2019经济学人考研英文文章阅读八十九

The dash off cash

挥金如土

Rich countries must start planning for a cashless future

发达国家必须开始为无现金的未来做计划

For the past3,000years,when people thought of money they thought of cash.From buying food to settling bar tabs,day-to-day dealings involved creased paper or clinking bits of metal.

在过去的3000年里，每当提起钱，人们总会想到现金。从购买食物到酒吧吧台结算消费，日常交易用到的都是皱巴巴的纸币或叮当作响的硬币。

Over the past decade,however,digital payments have taken off—tapping your plastic on a terminal or swiping a smartphone has become normal.然而，过去十年间，数字支付已经兴起——在终端上刷卡或刷手机已经变得平常。Now this revolution is about to turn cash into an endangered species in some rich economies.That will make the economy more efficient—but it also poses new problems that could hold the transition hostage.

如今，这场革命即将要把一些发达国家的现金变为“濒危物种”。数字支付能够让经济更高效，但同时也带来了一些可能会阻碍经济转型的新的问题。

Countries are eliminating cash at varying speeds.But the direction of travel is clear,and in some cases the journey is nearly complete.In Sweden the number of retail cash transactions per person has fallen by80%in the

past ten years.Cash accounts for just6%of purchases by value in Norway.

全球各国淘汰现金的速度虽然不同，但至少方向是明确的，某些国家甚至已经几乎完全消除了现金。在过去十年间，瑞典人均零售现金交易次数下降了80%。换算至价值来说，现金仅占挪威购买金额的6%。

Britain is probably four or six years behind the Nordic countries.America is perhaps a decade behind.Outside the rich world,cash is still king.But even there its dominance is being eroded.In China digital payments rose from4%of all payments in2012to34%in2017.

英国可能比北欧国家落后四至六年。美国可能已经落后了十年。除开发达国家外，现金仍是王道。但即便是在这些不发达国家，现金的主导地位也正在遭受撼动。在中国，数字支付占总支付之比已经从2012年的4%上升至2017年的34%了。

Cash is dying out because of two forces.One is demand—younger consumers want payment systems that plug seamlessly into their digital lives.But equally important is that suppliers such as banks and tech firms (in developed markets)and telecoms companies(in emerging ones)are developing fast,easy-to-use payment technologies from which they can pull data and pocket fees.

在两股力量的作用下，现金正在走向灭亡。其一是需求——年轻的消费者希望支付系统能无缝接入他们的数字生活。其二，同样重要的是，（发达国家市场的）银行和科技公司以及（新兴市场的）电信公司等供应商正在开发快捷、便利的支付技术，它们可以从中获得数据并收取小额费用。

There is a high cost to running the infrastructure behind the cash economy—ATMs,vans carrying notes,tellers who accept coins.Most

financial firms are keen to abandon it,or deter old-fashioned customers with hefty fees.

现金经济背后运营的基础设施成本高昂——自动取款机、运钞车、收取硬币的收纳员。大多数金融公司都乐于抛弃现金交易，或者以高昂的手续费将传统客户拒之门外。

In the main the prospect of a cashless economy is excellent news.Cash is inefficient.In rich countries,minting,sorting,storing and distributing it is estimated to cost about0.5%of GDP.

总的来说，无现金经济的前景一片大好。现金代表着低效。在发达国家，铸造、分拣、储存和分配现金的成本估计就占GDP的近0.5%。

But that does not begin to capture the gains.When payments dematerialise,people and shops are less vulnerable to ernments can keep closer tabs on fraud or tax evasion.

但高昂的成本并没有带来什么好处。当支付数字化时，人们和商店都不容易被盗了。政府也可以更好地对诈骗和逃税行为进行监控。

Digitalisation vastly expands the playground of small businesses and sole traders by enabling them to sell beyond their borders.It also creates a credit history,helping consumers borrow.

数字化支付是的小型企业和个体贸易商能够将产品销往海外，从而极大地拓展了他们的经营范围。数字化支付还创造了信用记录，从而利于人们借贷。

(红色标注词为重难点词汇)

重难点词汇：

eliminate[ɪ'lɪmɪnet]vt.消除；排除

transaction[træn'zækʃən]n.交易；事务；办理；会报，学报

seamlessly['si:mlisli]adv.无缝地

abandon[ə'bændən]v.遗弃；离开；放弃；终止；陷入n.放任，狂热evasion[ɪ'veʒn]n.逃避；回避；借口