Passage 2

　　One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card.They give their owners automatic credit in stores,restaurants,and hotels,at home,across the country,and even abroad,and they make many 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 the cashless society is not on the horizon—it''s already here.

　　While 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.Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made.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 customers for promotional campaigns.Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons.Computer-analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now,which to develop for the future,and which to drop.Computers keep track of goods in stock,of raw materials on hand,and even of the production process itself.

　　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.

　　5.According to the passage,the credit card enables its owner to.

　　[A]withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes

　　[B]obtain more convenient services than other people do

　　[C]enjoy greater trust from the storekeeper

　　[D]cash money wherever he wishes to

　　6.From the last sentence of the first paragraph we learn that.

　　[A]in the future all the Americans will use credit cards

　　[B]credit cards are mainly used in the United States today

　　[C]nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash

　　[D]it is now more convenient to use credit cards than before

　　7.The phrase ring up sales（Line 2,Para.2） most probably means 。

　　[A]make an order of goods

　　[B]record sales on a cash register

　　[C]call the sales manager

　　[D]keep track of the goods in stock

　　8.What is this passage mainly about？

　　[A]Approaches to the commercial use of computers.

　　[B]Conveniences brought about by computers in business.

　　[C]Significance of automation in commercial enterprises.

　　[D]Advantages of credit cards in business.

　　文章结构与内容

　　文章结构：层层递进型。这种文章各段分别阐述文中核心问题的一个方面，而且各段段首常伴有表示并列或递进的词，文章的中心由综合各段段首得到。本文论述计算机技术在经济领域的广泛应用，三个段落各讨论一个方面。首段貌似谈论信用卡本身的服务，但由二段首句可以看出首段也在谈论计算机带来的便利（conveniences），因为信用卡的使用也是借助于计算机。另外，注意二段与三段段首在结构上的作用。

　　核心词汇

　　1.issue 发行，颁布；n.问题，发行（物），（报刊）期号

　　2.credit 信用；功劳；学分（同根词incredible难以置信的——cred相信）

　　3.automatic 自动的，无意识的（同根词automobile汽车——auto自动）

　　4.available 可以利用的；可得到的

　　5.withdraw 提取；撤销

　　6.deposit 存入，付（保证金）；n.存款，保证金

　　7.scattered 分散的（动词scatter）

　　8.cashless 无现金的（反义词cash 现金）

　　9.on the horizon 即将来临的（horizon 地平线；眼界）

　　10.convenience 便利，方便；便利设施（形容词convenient）

　　11.cash register 现金出纳机，现金进出记录机（register 登记，注册）

　　12.ring up 把…记入现金进出记录机；打电话

　　13.keep track of 记录，跟上…的进展（track 轨迹，跑道）

　　14.reorder 再定货（order订购）

　　15.assignment分配，委派；任务，作业

　　16.accordingly 相应地，因此

　　17.identify确定，识别 （名词identity身份）

　　18.preferred customers 有优先权的顾客

　　19.promotional 推销的，促进的（动词promote 促进，提升；促销）

　　20.in stock 有现货的，有库存的（stock 库存，现货；股票）

　　21.on hand 现有，在手头

　　22.utility 公用事业公司，公用事业设备，公用事业；效用（动词utilize利用）

　　23.automation 自动化（同根词automatic）