Question

【题目】Why I stopped worrying about my credit score?

If you believed everything you read about your credit score, you'd think it was the most important component of your financial health. Without a good credit score and history, the experts say, it's more difficult qualify for a mortgage(按揭)or a car loan-and more expensive if you're approved for a loan, too, because you won't get the best interest rates. In many states, bad credit can even raise your insurance payments, cost you a rental apartment, or make it harder to get hired. 【1】

First off, there are several credit scores out there. While it's important to cultivate your credit scores by using credit responsibly, your FICO credit score may not be the same as what VantageScore reports, and lenders may use a different one entirely, so focusing on one score can be a fruitless exercise. More important as financial reporter Dave Ramsey notes on his blog, your credit score is not a measure of your overall financial health. He writes:"【2】"

FICO, the most popular credit-scoring agency, users several weighted factors to determine your credit score, including payment history (35 percent), amounts owed (30 percent), length of credit history (15 percent), new credit (10 percent), and credit mix (10 percent). 【3】My husband and I enjoyed steady credit scores above 820 for a while. But when we paid off one of our rental properties in 2017, we both saw our credit scores fall by 20 or more points. The sudden drop took place because we completed a 15-year loan and reduced the average length of our credit history tremendously. 【4】 That’s blackmail. I would rather be debt-free than have a perfect credit score.

Your credit score is certainly important when you’re starting out and likely to borrow money for a down payment (首付) on a home or some other big purchase. But once you’re fairly established financially, it’s much easier to see it for what it really is: a measure of how well you borrow money.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】 F

【2】 C

【3】 D

【4】 A

【解析】

本文为议论文。作者通过自己的经历，论述了信用评分会对人们产生哪些影响、有哪些因素会影响到我们的信用评分，同时信用评分又存在什么问题。

【1】考查上下文及句意理解。根据上文提到的不良信用评分和历史、不良贷款会给你带来的麻烦，及下文“更重要的是，正如金融记者戴夫拉姆齐在博客中指出的那样，你的信用评分并不能衡量你的整体财务健康状况。”可知，F项“虽然这些都是事实，但并不能说明全部”符合此处语境。故F选项正确。

【2】考查上下文及句意理解。根据上文“你的信用评分并不能衡量你的整体财务健康状况。”可知，C项“它告诉你的只是你是否擅长借钱和还钱。”符合此处语境。故C选项正确。

【3】考查上下文及句意理解。根据下文“但当我们在2017年付清其中一套租赁房产时，我们俩的信用评分都下降了20分或更多。”可知，D项“信不信由你，这些标准会让你因无债一身轻而受到惩罚！”符合此处语境。故D选项正确。

【4】考查上下文及句意理解。根据上文“之所以出现这种突然的下降，是因为我们完成了一笔15年的贷款，大大缩短了信贷历史的平均长度。”可知，A项“换句话说，因为我们还清了贷款，结束了一项信用额度，我们的分数受到了影响。”符合此处语境。故A选项正确。

六选四题型主要考查上下文的理解与推断，虽然文章整体难度一般低于阅读理解，但是却给很多同学造成了很大的心理障碍。在这里提醒同学们，首先要克服心理障碍，同时要注意方式方法。一定要注意文章开头的段落，文章第一段一般是主题段，会点明一篇文章要讲述的内容，做到心中有数；注意设空前后的句子，因为这些句子之间是顺承和联系的，所有一定要联系和理解上下文的语境。例如第5小题，根据上文The sudden drop took place because we completed a 15-year loan and reduced the average length of our credit history tremendously.可知，我们信用评分之所以出现这种突然的下降，是因为我们完成了一笔15年的贷款，大大缩短了信贷历史的平均长度。A项“换句话说，因为我们还清了贷款，结束了一项信用额度，我们的分数受到了影响。”符合此处语境。