In Western countries people have been using the installment (分期付款) plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments. In the U.S.A.,the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.
The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyer pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment (预付定金) when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.
Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping. It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment,There is,
however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment.
If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts, there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit,it becomes more likely to have a depression (萧条). This is why, in some countries,the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment and installments to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan.
【小题1】 Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the installment plan?

In Western countries people have been using the installment (分期付款) plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments. In the U.S.A.,the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.

     The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyer pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment (预付定金) when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.

     Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping. It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment,There is,

however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment.

If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts, there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit,it becomes more likely to have a depression (萧条). This is why, in some countries,the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment and installments to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan.

1. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the installment plan?

    A. A lot of British families use the installment plan. "

    B. More than 10 percent of American families buy things on installments.

    C. Americans depend more on installment than British people do.

    D. Americans spend one tenth of their income on installment buying.      

2. Goods bought on installments are more expensive than goods bought by cash because_______.

    A. the buyer has to pay extra money as interest

    B. the delivery of the goods charges extra money

    C. the buyer has to pay adown payment

    D. the service offered by installment plan charged extra money

3. What will happen to a buyer if he fails to make the full payment for an item bought on installments?

    A. He might lose his job.

    B. He will stop owning the item he has bought.

    C. He will have to setl what he has bought. 

    D. He will go into debt.

4. The advantage of installment buying might include all the following EXCEPT that________.

    A. purchasing power is strengthened

    B. employment might be increased

    C. people develop a good habit of saving money

    D. young couples are able to furnish their homes

5.In some countries, the governments control the installment plan to_______.

    A. increase employment

    B. avoid depressions

    C.ensure that businesses make good profits

    D.ensure that people can pay for what they buy

An important question about eating outside is who pays for the meal. If a friend of yours asks you to have lunch with him, you may say something like this, “I’m afraid of it,I’ll have to be some place cheap, because I have very little money .”The other person may say, “ OK, I’ll meet you at McDonald’s.” This means that these two persons agree to “go Dutch”, that is, each person pays for himself. He may also say, “Oh, no. I want to take you to lunch at Smith’s,” or “I want you to try the Chinese dumplings there. They’re great.” This means the person wants to pay for both of you. If you feel friendly towards this person, you can go with him and you needn’t pay for the meal. You may just say, “Thank you.” That would be very nice.
American customs（风俗） about who pays for dates（约会） are much the same as in other parts of the world. In the old days, American women wanted men to pay for all the meals. But, today, a university girl or a woman in business  world will usually pay her way during the day. If a man asks her for a dance outside the working hours, it means  “Come, as my guest（客人）.” So as you can see, it is a polite thing to make the question clear at the very beginning
（ ）

1. 1.

   The passage tells us_______________ .

   1. A.
      how to eat outside   
   2. B.
      where to eat outside
   3. C.
      what to eat outside    
   4. D.
      who pays for the meal
      （ ）
2. 2.

   If you have little money, ___________________.

   1. A.
      you’ll have a cheap meal   
   2. B.
      you’ll borrow some from others      
   3. C.
      you’ll ask your friend to pay for your meal  
   4. D.
      you won’t want your friends to ask you to dinner
      (  )
3. 3.

   “Go Dutch" in this passage means______________ .

   1. A.
      去饭馆        
   2. B.
      就餐          
   3. C.
      订餐         
   4. D.
      各自付款
      (  )
4. 4.

   Sometimes your friend takes you to lunch. It means_______________ .

   1. A.
      He’s going to lend some money to you      
   2. B.
      He’s going to pay for your meal,too
   3. C.
      He’ll be angry with you                  
   4. D.
      He can’t understand you
      (  )
5. 5.

   In America, some girls and women now______________ .

   1. A.
      Ask men to pay for their meals            
   2. B.
      Try to pay for the men’s meals
   3. C.
      Try to pay for their own meals          
   4. D.
      Never have anything outside