A new system that scans customers’ fingerprints and subtracts（減去）the grocery bill from their bank accounts has taken supermarkets in Germany to use the new system. “Almost a quarter of our customers pay with their fingers,” said an employee at the headquarters. Edeka has tried the system at 70 of its supermarkets. It says it will introduce it at 200 others because customers like it.
“At first we thought that only the young who really keep up with the latest technology would be interested, but we were wrong,” said Stefan Sewoester from IT Werke. “Almost two-thirds of the people who use the system are 40 and older,” he said.
IT Werke, a computer company, is one of the pioneers of fingerprint payment software in Germany. It has helped about 150 shops, canteens and bars to put in the fingerprint scanning machines. Each costs about 2,000 euros.
To sign up for the service, customers must have their fingerprints taken and leave their addresses and banking details with the shop. The shop then takes the cost of goods directly out of the customer’s bank account.
“It is especially a good thing for elderly people. Now they do not have to remember their pin to pay with their bank cards, or to scratch around for their glasses or cash.” Sewoester said.
The stores benefit from the system too. It saves more than time in the check-out line. It also cuts out the hidden costs of accepting electronic card payments.
小題1:According to the passage, the fingerprint system______.
A．was invented by the Edeka supermarket chain
B．has caused payment revolution in Germany
C．is more popular with young people
D．is preferred by most American customers
小題2:To apply to pay with fingers, customers are required to do all of the following EXCEPT______.
A．have their fingerprints taken
B．leave their addresses
C．give the shop information about the bank accounts
D．have their phones connected with computers
小題3:Why do elderly people benefit much from the fingerprint machine?
A．They will spend less time on shopping..
B．They are not forgetful.
C．They don’t like to pay in cash
D．They always fail to find their bank cards.

小題1:B
小題2:D
小題3:A
文章講述的是德國進行的一次通過指紋進行付錢的系統(tǒng)的革命。
小題1:推理題。根據(jù)第一段3,4行Edeka has tried the system at 70 of its supermarkets. It says it will introduce it at 200 others because customers like it.可知這種系統(tǒng)已經(jīng)有了很大的影響。
小題2:細節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第4段內(nèi)容可知AB正確，C是常識，要付錢必須要有所購買物品的相關信息。
小題3:細節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章最后兩行It saves more than time in the check-out line. It also cuts out the hidden costs of accepting electronic card payments.內(nèi)容可知A正確。
練習冊系列答案
相關習題

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It has changed the way we work. Already we’re partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth (廣度) of the economic transformation can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to a basic new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held concepts about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers — all these are being challenged.
We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip (芯片), would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more important, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing (制造業(yè)) or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant (最重要的). It will be the way you do your job.
小題1:One of the great changes caused by the knowledge society is that ______.
A．most people have to take part-time jobs
B．people have to change their jobs from time to time
C．people’s traditional concepts about work are no longer completely true
D．the difference between the employee and the employer has become unimportant
小題2:The future will probably belong to those who ______.
A．have more brains
B．a(chǎn)re involved in the service industries
C．cast their mind ahead instead of looking back
D．possess and know how to make use of information
小題3:Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
A．Computers and the knowledge society
B．Features and meanings of the New Era
C．Service Industries in the Modern Society
D．Rapid Advancement of Information Technology

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

From good reading we can derive pleasure, companionship, experience, and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surroundings and even our identity. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.
With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely. Whether the characters portrayed are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends. In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times. The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances. Our human friends sometimes may bore us, but the friends we make in books need never weary us with their company. By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings. When human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy, and encouragement. One of the most valuable gifts bestowed by books is experience. Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences, but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books. Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of everyday life or whether we long to visit some far-off place, a book will help us when nothing else can. To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way; no airship or ocean liner or stream-lined train to transport us; no passport to enter the land of our heart's desire. Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger. We can climb lofty mountains, brave the perils of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert, all without hardship. In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood; we may mingle with the gay throngs of the Paris boulevards; we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island. Indeed, through books the whole world is ours for the asking. The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited. The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of music, the treasures of art, the triumphs of architecture, the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read.
小題1:Why is it that we sometimes forget our surroundings and even our identity while reading?
A．No one has come to disturb you.
B．Everything is so quiet and calm around you.
C．The book you are reading is so interesting and attractive.
D．Your book is overdue; you are finishing it at a very fast speed.
小題2:How would you account for the fact that people like their acquaintances in books even more?
A．They resemble human friends exactly.
B．They are unfamiliar types we like.
C．They never desert us.
D．They never hurt our feelings.
小題3:Which of the following is true?
A．Your wish to visit some far-off place can be realized through the pages of the books.
B．To escape from the dull realities of everyday life you should take up reading.
C．Books can always help you to live a colorful life.
D．You may obtain valuable experience from reading good books.
小題4: The word “weary” means ______.
A．“to attract someone’s attention”
B．“to distract someone’s attention”
C．“to make someone very tired”
D．“to make someone interested”
小題5:“... the whole world is ours for the asking” implies that ____________.
A．in books the world is more accessible to us
B．we can ask to go anywhere in the world
C．we can make a claim to everything in this world
D．we can make a round-the-world trip free of charge

