Question

【题目】 “Cash is king” is an age-old saying. 【1】 When in Berlin, do not count on getting around easily with just a credit card. “Cash only” signs hang on front doors of shops and restaurants across the city.

【2】 After all, Germany is Europe’s leading economy and famous technological know-how. But, even while some of its neighbors in Europe and elsewhere are quickly swapping physical money for new pay technologies, many Germans prefer their euro bills. Cash is quick and easy to use, they argue. It provides a clear picture of personal spending, keeps transactions (交易) more private and is widely accepted in the country.

A study by the country’s central bank said Germans carried an average of 107 euros in their wallet. 【3】 Three-quarters of Americans in a U.S. bank survey said they carried less than $50, and one-quarter said they kept $10 or less in their wallet.

【4】 In 2008, for the first time, Germans used plastics for payments more than bills. According to a report, in Cologne, 48.6% of sales took place with a debit or a credit card, compared with 48.3% in cash.

Still, Germany has one of the highest rates of cash use in the European Union. The most important reasons for the close relationship of Germans to cash are their needs for protection of personal data, security and confidentiality (保密) of payments. 【5】 But the average German’s need for security will be sure to slow the process.

A. This may be surprising to some.

B. It’s far more than what Americans carry.

C. Change may happen in future generations.

D. Germany is not the only country that prefers cash.

E. For much of Germany, however, the phrase is still up to date.

F. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never heard of the saying.

G. That’s not to say that Germans rule out other modern payment methods.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】E

【2】A

【3】B

【4】G

【5】C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。主要讲述了在经济发展领先、科技发达的德国，由于种种原因，人们依然偏爱现金支付。

【1】根据前一句：“Cash is king” is an age-old saying（“现金为王”是一句古老的谚语）。E项“For much of Germany, however, the phrase is still up to date”句中的"the phrase"就是指的前一句中 "Cash is king"这一谚语，“still up to date”与上句中的 “age-old"相对，“however” 一词表示前后的转折关系。故选E项。

【2】根据该空格后一句开头的“After all”可知，后句是对该空的进一步解释说明。“After all，Germany is Europe’s leading economy and famous technological know-how”后面提到德国经济在欧洲领先并以技术发达著称，在这样一个现代化的国家却仍在沿用传统的现金支付方式，难 免让有些人感到惊讶。A项This may be surprising to some符合语境。故选A项。

【3】该空前一句“A study by the country’s central bank said Germans carried an average of 107 euros in their wallet”提到德国一家银行研究发现德国人平均每人钱包里会放107 欧元。该空后一句“three-quarters of Americans in a U.S. bank survey said they carried less than $50, and one-quarter said they kept $10 or less in their wallet”具体介绍了美国一家银行的相关调查结果。可见，该空是为了引出美国的调査结果，以与德国的调査结果作对比，以此更加突显出德国人对现金的依赖程度。B项It’s far more than what Americans carry.符合语境分析。故选B项。

【4】根据该空后面的内容“In 2008, for the first time, Germans used plastics for payments more than bills. According to a report, in Cologne, 48.6% of sales took place with a debit or a credit card, compared with 48.3% in cash”可以看出德国人也逐渐使用信用卡支付等先进支付手段，所以上文提到的德国人偏爱现金支付，并不是说德国人就完全不考虑其他现代化的支付手段。G项：That’s not to say that Germans rule out other modern payment methods（这并不是说德国人排除了其他现代支付方式）符合对该段内容的概括。故选G项。

【5】根据所填空之前的句子“Still, Germany has one of the highest rates of cash use in the European Union. The most important reasons for the close relationship of Germans to cash are their needs for protection of personal data, security and confidentiality of payments”可知，尽管借记卡、信用卡等支付手段在德国逐渐被接受，但是德国还是欧盟国家中使用现金支付最多的国家之一。接着说明了人们钟爱现金支付主要是出于安全考虑。该空后一句以“But”开头，说明前后句为转折关系，“But the average German’s need for security will be sure to slow the process”谈到人们对支付安全的考虑会减缓"the process"。由此不难看 出“the process”应该指的是未来人们支付方式可能发生变化的“进程”。C.项：Change may happen in future generations.符合语境分析。故选C项。

七选五技巧—定冠词来帮忙

在选择正确的语句填空时，要注意出现的定冠词。定冠词可能会出现在空前空后句，也有可能出现在选项中，无论这些词出现在哪，我们一定要清楚句子中出现的定冠词表示特指，那么可以根据此线索技巧进行“首个原词”定位，即找到所指相同的名词或短语或语句，即可选出正确选项。比如文章第1小题：

“Cash is king” is an age-old saying. ___1___

根据定冠词技巧，在选项E中For much of Germany, however, the phrase is still up to date，the phrase 之前由定冠词the出现，说明之前有提到过，对应原文中的“Cash is king” 这一谚语。所以E项为正确选项。