Buy now, pay later．Credit cards give people that choice．Those billions of small pieces of plastic in use all over the world make it easy to buy things．But people who use credit cards irresponsibly can soon find themselves heavily in debt．
Cardholders may not think about it, but they borrow money from a bank or other lender each time they charge something．They avoid interest charges if they pay their bill in full each month．But if they only make the minimum payment, the lowest required, it may take years to pay off a debt．Interest is continually charged on the unpaid balance．
A credit card may have a number of costs．First, there is the interest charge on purchases, known as the annual percentage rate, or A.P.R．In the United States right now, the average is between thirteen and fourteen to keep them．
Cardholders may have to pay cash advance fees if they withdraw money from a credit card．There are also fees if they go over their credit limit, or if a payment is late．Lenders may also raise interest rates as punishment．
In the United States, credit card fees have become a political issue．Congress has threatened to take action against what critics call abusive behavior by lenders．
Yet getting a credit card has become a lot easier for most people．Maybe too easy：People receive offers in the mail of pre-approved cards that they never asked for．Many cards offer low rates at first, especially if people agree to move their balance from another card, absolutely for free．
About half of all Americans have at least two credit cards．And the credit rating agency Experian says fourteen percent of the population has more than ten．
Jeanne Hogarth at the Federal Reserve, the central bank, says the average family has four credit cards．But families that carry a balance, meaning they do not pay off their statements each month, have an average of five．
In nineteen eighty-eight Americans had three hundred thirty billion dollars in credit card debt．Last year it was eight hundred forty billion．
In the latest government study, the average credit card debt for all households was more than three thousand dollars．But for those that carried a balance, the average was five thousand three hundred．
(1)
Credit cardholders can avoid interest charges by ________．
[ ]
A．
depositing(存)more money into the bank
B．
paying cash advance fees
C．
paying their bill in full each month
D．
making the minimum payment
(2)
Which of the following is NOT included in the costs of a credit card?
[ ]
A．
A.P.R
B．
Going over the card limit．
C．
Late payment．
D．
Moving balance from another bank．
(3)
We can infer from the text ________ may take action against abusive behavior by lenders．
[ ]
A．
the Federal Reserve
B．
cardholders
C．
congress
D．
the credit rating agency Experian
(4)
Which would be the best title for this passage?
[ ]
A．
Credit Cards Are Easy to Get, But Harder to Pay Off
Traveling can be a way to gain life experiences, especially during Spring Break － a week long school vacation in the United States．But what if you’re a student and don’t have enough money for a trip?Don’t worry．Here are some useful suggestions．
·Save：This probably is the most important preparation for traveling．Cut expenses to fatten your wallet so you’ll have more choices about where to go and how to get there．
·Plan ahead：Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your trip．Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice．Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security(安全)and savings．
·Do your homework：No matter where you go, research the places you will visit．Decide what to see．Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants．
·Plan sensibly：Write down what you expect to spend for food and hotels．Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything．
·Travel in groups：Find someone who is interested in visiting the same places．By traveling with others you can share costs and experiences．
·Work as you go：Need more money to support your trip?Look for work in the places you visit．
·Go off the beaten path：Tourist cities may be expensive．You may want to rethink your trip and go to a lesser-known area．Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights．
·Pack necessary things：The most important things to take are not always clothes：Remember medicine in case you get sick and snacks in case you cannot find a cheap restaurant．
·Use the Internet：The Net can help to save money．Some useful websites include www．Travelocity．com, www．bargains-lowest fare．com and www．Economic travel．com．
By planning sensibly, even students can enjoy the travel．Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime．
(1)
This passage is about ________．
[ ]
A．
how to plan your travel
B．
how to travel with enough money
C．
how to make your travel interesting
D．
how to get life experiences
(2)
Before your trip, the first thing you should do is ________．
[ ]
A．
to make a plan of the route
B．
to get information in the Internet
C．
to save money by spending less
D．
to buy tickets in advance
(3)
The writer advises you ________．
[ ]
A．
to share costs with any other people
B．
not to go to well-known places
C．
not to visit dangerous places
D．
to buy anything you want to buy
(4)
During your trip, ________．
[ ]
A．
you need more shoes than clothes
B．
you shouldn’t look for work all the way
C．
you can gain valuable life experiences
D．
you should forget to do your homework
阅读理解
The age of wealthy youth is over．Today's under-thirties are the first generation for a century who can expect a lower living standard than their parents．
Research into the lifestyle and prospects of people born since 1970 shows that they arelikely to face a lifetime of longer working hours, lower job security and higher taxes than the previous generation．
When they leave work late in the evening they will be more likely to return to a smallrented flat than to a house of their own．When, eventually, they retire it will be on pensions(养老金)far lower in real terms than those of their immediate ancestors．
The findings are revealed in a study of the way the ageing of Britain's population isaffecting different generations．
Anthea Tinker, professor of social gerontology at King's College London, who carried out much of the work, said the growth of the proportion(比例)of people over 50 had reversed the traditional flow of wealth from older to younger generations．
“Today's older middle-aged and elderly are becoming the new winners,” she said．“Theymade relatively small contributions in tax but now makerelativelybigclaimsonthe welfare system．Generations born in the last three to four decades face the prospect of handing over more than a third of their lifetime's earnings to care for them”．
The growing number of older people, many living alone, has also increased demand forproperty and pushed up house prices．While previous generations found it easy to raise a mortgage(抵押), today's under-thirties have to live with their parents or rent．If they can afford to buy a home it is more likely to be a flat than a house．
Laura Lenox-Conyngham, 28, grew up in a large house and her mother did not need to work．Unlike her wealthy parents, she graduated with student and postgraduate loan debts of ￡13, 000．She now earns about ￡20,000 a year, preparing food to be photographed for magazines．Her home is a one-bedroom flat in central London and she rents the lounge sofa-bed to her brother．
“My father took pity and paid off my student debts,” she said．“But I still have no pensionand no chance of buying a property for at least a couple of years－and then it will be some-thing small in a bad area．My only hope is the traditional one of meeting a rich man．”
Tinkers research shows Lenox-Conyngham is representative of many young professionals, especially in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Bristol．
(1)
By saying “the growth of the proportion of people over 50 had reversed the traditional
flow of wealth from older to younger generations”(Lines 23, Para．5), Anthea Tinker
really means that ________．
[ ]
A．
currently wealth flows from old generation to younger generation
B．
traditionally wealth flows from younger generation to old generation
C．
with the increasingly big population of over 50, the trend arises that wealth flows
from younger generation to old generation
D．
with more and more people of over 50, traditions have been reversed
(2)
Why are today's older middle-aged and elderly becoming the new winners?