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Have you ever wondered why the roots of the plants always know which way to grow—into the soil but not above it? Some British scientists have recently solved this mystery.
It turns out that roots have special hairs that tie them into the soil and help them grow their way past obstacles, a team at the John Inners Center in Norwich reports in the February 29 issue of Journal Science.
“The key is in the fuzzy(有絨毛的)coat of hairs on the roots of plants,” says professor Liam Dolan. “We have found a growth control system that enables these hairs to find their way and to become longer when their path is clear.”
Root hairs explore the soil in much the same way a person would feel their way in the dark. If they come across an obstacle, they make their way around until they can continue growing in an opening. In the meantime, the plant is held in place as the hairs grip(緊緊抓住)the soil.
The hairs are guided by a clever chemical trick. A protein(蛋白質(zhì)) at the tip of the root hairs called RHD2 helps them to take calcium(鈣) from the soil. Calcium makes the hairs grow, and produce more RHD2, and take more calcium.
But when an obstacle blocks the hair’s path, or the hair reaches the surface of the soil, the cycle is broken and growth starts in another direction.
This system gives plants the flexibility to explore a complex environment and to live in even the most unpromising soils, says Dolan.
In poor soils such as in parts of Australia and Africa, native plants have adapted by producing enormous numbers of root hairs. A better understanding of this adaptation will allow scientists to develop hairy rooted crops that can grow in unfriendly environments.
According to Dolan, “Research in the John Inners Center is taking a breeding approach to increase hair length in wheat but it will be some time before new cultivars(栽培變種) are developed.”
小題1:The passage is mainly about _______.
A．why the roots of plants grow into the soil but not above it
B．how the roots of plants grow into the soil but not above it
C．the process of plants growth
D．a(chǎn) growth control system of plants
小題2:How does the circle work?
A．RHD2 takes calcium from the soil, which makes hairs grow, and produce RHD2 and take more calcium
B．Roots take RHD2 and calcium from the soil and produce RHD2
C．Roots make hairs grow, and produce RHD2, and take more calcium
D．RHD2 takes protein, which makes hairs grow, and produce RHD2, and take more calcium
小題3:We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
A．hairy rooted crops can grow better in unfriendly environments
B．a(chǎn) new cultivar of wheat with long hair has been developed by scientists
C．a(chǎn) new cultivar of wheat with long hair is still on test
D．the roots of plants always know which way to grow

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

We must do what we can to protect the plants because plants are very important for living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This is because plants can make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals get their food by eating plants and other animals. Therefore animals and man need plants in order to live. This is why we find that there are so many plants around us.
If you look carefully at the plants around you, you will find that there are two kinds of plants: flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Flowering plants can make seeds. The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed, some have two, three or four, and some have many seeds. But a few fruits have no seeds at all. An example of a fruit without seeds is the banana fruit. Most non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores（胚芽）. Spores are very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the air. We may say that spores are quite the same as seeds. When these spores are all on wet and shady places, they usually grow into new plants.
小題1:Plants can make food from______.
A．flower, water and airB．water, sunlight and air
C．a(chǎn)ir, water and soilD．a(chǎn)ir, sun and light
小題2:The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.
A．plants are important for life
B．plants cannot grow without air
C．there are many plants in the world
D．we can not live without water
小題3:What can we infer（推斷） from the passage？
A．Of all living things animals are most important
B．Spores are seeds
C．All fruits of flowering plants have seeds
D．Without plants, man will die out
小題4:This passage may be taken from______.
A．a(chǎn) medicine bookB．a(chǎn) novel
C．a(chǎn) science magazineD．a(chǎn)n experiment report
小題5:The underlined word “protected” in the passage can be replaced by ______.
A．damagedB．pollutedC．preventedD．guarded

