新编四级听力练习 第374期

Section B
Passage One
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued [26]credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us [27]the "cashless society" is not on the horizon-it's already here.
While [26/28]computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when, and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how fast they are moving. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customer for promotional campaigns. Numerous other commercial enterprises, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers.

Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. What does the credit card enable its owner to do?
正确答案：B
解析：文章开头点明credit cards（信用卡）可以使其拥有者随时随地消费，之后又用these conveniences进行总结，故答案为B。
27. What is true of the cashless society for many Americans?
正确答案：C
解析：本题考查对细节的记忆。根据not on the horizon与it's already here可得出答案为C。此外，A、B、D含义相近，可一并排除。
28. What is this passage mainly about?
正确答案：B
解析：由选项预测本题可能是主旨题。根据conveniences to consumers和many advantages for sellers too总结出B为答案。