[ ]
A．
Because they made relatively small contributions in tax, but younger generation will possibly hand over more than a third of their lifetime's earnings for the care of them．
B．
Because they contributed a lot in tax and now can claim much on the welfare system．
C．
Because they made small contributions, but now can make money easily．
D．
Because they outnumber(在数量上超过)younger generation and enjoy more privileges in the present society．
(3)
Which factor pushed up house prices?
[ ]
A．
Many young men, who live alone, have increased demand for houses．
B．
Many young men need to rent more houses．
C．
It is easy to apply for a mortgage for young generation．
D．
The number of older people, many of whom live alone, becomes bigger and bigger．
(4)
We can conclude from the passage that ________．
[ ]
A．
today's under-thirties are leading a miserable life in Britain
B．
Laura Lenox-Conyngham's attitude to work and life represents that of many young professionals in Britain
C．
life can get harder for under-thirties in Britain
D．
elders enjoy extremely high living standard in Britain
阅读理解
This wireless transmitter allows you to listen to music from your iPod / MP3 player, on your home or car stereo－without any wires．
It acts like a miniature radio station, transmitting your music via the FM frequency to the nearest radio．
Simply plug the transmitter into the headphone hole of your MP3 player, select a frequency on the transmitter and then set your radio to that same frequency．
Then sit back and enjoy your digital music in full stereo sound wherever you are．
Can be used with iPods, MP3 players, portable CD players, cassettes players, games consoles(控制台)or even your laptop computer whenever you want to hear full stereo sound from your radio．
Features include：
·LCD display with background lighting(shows time / date / temperature)
·Full FM frequency range, so you can select the best performing frequency
·Choose from 2 power supplies：2 AAA batteries or car charger(adaptor provided)
·4 memory channels for storing best performing FM frequencies
·Frequency response：100 Hz－15000 Hz
The unit is wireless so there are no disorganized cables, it is lightweight and easy to carry．
Adds a whole new part to your MP3 experience!
Takes 2×AAA batteries(not supplied)Click here to buy batteries for this product…
GIFT STATS：iPod / MP3 Transmitter
Measures：7.5×4.5 cm
Packaging：Gift pack
We can deliver this item to the UK, Europe, and North America．
(1)
You may find the above advertisement ________．
[ ]
A．
in a newspaper
B．
in a store window
C．
in a website
D．
on a company notice-board
(2)
What is iPod / MP3 Transmitter?
[ ]
A．
An MP3 player which allows you to enjoy music wherever you are．
B．
A kind of equipment that allows you to enjoy music from your iPod / MP3 player．
C．
A mini radio station, transmitting your music via the FM frequency to the nearest radio．
D．
A radio that receives music from your MP3 player．
(3)
From the advertisement above, we can learn that ________．
[ ]
A．
the product can be used with a lot of electronic equipment．
B．
the transmitter can only be powered by 2 AAA batteries．
C．
the unit has organized cables so it is light and easy to carry．
D．
this item can be delivered to any place around the world．
阅读理解
Are you interested in the following course? Please read them and make a decision soon．
A．Understanding computers
This twelve-hour course is for people who do not know very much about computers but who need to learn about them．You will learn what computers are，what they can and can’t do，and how to use them．
Course fee：＄75 Jan．7，14，21，28 Sat．9∶00～11∶50a.m.
Equipment fee：＄10．
Joseph Saunders is a professor of computer science at New Urban University．He has over twelve years of experience in the computer field．
B．Stopping smoking
Do you want to stop smoking? Have you already tried to stop smoking using the latest methods? You can stop smoking and this special course will help you do it．
Course fee：＄30 Jan．4，11，18，25 Mon．4∶00～7∶00p.m.
Doctor John Coode is a practicing psychologist who has helped hundreds of people stop smoking．
C．Typing
This course is for these who want to learn to type，as well as those who want to make their typing better．The course is individualized．You are tested in the first class and begin practicing at one of the eight different skill levels．This allows you to learn at your own speed．Each program lasts 20 hours．Bring your own paper．
Course fee：＄125 Material fee：＄25
Two hours each evening for two weeks．This course is taught by a number of best business education teachers who have successfully taught typing course before．
(1)
The typing course is for ________．
[ ]
A．
beginners
B．
skilled typist
C．
unskilled persons
D．
A and C
(2)
If one wants to learn basic computer program，he must pay ________．
[ ]
A．
＄75＋＄10
B．
＄50＋＄10
C．
＄30＋＄25
D．
＄35＋＄25
(3)
According to the ads，if you want to give up smoking，you will need at least ________．
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