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A simple piece of clothesline hangs between some environmentally friendly Americans and their neighbors．
On one side stand those who see clothes dryers （干衣機） as a waste of energy and a major polluter of the environment．As a result, they are turning to clotheslines as part of the “what-I-can-do environmentalism．”
On the other side are people who are against drying clothes outside, arguing that clotheslines are unpleasant to look at．They have persuaded Homeowners Associations （HOAs） access the U．S．to ban outdoor clotheslines, because clothesline drying also tends to lower home value in the neighborhood．
This has led to a Right-to-Dry Movement that is calling for laws to be passed to protect people’s right to use clotheslines．So far, only three states have laws to protect clothesline．Right-to-Dry supporters argue that there should be more．
Matt Reck, 37, is the kind of eco-conscious（有生態(tài)意識的）person who feeds his trees with bathwater and reuses water drops from his air conditioners to water plants．His family also uses a clothesline．But on July 9, 2007, the HOA in Wake Forest, North Carolina, told him that a dissatisfied neighbor had telephoned them about his clothesline．The Recks paid no attention to the warning and still dried their clothes on a line in the yard．“Many people say they are environmentally friendly but they don’t take matters into their own hands,” says Reck．The local HOA has decided not to take any action, unless more neighbors come to them．
North Carolina lawmakers are saying that banning clotheslines is not the right thing to do．But HOAs and housing businesses believe that clothesline drying reminds people of poor neighborhoods．They worry that if buyers think their future neighbors can’t even afford dryers, housing prices will fall．
Environmentalists say such worries are not necessary, and in view of global warming, that idea needs to change．As they say, “The clothesline is beautiful．Hanging clothes outside should be encouraged．We all have to do at least something to slow down the process of global warming．”
小題1:One of the reasons why supporters of clothes dryers are trying to ban clothesline drying is that ______．
A．clothes dryers are more efficient
B．clothesline drying reduces home value
C．clothes dryers are energy-saving
D．clothesline drying is not allowed in most U．S．states
小題2:Who are in favor of clothesline drying?
A．Housing businesses.
B．Environmentalists．
C．Homeowners Associations．
D．Reck’s dissatisfied neighbors．
小題3:What is mainly discussed in the text?
A．Clothesline drying: a way to save energy and money．
B．Clothesline drying: a lost art rediscovered．
C．Opposite opinions on clothesline drying．
D．Different varieties of clotheslines．

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A farm planted levels or floors is called a vertical（垂直的）farm. A skyscraper type building can house a vertical farm. Since the garden is built upwards，rather than outwards，it requires much less space than a conventional farm.
The world is quickly running out of room for conventional farming. Vertical farms could be a key to this situation. An 18­story vertical farm could feed as many as 50,000 people，all in an area which is the size of the average city block. Vertical farms in the city could cut down on transportation costs as well. Think about the amount of fuel it takes to transport food from farmland to city. The resources saved would be surprising. Besides saving travel time，food would be delivered in fresher condition and with less damage.
There is a growing concern about the use of pesticides(殺蟲劑) in agriculture today. But the vertical farm would be a greenhouse type environment, avoiding the need for a large number of pesticides. Vertical farms can be built in a contained space，therefore they are an excellent solution for living well in an environment far different from our own. Hydroponics(水耕法) could be a big part of vertical gardening. This would reduce the amount of soil needed to grow food. Of course，not all food does well with this type of planting，but there are many crops that actually seem to do better.
In some climates，a lack of sunlight creates a short growing season. The solar power option may not work as well here. The addition of grow lights would make it possible to grow crops in vertical gardens in these areas .In other words，we could grow crops in areas where we never could before.
Vertical farms may just be a concept for now，but they are a concept that will solve many of our problems in the future.
小題1:According to the passage, a vertical farm________.
A．is mainly built outwards
B．is dependent on solar power
C．is planted on levels upwards
D．is only an environmental friendly farm
小題2:Compared to the conventional farm, the vertical farm can________.
A．depend far less on sunlight
B．greatly increase the use of soil
C．help to protect the limited gardens
D．reduce the use of harmful pesticides
小題3:It can be learned from the passage that vertical farms________.
A．have been put into use
B．only use hydroponics to grow food
C．need less room than conventional farms
D．may increase the transportation costs
小題4:What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Vertical farms for our future
B．Ways to deal with future problems
C．Vertical farms and green skyscrapers
D．Making Full Use of Our Limited Land

