Question

【题目】Walter Cavanagh has nearly 1,500 valid credit cards to his name and holds the Guinness record for the most credit cards.

Mr. Plastic Fantastic — a title given to him by Guinness World Records — is also the proud owner of the world’s longest wallet, which can hold about 800 cards. But he uses it only to carry a few cards, while the rest are safely kept in bank safe-deposit boxes.

Cavanagh started collecting credit cards in the late 1960s. “One of my best friends and I made a silly bet（打赌）; the guy who could collect the most credit cards by the end of the year would win dinner,” he said. “I got 143 cards by the end of the year, and my friend collected 138.”

After winning that bet, Cavanagh decided to simply keep going with his unusual collection. He got credit cards from gas stations, airlines, bars, and even ice cream stores — all with kinds of limits, some as low as $50.

If there’s one card missing from Cavanagh’s collection, it’s that from the Newberry Group. They refused to give him a card in the early 1970s, even though he’d collected over 100 by then. They said he had too much credit. Therefore, so far he hasn’t had a Newberry card in his collection.

Cavanagh hasn’t stopped applying for new cards — he’s held the Guinness record since 1971 and has no intention of letting go of it. He copies whole pages from a U.S. directory（名录）of businesses and keeps sending applications. If he is refused, he writes back to the company explaining his goal. But he doesn’t count useless cards in his total collection.

Thanks to all the cards to his name, Cavanagh has access to about $1.7 million at any moment. Despite this privilege（特权）, he has managed to achieve an excellent credit score.

The retired financial planner and credit expert has only one piece of advice to share: “Never use a card to buy anything you can’t pay off in a couple of months. If you don’t have the discipline, you shouldn’t have the cards.”

【1】When did Cavanagh begin to collect credit cards?

A. When he made a bet with his friend.

B. When he wanted to create a Guinness record.

C. When he owned a very long wallet.

D. When he was treated to dinner by his friend.

【2】Why hasn’t Cavanagh collected a Newberry card?

A. His given card got lost.

B. He wasn’t allowed to collect one.

C. His application was refused.

D. It isn’t worth collecting anyway.

【3】What does Cavanagh usually do when his application is refused?

A. He visits the company himself.

B. He tells the company his goal.

C. He chooses to let go of it.

D. He sends another application at once.

【4】What suggestion does Cavanagh give us in the last paragraph?

A. Never apply for a credit card.

B. Have the power to control ourselves.

C. Use credit cards as often as possible.

D. Collect more credit cards to show off.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】C

【3】B

【4】B

【解析】Walter Cavanagh拥有近1500张有效的信用卡，并拥有最多的信用卡记录，Cavanagh建议我们要有控制自己的能力。本文介绍了他收集信用卡的经历。

【1】A

推理判断题。根据第三段中Cavanagh started collecting credit cards in the late 1960s. “One of my best friends and I made a silly bet（打赌）; the guy who could collect the most credit cards by the end of the year would win dinner,”可知，Cavanagh和朋友打赌之后开始收集信用卡。故选A。

【2】C

细节理解题。根据第五段开头部分If there’s one card missing from Cavanagh’s collection, it’s that from the Newberry Group. They refused to give him a card in the early 1970s,可知，他的申请被拒绝。故选C。

【3】B

推理判断题。根据第六段中If he is refused, he writes back to the company explaining his goal.可知，如果他被拒绝他就告诉公司。故选B。

【4】B

推理判断题。根据最后一段中“Never use a card to buy anything you can’t pay off in a couple of months. If you don’t have the discipline, you shouldn’t have the cards.”可知，在最后一段Cavanagh建议我们要有控制自己的能力。故选B。