1994 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 rvices available as well. More and more of the 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 the conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for llers 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 the computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assign
ments 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 itlf.
Numerous other commercial enterpris, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient rvices to consumers through the u of computers.脸出油
crazy english55. 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 rvices than other people do
[C] enjoy greater trust from the storekeeper
[D] cash money wherever he wishes to
56. From the last ntence of the first paragraph we learn that ________.
stephen sondheim>sleep
[A] in the future all the Americans will u credit cards
[B] credit cards are mainly ud in the United State today
[C] nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash
[D] it is now more convenient to u creditflura cards than before
57. The phra "ring up sales" (line 2, paragraph 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
58. What is this passage mainly about?
[A] Approaches to the commercial u of computers.the show
[B] Conveniences brought about by computers in business.
[C] Significance of automation in commercial enterpris.swinging
[D] Advantages of credit cards in business.
重点词汇：
deposit （v.n.存放；储蓄；沉淀）即de+pos+it，de-向下，pos词根“放”，it后缀，“放下它”。The足球下载 mark of the historic is the nonchalance with which it picks up an individual and deposits him in a trend, like a hou playfully moved in a tornado.历史性事件的标志是冷漠，它拈起一个人置于某种趋势中，使之像龙卷风里的房子那样儿戏般地翻滚。
horizon （地平线；眼界）。The horizon of life is broadened chiefly by the enlargement of the heart.生活的地平线主要由心胸的扩大而拓展。We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon.我们都生活在同一个天空下，但我们并不都拥有同样的地平线。
convenience （便利）即con+veni+ence，con-一起，veni词根“来”，-ence名词后缀，“需要的东西都一起提供”→便利；convenient （便利的）←con+veni+ent
形容词后缀。What a convenient and delightful world is this world of books.书籍的世界是多么便利而令人愉快啊！It is convenient that there be gods, and, as it is convenient, let us believe that there are.有上帝是方便的，既然如此，我们就相信有上帝吧。
老友记mp3打包下载processor （制造者；处理器）←process处理+or；microprocessor（微处理器）←micro+processor。
难句解析：
①They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad and they make many banking rvices available as well.
▲此句是由and连接的两个并列句，其中第一个句子结构较复杂，有一个复杂的地点状语in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad，在阅读时在此处可以适当地加快速度。
△此句在理解中的难点是短语give somebody credit，此处credit应理解为“信用额度”，在英文中credit card意味着持卡人可以有一定的透支额度。
studying abroad②Electronic 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.
▲这两个短句虽然简单，但是由于其中包含有几个短语，如do much ，ring up，electronic cash registers等，因此在阅读中也存在一定的障碍，在我们不知道一个短语的确切意思的情况下，通过上下文来定位其大致意思就显得非常重要。
△electronic cash registers意为“电子收银并记录”；do much more than的意思是“做的不只是”；ring up的意思可以从第一个短句的结构中推出，第一个短句的结构为A can do much more than simply B，我们知道A和B之间只存在程度上的差异，而本质相同，因此ring up应该与electronic cash registers意思相同或相近，应为“收款，记录”的意思。