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

All children in the United States have to receive an education, but not all children go to school. A number of parents　　36　not to send their children to school. Such children are known　　37　　 “home-schoolers”. Some parents prefer teaching their children at home　　38 they do not believe schools teach the correct religious (宗教的)　　39 ; others believe they can provide a better educational　　40 for their children by doing so.　　41 , results show home-schooled children often do better than 　　42 on national tests in reading and math.
　　David teaches his three children at home. He 　　43　that his children learn very differently from children in school. Learning starts with the children’s　　44　and questions. For example, when there is snowfall on a winter day, it may　　45　a discussion about climate, snow removal 　　46 , Alaska, etc. Or a spring evening when the family is out　47　the stars is a good time to ask questions about the sky. If the Brazilian rain forests are on TV, it　48　　be a perfect time to talk about how rain forests influence the climate, how deserts are　49　　and how the polar ice caps　50 ocean levels.
　Home schooling is often more interesting than　　51　schools, but critics (批評家) say home-schoolers might be uncomfortable　　52　 with other people in adult life. Critics also say that most parents are not　53　to teach their children. However, most parents don’t have the time or the　　54　to teach their children at home, so schools will continue to be　　55　　most children get their formal education.
小題1:
A．considerB．prefer　　　　C．provideD．suggest
小題2:
A．for　　　　B．toC．a(chǎn)s　　　　　　D．in
小題3:
A．because　　B．forC．thoughD．while
小題4:
A．a(chǎn)ctivitiesB．usesC．thoughtsD．values
小題5:
A．experienceB．knowledgeC．behaviorD．way
小題6:
A．SadlyB．ActuallyC．UnbelievablyD．Happily
小題7:
A．normalB．ordinaryC．common　　　　　D．a(chǎn)verage
小題8:
A．believesB．saysC．offers　　　　　　D．imagines
小題9:
A．interestsB．discussionC．needsD．hobbies
小題10:
A．carryB．openC．lead　　　　　　D．start
小題11:
A．furnitureB．equipmentC．toolD．maker
小題12:
A．seeingB．lookingC．watchingD．noticing
小題13:
A．needB．mustC．oughtD．could
小題14:
A．a(chǎn)ppearedB．formedC．inventedD．built
小題15:
A．a(chǎn)ffectB．decideC．makeD．determine
小題16:
A．outsideB．expensiveC．informalD．regular
小題17:
A．livingB．matchingC．mixingD．connecting
小題18:
A．fit　　　　B．a(chǎn)daptedC．a(chǎn)vailableD．good
小題19:
A．moneyB．desireC．hopeD．demand
小題20:
A．whyB．howC．whenD．where

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


For those who are tired doing the laundry, Samsung has found an answer: a washing machine that can tell you when your laundry is done via a smartphone app(application).
Strange though it may seem — “my wife already does that” was a common response among attendees viewing the device when it was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week — Samsung is just one of many appliance makers racing to install (安裝) a large number of internet-connected features in machines in an effort to make them “smart”.
Last year, it was a refrigerator that tweeted. This year, it’s Wi-Fi-enabled laundry machines and fridges that can tell you when your groceries are going bad.
The washers and dryers, available starting in the spring, connect to any smartphone through a downloadable application. The phone can then be used as a remote control, so the machines can be turned on and off while their owners is at work or on the bus.
Samsung says it’s not just something new — the app connection actually has some practical uses.
“If you started to dry clothes in the morning and forgot to take them out, you can go to your phone and restart your dryer for the time when come home, so your clothes are refreshed and ready to go,” said spokesperson Amy Schmidt.
The company also says that with electricity rate(電價)varying depending on the time of day, more control over when the machines are used can help save money.
Perhaps, but what they will probably really accomplish is what all good technologies do —enable laziness. Rather than getting up to check on whether the laundry is done, users will instead monitor it on their phones while watching TV.
小題1:What can be inferred from the common response of the attendees at the CES?
A．The machine will be a big success.
B．their wives like doing the laundry.
C．The machine is unrelated to their life.
D．This kind of technology is familiar to them.
小題2:What can we learn about the new laundry machines?
A．They can tell you when your clothes need washing
B．They can be controlled with a smartphone
C．They are difficult to operate
D．They are sold at a low price
小題3:We can conclude form Samsung’s statements that ___________.
A．the app connection makes life easier
B．it is better to dry clothes in the morning
C．smartphone can shorten the drying time
D．we should refresh clothes back at home
小題4:What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A．The laundry should be frequently checked
B．Lazy people like using such machines
C．Good technologies also cause problems
D．Television may help do the laundry.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習冊答案