A cashless society 無現金社會

用現金支付咖啡或買報紙的時代是否已經一去不復返瞭？如今電子支付已經非常普及，我們可以通過手機，無接觸銀行卡，甚至手指尖付款。《隨身英語》與大傢討論電子支付方式的優勢和劣勢。

課文內容

詞匯: money 錢

There is nothing worse than fumbling around in your pocket trying to find some small change to pay for a newspaper or a coffee. So it’s good to know that new technology is making cash – banknotes and coins – a thing of the past, turning us into a cashless society.

Today, many of us already use credit and debit cards for financial transactions so there’s no need to carry around huge wads of hard currency. And now it’s possible to make contactless payments using tap-and-go cards which are regular bankcards but with a built-in chip and antenna. The card reader sends out a radio frequency and, when you bring the card close to the reader, the antenna picks up the signal to make the payment.

Paying this way or spending on ‘plastic‘ – an informal name for a credit card – can put you at risk of fraud. Criminals try to steal cards, or the information on them, to make purchases online or in shops. However, contactless payment is capped – in the UK the limit is £30. And, if someone does go on a spending spree with your card, your bank covers you against the loss – something that wouldn’t happen if your banknotes were stolen. Also, the introduction of chip and PIN technology has led to a drop in fraud and has even been helping businesses by cutting the time people spend at tills in shops.

But, if getting your bankcard out seems like too much trouble, there’s now a solution using wearable tech – that’s clothing and accessories that include computer and electronic technologies. Kenneth Cukier, economist and technology expert, says “this is intended for people who are incredibly lazy who don’t want to take their card out of their wallet, or use their phone, or use their watch. People are going to be making more purchases more of the time – particularly for small-valued goods.”

And, although our mobile phones are another way of making payments, AYYBLOG reporter Kate Russell says that when this is inconvenient you can use the fingo-pay system which “reads the unique maps of veins under the surface of your finger.” The trick is remembering which finger you registered with – that’s when good old-fashioned cash might save the day! What do you prefer to use when you buy something?

詞匯表

fumbling 掏來掏去
small change 零錢
banknotes 紙幣
credit 信用
debit cards 現金賬戶卡
transactions 交易
wads 一紮一紮
hard currency 現金
contactless payments 無接觸支付
tap-and-go 點擊付款
antenna 天線
plastic (informal) （俗語）信用卡
fraud 詐騙
purchases 購物
spending spree 瘋狂采購
chip and PIN 密碼
tills 收款櫃臺
wearable tech 可穿戴科技
fingo-pay 指紋支付

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. True or false? A debit card can be used to buy something now and pay for it later.

2. What do criminals need to make a purchase that you have to pay for?

3. What word is used in the article that means to have put information on an official list?

4. Name one way, mentioned in the article, to pay for something without using cash.

5. Which part of your body does the fingo-pay system use to know it is you who is paying for something?

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. The man was arrested after he tried to buy a new car using fake ________.

notebanks bankers banknotes purchases

2. I called my bank after I saw a suspicious ________ on my credit card bill.

transactioned transaction transactions transgender

3. Jane was given lots of money for her birthday so she decided to go on a big ________.

fraud tap-and-go spending spree credit card

4. John said he couldn’t afford to pay for a holiday but I told him to put it on the ________.

tap-and-go chip and PIN debit card plastic

5. At the border I was only allowed to use ________ to pay for my visa.

soft currency hard currency harder currency hard currents

答案

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. True or false? A debit card can be used to buy something now and pay for it later.
False. A debit card takes money out of your account straight away.

2. What do criminals need to make a purchase that you have to pay for?
The information on your credit or debit card.

3. What word is used in the article that means to have put information on an official list?
The word is ‘registered’.

4. Name one way, mentioned in the article, to pay for something without using cash.
Mobile phone, watch, credit or debit card, tap-and-go cards, wearable tech, fingo-pay.

5. Which part of your body does the fingo-pay system use to know it is you who is paying for something?
It uses your finger.

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. The man was arrested after he tried to buy a new car using fake banknotes.

2. I called my bank after I saw a suspicious transaction on my credit card bill.

3. Jane was given lots of money for her birthday so she decided to go on a big spending spree.

4. John said he couldn’t afford to pay for a holiday but I told him to put it on the plastic.

5. At the border I was only allowed to use hard currency to pay for my visa.