2019-2020年英语中高考热点话题文章阅读

Is paper money going away?

纸币已经过时了吗?(词数450) Within a few months, were going to have a new set of banknotes(纸币). The People' s Bank of China(PBOC), the central bank, has upgraded the fifth edition of the renminbi(RMB)and will issue them from Aug 30. These bills will have brighter colors and new security features(防伪特征), which will make printing fake(假的) money even harder. We've been using banknotes for around 1, 000years. Back in the Northern Song Dynasty, Chinese people made the world’s earliest paper money to replace metal coins(金属硬币). These bank notes were called jiaozi. Obviously paper money is cheaper to make and easier to carry -these advantages made it more popular than other forms of money. But now, in the digital(数码的)age, paper money seems to be disappearing for the same reason-what's more convenient(方便的) than not having to carry any money at all?

China seems to be heading toward becoming a cashless society. From supermarkets to street stalls(小摊), people pay by using the WeChat Wallet and Alipay apps on their mobile phones. Sweden is even closer to a future without paper money. Many Swedish banks no longer even have cash on hand. But there are worries about creating cashless. Some say it is unfair to the poor and people without much education. It's not easy for them to open bank accounts(账户) or deal with mobile phones. And if all of your money is digital you may lose your money if your accounts are hacked(黑客攻击)Although paper money is in a losing battle with electronic payment in some countries, it's still a big thing in most parts of the world. It may take a little longer than you think to see it go away.

Listen to your books

耳朵“阅读”时代来了?（词数260, 7分钟）

With the development of technology and the internet, there is a new trend in reading audio books. More people are choosing to listen to audio books these days, according to this years national reading report.

The report was released by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication(CAPP).It shows that audio books have become quite popular among most readers. One in three adult listen to audio books. They mainly use popular audio sharing platf0mmS(平台) like Ximalaya.

Kids have also been a main driver in the development of audio books. Ximalaya noted that the value of audio book purchases made by those aged 13 to 18 in 2018 increased by 330 percent over that of 2017, the Beijing Evening News reported.

In addition, around 26.8 percent of children under 8 years old listen to audio books. Most of them listen at least once a week .Their favorite categories(分类)are “stories for kids” and "poetry reading”

One of the reasons audio books have taken off is that people want to get more use out of their free time. China News Service reported. Whether they're at the gym, on a bus, or in bed, people can enjoy reading without a heavy paper book ore-reader. Faster internet speeds mean one can download a whole book in just seconds, according to Wei Yushan, director of CAPP.

Audio app content designers have invited broadcasters(播音员) and production(制作) groups to join in content production. Both the quality and number of audio books being offered have greatly improved. More people can find the audio books they like the most, the report says.