Technology offers conveniences such as opening the garage door from your car or changing the television station without touching the TV.
Now one American company is offering its employees a new convenience: a microchip implanted in their hands. Employees who have these chips can do all kinds of things just by waving their hands. Three Square Market is offering to implant microchips in all of their employees for free. Each chip costs $300 and Three Square Market will pay for the chip. Employees can volunteer to have the chips implanted in their hands. About 70 out of 80 employees have chosen to do so. The president of the company, his wife and their children are also getting chips implanted in their hands.
The chip is about the size of a grain of rice. Implanting the chip only takes about a second and is said to hurt only very briefly. The chips go under the skin between the thumb and forefinger. With a chip in the hand, a person can enter the office building, buy food, sign into computers and more, simply by waving that hand near a scanner. The chips will be also used to identify employees. Employees who want convenience, but do not want to have a microchip implanted under their skin, can wear a wristband or a ring with a chip instead. They can perform the same tasks with a wave of their hands as if they had an implanted chip.
Three Square Market is the first company in the United States to offer to implant chips in its employees. Epicenter, a company in Sweden, has been implanting chips in its employees for a while.
Three Square Market says the chip cannot track the employees. The company says scanners can read the chips only when they are within a few inches of them. “The chips protect against identity theft, similar to credit cards.” The U．S. Food and Drug Administration approved the chips back in 2004, so they should be safe for humans, according to the company.
In the future, people with the chips may be able to do more with them, even outside the office. Todd Westby is Chief Executive Officer of Three Square Market. He says, “Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc.”
8．What is the third paragraph mainly about?
A．The substitutes of the chips.
B．The potential risks of implanting the chips.
C．The places to implant the chips.
D．The advantages of the chips.
9．What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 5 refer to?
A．The hands.　　　B．The scanners.    C．The employees.    D．The credit cards.
10．What can we infer from the passage?
A．The chips have magic powers.
B．The price of the chips is reasonable.
C．The chips are very popular among the employees.
D．Most people suspect the application of the chips.
11．Which of the following best describes Todd Westby’s attitude towards the chips?
A．Defensive.      B．Disappointing.       C．Casual.       D．Optimistic.
 
阅读理解C
【解题导语】　本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了美国一家公司通过给员工手里植入一种芯片的方式来提高员工的工作效率，还介绍了该芯片的有关情况以及人们对它的看法。
8．D　解析：段落大意题。通读本段可知，本段主要介绍了植入芯片后的好处，如方便购物、识别员工身份等。故D项正确。
9．B　解析：代词指代题。根据第五段中的“the chip cannot track the employees. The company says scanners can read the chips only when they are within a few inches of them．”可知，芯片不能跟踪员工，但当芯片在距离扫描仪几英寸之内时，扫描仪就能读取芯片的信息。由此可推知，画线词指代扫描仪。故B项正确。
10．C　解析：推理判断题。根据第二段倒数第二句“About 70 out of 80 employees have chosen to do so.”可推知，该芯片很受员工的欢迎。故C项正确。
11．D　解析：观点态度题。根据最后一段第三句“He says, ‘Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc.’”可知，Todd Westby 认为芯片技术将最终将成为你生活中的好帮手。由此可推知，他对芯片的态度非常乐观。故D项正确。