| 阅读理解。 |
| Today, more and more people are using credit cards (信用卡) instead of money to buy the things they need. Almost anyone who has a steady income (收入) and continuous work record can apply for a credit card. If you have a credit card, you buy a car, eat a dinner, take a trip, and even get a haircut by changing the cost to your account (帐户). You can pay for purchases a month or two later, without any extra charge. Or you may choose to spread out your payments over several months and pay only part of the total amount each month. If you do this, the credit card company of the bank who sponsors the credit card will add a small service charge to your bill. This is very convenient for customers. With the credit card in your wallet or purse, you don't have to carry much cash (现金). This saves your trips to the bank to cash checks. Also if you carry credit cards instead of a lot of cash, you don't have to be concerned about losing your money through carelessness or theft. Credit cards are big business. Americans spend $16 billion a year on cards. Credit card companies make a profit from the fees they charge the store and also from the fees collected from customers who pay for their charges in monthly installments (注册). However, credit card companies sometimes have problems collecting overdue payments from unreliable customers if they charge more than they can pay for. Yet, in many ways, the big loser in the credit card system is not the credit card company, the store, or the card user, but rather the general customer. The store makes up for the fees it pays to the credit card company by increasing prices for goods and services. Stores may have more sales if they accept cards, but the added cost to the store when credit cards are accepted instead of cash is actually passed on to all consumers in higher prices. In this way, the cash customer suffers for the convenience the credit card customer enjoys. |
| 1. According to the passage, nearly everyone can apply for(申请) credit cards if he or she can prove to be ____. |
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| A. a dependable and honest person B. a person with an income and work experience C. a person with work experience but no regular income D. a person with a regular income and an unbroken work record |
| 2. If you are a credit card holder, you don't have to carry _____ on you. |
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| A. many coins B. much cash C. many credits D. much change |
| 3. We can infer from the passage that _____ suffer most financially from the credit card system. |
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| A. the shops B. the card holders C. the ordinary customers D. the credit card companies and banks |