趋势经济
Cards to Replace Notes in Our Affections
纸币VS信用卡 未来谁主天下 Credit and debit cards are expected to overtake cash this year as Britain’s most popular method of payment，according to a new industry report.
It will be the first time that card payments have outstripped cash outlay for goods and services. There are 246 plastic card transactions made every second.
Total plastic card use is expected to exceed￡269bn in 2004，just a whisker ahead of the predicted￡268bn for cash payments，said a spokesman for the banking industry body the Association for Payment Clearing Services.
The group，which represents the major banks，said credit cards had become “demonized” as one of the main causes of ballooning debts，but added： “Without plastic，our society would virtually grind to a halt.”
Last year，the number of plastic cards in use in Britain grew by 13 million，or 9%，to 160 million—the equivalent of 3.5 cards per adult. Two-thirds of card transactions are now made using debit cards.
Plastic accounted for￡244bn of spending in 2003. “This year，total plastic card use，if business card usage is included，is expected to top￡269bn.”said the spokesman for the Association for payment Clearing Services.
In terms of numbers of transactions，cash will remain much bigger than plastic for some time to come，he added. “Cash will always remain there for low-value payments.”
Meanwhile，2003 was the year that e-commerce “came of age” in the UK. More than 18 million people bought goods or services online，up 50% compared to 2002. Credit cards accounted for 69% of the 200 million transactions，with debit cards mopping up most of the remainder.
Last year was a landmark year for another reason—the first reduction in card fraud for eight years. Fraud losses on plastic cards fell by 5% to ￡402 million as measures to combat crooks started to take effect.
A new generation of cards containing computer chips is being introduced，and by the end of this year most people making face-to-face purchases will have to type their four-digit Pin number into keypads at tills and will no longer have to sign receipts.
根据一份新的行业报告显示：今年，信用卡和借记卡有望取代现金成为英国最流行的付款方式。
这是购买商品和支付服务费用时银行卡付款方式首次超过现金付款方式，每秒钟有246笔银行卡交易。
银行业机构付款清算服务协会发言人说，2004年使用信用卡进行交易的总额有望超过2，690亿英镑，比预计的现金支付总额2，680亿英镑稍高一些。
这个代表着各主要银行的协会说，信用卡已经成了“魔鬼”，是造成债务激增的主要原因之一，但他们也补充道：“没有信用卡，我们的社会将会停滞不前。”
去年，使用中的英国信用卡数量增加到1.6亿，增长了1300万，增幅达9%，相当于每个成年人拥有3.5张信用卡。现在，借记卡占银行卡交易的2/3。
2003年，信用卡消费额达到2，440亿英镑。付款清算服务协会发言人说：“如果包括商业卡在内，那么今年信用卡的交易总额有望超过2，690亿英镑。”
就交易的数量来说，在未来一段时间内，现金交易还是会远远多于信用卡交易。发言人还补充说，“现金会继续作为小额款项的支付方式。”
同时，2003年是英国电子商务走向成熟的一年。超过1，800万人在网上购物或接受服务，比2002年增长了50%。在2亿笔交易中，使用信用卡的占69%，而剩下的部分几乎被借记卡囊括。
去年之所以是具有里程碑意义的一年，还有另外一个原因——8年来，信用卡诈骗事件首次有所缩减。由于打击信用卡诈骗的措施开始生效，信用卡诈骗的损失额降低了5%，为4.02亿英镑。
新一代内置电脑芯片的信用卡已经产生。今年年底，大部分人在进行面对面交易时，必须在收银台的键盘上输入自己的4位密码，再也不用签署收据了。
核心单词
outstrip [aut5strip] v. 超过，胜过
equivalent [i5kwivElEnt] adj. 等价的，等值的；等量的
e-commerce n. 电子商务
remainder [ri5meindE] v. 削价出售
fraud [frC：d] n. 骗子；假货
财经知识一点通
网上购物（online shopping）
是通过互联网检索商品信息，并通过电子订购单发出购物请求，然后填上私人支票账号或信用卡的号码，厂商通过邮购的方式发货，或是通过快递公司送货上门。
借记卡（debit card）
是指先存款后消费（或取现），没有透支功能的银行卡。其按功能不同，又可分为转账卡（含储蓄卡）、专用卡及储值卡。是一种具有转账结算、存取现金、购物消费等功能的信用工具，它还附加了转账、买基金、炒股等众多理财功能，还提供了大量增值服务。
翻译行不行
It will be the first time that card payments have outstripped cash outlay for goods and services.
More than 18 million people bought goods or services online，up 50% on 2002.
Fraud losses on plastic cards fell by 5% to ￡402 million as measures to combat crooks started to take effect.
第一章 Can Chinese Consumers Replace America’s
中国消费者与美国消费者的“较量”
International trade data could show whether anybody else in the world is ready to replace the U.S. consumer as a global growth engine.
The Census Bureau is due to release March trade data on Tuesday. Economists，on average，think the U.S. recorded yet another trade deficit and that the gap widened to $29.7 billion from a surprising 10-year low of $26 billion in February.
Since imports subtract from gross domestic product and exports add to it，a smaller trade gap—fewer imports and more exports—is generally good for the economy.
February’s relatively skinny deficit—which was less than half the size of the gap in October 2008—was driven partly by falling oil imports and an unexpected surge in exports.
