Which are you more likely to have with you at any given moment-your cell phone or your wallet? Soon you may be able to throw your wallet away and pay for things with a quick wave of your smart phone over an electronic scanner. In January, Starbucks announced that customers could start using their phones to buy coffee in 6,800 of its stores. This is the first pay-by-phone practice in the U.S., but we're likely to see more wireless payment alternatives as something called near field communication (NFC) gets into America's consumer electronics. Last December, some new smart phones which contain an NFC chip were introduced to the public. Already in use in parts of Asia and Europe, NFC allows shoppers to wave their phones a few inches above a payment terminal - a contact- free system built for speed and convenience. But before NFC becomes widely adopted in the U.S., a few problems need to be worked out, like who will get to collect the profitable transaction fees. Although some credit card providers have been experimenting with wave-and- pay systems that use NFC-enabled credit cards, cell phone service providers may try to muscle their way into the point-of-sale(POS)market. Three big cell phone service providers have formed a joint venture that will go into operation over the next 15 months. Its goal is "to lead the U.S. payments industry from cards to mobile phone." The other big NFC issue, apart from how payments will be processed, is security. For instance, what's to stop a thief from digitally pick-pocketing you? "We're still not at the point where an attacker can just brush against you in a crowd and steal all the money out of your phone," says Jimmy Shah. A mobile- security researcher, "Users may also be able to set transaction limits, perhaps requiring a password to be entered for larger purchases." Still uneasy about this digital-wallet business? Keep in mind that if you lose your smart phone, it can be located on a map and remotely disabled. Plus, your phone can be password protected. Your wallet isn't. Three cell phone service providers form a joint venture to   _  . A) strengthen their relationship B) test the NFC technology C) sell more cell phones D) get a share in the payments industry
D
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The worldwide increase in the use of cellphones has caused concerns regarding possible harmful effects caused by cellphone radiation. People are particularly concerned that the radiation will put cellphone users at a higher risk of suffering from cancer. However, studies of the association between cellphone use and the risk of brain cancer have reached different conclusions(some, but not all, studies showed increased risk). Researchers conducted a study to examine if cellphone radiation affected regional activity in the human brain. The study, conducted between January 1 and December 31, 2009,included 47 participants. Cellphones were placed on the left and right ears, and brain imaging was performed to measure brain glucose metabolism  twice: one with the right cellphone activated for 50 minutes("on" condition) and once with both cellphones deactivated("off" condition). An analysis was conducted to check the association of metabolism and cellphone radiation. The scans were compared to assess the effect of cellphone use on brain glucose metabolism. The researchers found that whole-brain metabolism did not differ between the on and off conditions. However there were regional effects. Metabolism in some brain region was higher (about 7 percent) for cellphone on than for cellphone off conditions. This indicates that the regions expected to absorb more cellphone radiation were the ones that showed the larger increases in glucose metabolism. These results provide evidence that the human brain is sensitive to the effects of acute  cellphone radiation. However, how cellphone radiation could affect brain glucose metabolism is unclear. Concerns have been raised by the possibility that cellphone radiation may  _ brain cancer. Results of this study provide evidence that acute cellphone radiation affects brain metabolic activity. However, these results provide no information as to their connection regarding possible carcinogenic  effects (or lack of such effects) of chronic  cellphone use. Further studies are needed to... What does the passage mainly talk about? A) The current situation of cellphone use. B) To phone or not to phone. C) The link between cellphone use and brain cancer. D) Long-term harmful effects of cellphones.
C
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As we all know, any country has good reasons to want its citizens to be as healthy as possible. This led to the introduction of a health service in many countries. France has developed into a country in which all citizens can get most of the health treatment free. The money for this is partly from the people who are willing to offer. But there are different opinions about the Health Service. The number of patients treated every year and the cost of treatment are much greater than expected. This means that the people who work for the Health Service --- doctors, nurses and other hospital workers, have much more work to do, and as a result they have little time for preventive treatment. However, the tough problem is that as many people are able to receive treatment more expensive than they can pay, sometimes people go and visit their doctors when they don't really need to. As there are many patients, doctors cannot spend time long enough with each patient. So some people prefer to pay for their own treatment so that their doctors can examine them more carefully. In fact, some rich people feel that they should pay more free money, which would be given to other citizens. France is described as an example to show that   _  . A) people have to pay part of the medical care B) everyone in France enjoys free medical care C) it is a country with the Health Service D) it is a very rich country in Europe
C
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Special Bridges Help Animals Cross the Road ----Reported by Sheila Carrick     Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.     Most people know this joke.But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.      "Millions of animals die each year on U.S.roads," the Federal Highway Administration reports.In fact, only about 80  _ , an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S.today.The main reason? Roadkill.      "Ecopassages" may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars.They are paths both over and under roads."These ecopassages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents," said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.     But do animals actually use the ecopassages? The answer is yes.Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an ecopassage that went under a highway.This showed that the lions used the passage.     Builders of ecopassages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them.Animals seem  _ .Animals as different as salamanders and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.     The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around.You might see an animals overpass! When the writer says that animals seem "to be catching on", he means   _  . A) animals begin to realize the dangers on the road B) animals begin to learn to use ecopassages C) animals are crossing the road in groups D) animals are increasing in number

B
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