首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
What Does a Credit Card Bring Us? [A] "Charge it!" If those two words sound familiar, it is no wonder. Over 75 million Amer
What Does a Credit Card Bring Us? [A] "Charge it!" If those two words sound familiar, it is no wonder. Over 75 million Amer
admin
2023-03-20
14
问题
What Does a Credit Card Bring Us?
[A] "Charge it!" If those two words sound familiar, it is no wonder. Over 75 million Americans use credit cards to pay for everything from tickets on American Airlines to AAA car rental And the number of cardholders increases every month. In fact, most Americans receive at least two or three credit card applications in the mail every month.
The First Credit Card
[B] At the beginning of the twentieth century, people had to pay cash for almost all products and services. Although the early part of the century saw an increase in individual store credit accounts, a credit card that could be used at more than one merchant was not invented until 1950. It all started when Frank X. McNamara and two of his friends went out to supper.
The Significant Dinner
[C] During the dinner, they discussed a problem of one of McNamara’s customers who had borrowed some money but was unable to pay it back. This particular customer had gotten into trouble, when he had lent a number of his charge cards (available from individual department stores and gas stations) to his poor neighbors who needed items in an emergency. For this service, the man required his neighbors to pay him back the cost of the original purchase plus some extra money. Unfortunately for the man, many of his neighbors were unable to pay him back within a short period of time and he was then forced to borrow money from the Hamilton Credit Corporation.
[D] At the end of the meal with his two friends, McNamara reached into his pocket for his wallet so that he could pay for the meal (in cash). He was shocked to discover that he had forgotten his wallet. To his embarrassment, he then had to call his wife and have her bring him some money. McNamara vowed never to let this happen again.
[E] Merging the two concepts from that dinner, the lending of credit cards and not having cash on hand to pay for the meal, McNamara came up with a new idea—a credit card that could be used at multi-ple locations. What was particularly new about this concept was that there would be a middleman be-tween companies and their customers. McNamara discussed the idea with his two friends and the three pooled some money and started a new company in 1950 which they called the Diners Club, and it was going to be a middleman.
[F] The first Diners Club credit cards were given out in 1950 to 200 people (most were friends and acquaintances of McNamara) and accepted by 14 restaurants in New York. The cards were not made of plastic; instead, the first Diners Club credit cards were made of a paper stock with the accepting lo-cations printed on the back.
The Popularity of Credit Cards (1) Among Merchants
[G] For a merchant, the answer is obvious. By depositing charge slips in a bank or other financial institutions, the merchant can convert credit card sales into cash. In return for processing the merchant’s credit card transactions, the bank charges a fee that ranges between 1.5 and 5 percent. Typically, small, independent businesses pay more than large stores or chain stores. Let’s assume that you use a Visa credit card to purchase a microwave oven for $400 from Richardson Appliance, a small retailer in Texas. At the end of the day, the retailer deposits your charge slip, along with other charge slips, checks, and currency collected during the day, at its bank. If the bank charges Richardson Appliance 5 percent to process each credit card transaction, the bank deducts a processing fee of $20 ($400x0.05= $20) for your credit card transaction and immediately deposits the remainder ($380) in Richardson Appliance’s account. Actual bank fees are determined by the volume of credit card transactions, total dollar amount of credit sales, and how well the merchant can negotiate.
(2) Among Consumers
[H] For the consumer, credit cards permit the purchase of goods and services even when the funds are low. Today most major credit cards are issued by banks or other financial institutions in cooperation with Visa International or MasterCard International. The unique feature of bank credit cards is that they extend a line of credit (信用贷款之最高限额) to the cardholder, much as a bank’s consumer loan department does. Thus credit cards provide immediate access to short-term credit for the cardholder, who instructs the bank to pay the merchant immediately and pay back the bank later. Of course, the ability to obtain merchandise immediately and pay for it later can lead to credit card misuse. Today the average American cardholder has a credit card balance in excess of $2,000. And with typical financial charges ranging from 1 percent to 1.5 percent a month, you can end up paying large finance charges. For example, if you carry a $2,000 balance on your credit card and your credit card company charges 1.5 percent a month, your monthly finance charge will be $30 ($2,000×0.015 = $30). And the monthly finance charges continue until you manage to pay off your credit card debt.
