. S. payments
industry from cards to mobile phones."
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)
What is predicted to happen in the U.S.?
A . The expansion of cell phone companies.
B . The boom of pay-by-phone business.
C . The disappearance of credit cards.
D . The increase of Starbucks sales.
(2)
The NFC technology can be used to ______.
A . ensure the safety of shoppers
B . collect transaction fees easily
C . make purchase faster and simpler
D . improve the quality of cell phones
(3)
Three cell phone service providers form a joint companies to ______.
A . strengthen their relationship
B . get a share in the payments industry
C . sell more cell phones
D . test the NFC technology
(4)
According to the passage, what can users do if they lose their smart phones?
A . Stop the functioning of their phones.
B . Set up a password.
C . Get all the money out of their phones.
D . Cancel large purchases.
答案: B
C
B
A