Given the advantages of electronic money, you might think that we would move quickly to the cashless society in which all payments are made electronically. (1)_______ , a true cashless society is probably not around the corner. Indeed, predictions have been (2)_______ for two decades but have not yet come to fruition. For example, Business Week predicted in 1975 that electronic means of payment would soon “revolutionize the very (3)_______ of money itself,” only to (4)_______ itself several years later. Why has the movement to a cashless society been so (5)_______ in coming?

    Although electronic means of payment may be more efficient than a payments system based on paper, several factors work (6)_______ the disappearance of the paper system. First, it is very (7)_______ to set up the computer, card reader, and telecommunications networks necessary to make electronic money the (8)_______ form of payment. Second, paper checks have the advantage that they (9)_______ receipts, something that many consumers are unwilling to (10)_______. Third, the use of paper checks gives consumers several days of “float”—it takes several days (11)_______ a check is cashed and funds are (12)_______ from the issuer’s account, which means that the writer of the check can earn interest on the funds in the meantime. (13)_______ electronic payments are immediate, they eliminate the float for the consumer.

    Fourth, electronic means of payment (14)_______ security and privacy concerns. We often hear media reports that an unauthorized hacker has been able to access a computer database and to alter information (15)_______ there. The fact that this is not an (16)_______ occurrence means that dishonest persons might be able to access bank accounts in electronic payments systems and (17)_______ from someone else’s accounts. The (18)_______ of this type of fraud is no easy task, and a whole new field of computer science is developing to (19)_______ security issues. A further concern is that the use of electronic means of payment leaves an electronic (20)_______ that contains a large amount of personal data. There are concerns that government, employers, and marketers might be able to access these data, thereby violating our privacy.

答案精析：此题需要联系上下文理解，确定空格处表示的逻辑含义。上一句表示在支票兑现和资金被提取的几天中还可以赚取利息；而电子支付实时完成转账，以至于消费者不再具有这样一个被称为“浮动期”的时间。可见电子支付的实时性正是导致消费者没有浮动期的原因，二者间存在因果关系，因此选C。

错项排除：A选项表条件，B选项表时间，D选项表让步，代入原文均不符合文章想要表达的逻辑关系，故排除。