Credit Card: Friend or Enemy?
[I] A credit card can be your friend because it can get you through unexpected emergencies. And if there is a problem with the products or service you purchase with your credit card, you have an opportunity to withhold payment by asking the credit card company to "charge back" to the retailer until the dispute is settled. Monthly credit card statements can also help you keep your records in order. Finally, if you make payments on time, the card helps you to establish a good credit history.
[J] A credit card can be your enemy because it is an invitation to purchase items you really do not need. The credit card companies’ continuous offers of low minimum payments, cash advances, and even months without payments may seem like a way to skate through a money crunch. In reality, your finance charges and fees only increase, and you go deeper into debt.
A credit card can be your enemy because it invites you to purchase items you really do not need.
选项
答案
D
解析
空白处前的the most和空白处后的thoughts提示,此处需要形容词作thoughts的定语。这句话是梦露对她的医生说的,结合该句中的only person等可推断secret最适合,表明只有医生一个人知道她的秘密。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/vmqD777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
PeoplewhogrewupinAmericaandWesternEuropehavebecomeusedtotheideathattheWestdominatestheworldeconomy.Infact
Somepeoplesuggestthatuniversitiesshouldconsiderofferingmorevocationalcoursestopreparegraduatesforwork.However,o
ReadcarefullythefollowingexcerptandthenwriteyourresponseinNOLESSTHAN200words,inwhichyoushould:.summariz
Shouldweslowdownthepaceoflife?Thefollowingarethesupporters’andopponents’opinions.Readcarefullytheopinionsfro
A、Peopleshouldbeheavilyfinedforparkingoffenses.B、Thenearertothecitycenteryoupark,thehigherthecharge.C、Carpa
SpeechtoNewStudents1.ClassesinstudioeveryafternoonRoom51on【T1】________OnFridayuse【T2】________forpriv
A、Fridaynextweek.B、Thursdaynextweek.C、April30th.D、Thisweek.AJoe提到,招待会于4月21日,即周五举行;再结合前面提到预订下周的餐饮服务,可推知A正确。
Competitionandcooperationaregoingalongtogetherinmodernsociety.Therehasbeenanongoingargumentaboutwhichismoree
(1)Collegestudentsaremorestressedoutthaneverbefore—atleastaccordingtothelatestfindingsofalarge,nationalsurve
Here’saquestionaboutchickensandeggsyoumaynothaveheardbefore:Howisitthataneggcanbesohardtobreakfromthe
随机试题
关于方差分析以下错误的一项为
法的制定的程序即立法程序,是指()。
建设工程项目施工质量保证体系的主要内容有()。
中央预算的调整方案必须提请()审查和批准。
小唐在学期末复习数学的时候,会把这个学期所学的所有数学知识点写成提纲,从而帮助自己复习。这属于学习策略中的()。
以下是对中国文化艺术的文言别称,属于美术的是()。
下列句子中没有语病的一项是()。
第十二届全国人民代表大会第三次会议政府工作报告中看点众多,精彩纷呈。为了更好地宣传大会精神,新闻编辑小王需制作一个演示文稿,素材放于考生文件夹下的“文本素材.docx”及相关图片文件,具体要求如下:第1张幻灯片为标题幻灯片,标题为“图解今年年施政要
A、Talkingonthetelephone.B、Vacuumingthebathroom.C、Rollingtherocks.D、Listeningtomusic.D语义理解题。女士说可以理解欣赏摇滚乐时需要把音量调高,可是你
IntheUnitedStatesthescienceofclimatechangestillremainsacontroversialissue.Partoftheproblemsisthatitiscompl
最新回复
(
0
)