Whatever we may need to buy，we can use our credit cards．This is a change from the older days when we had to first check whether cards were accepted．Today，everybody, from retailers（零售商) to lenders，accepts credit cards．Attitudes towards credit cards have also changed a lot．People used to be
very careful of using their cards；but this is no longer the case. People today prefer to take out their cards as soon as they get to the cash counter．A swipe (刷卡) and a sign are all it takes，and you can walk home with the bill and all the things you buy．
The credit card is much easier to carry than cash and it is not at all surprising that the former becomes the most preferred way of payment．A credit card takes up very little space in our wallets，and yet，it holds the power of a large sum of cash．Paying by credit cards is also a good way of keeping bills on where all of our money goes．  
Moreover，it has become much easier to get credit cards these days．I constantly have cold callers calling up to offer me “great new credit card deals”．Salesmen occasionally walk into our office offering discounts if a group of people decide to sign up a certain kind of credit card plan at the same time．However，this can also cause a problem．Nowadays，we always run the
risk of getting some kinds of wastes．When the terms seem too good to be true，we should make sure that we always read the printed items carefully．Before signing for a creditcard，it is necessary to know its advantages and disadvantages．The only way to deal with this is to do our homework, before we go credit card hunting．   
【小题1】We learn from Paragraph 1 that      ．   

A．people can use credit cards anytime，anywhere

B．people used to have to check up on credit cards

C．people are more careful using credit cards nowadays

D．people can take their goods home just by swiping their cards

【小题2】One of the main advantages of credit cards is that   ．

A．they occupy less space compared with other modes of payment

B．they are more powerful than cash

C．they are easy to get，and save money

D．they help users keep track of what they spend on

【小题3】When signing for a credit card，people should     .

A．ask for a discount

B．understand the dangers

C．read every word of the contract carefully

D．understand that the salesman is most likely to offer false information

【小题4】In the last sentence the writer tells us that      ．  

A．we should know the advantages and disadvantages of credit cards before using them

B．we should finish work before going shopping with a credit card

C．we should check which credit cards are accepted before using them

D．we should make sure that our credit cards are real before using them

Nine out of 10 people have run up unsecured debt and many fear they will never be able to pay back what they owe, a survey has claimed.
Around 89% of people aged between l|8 and 35 said they owed money on a credit card, loan or overdraft, the research showed．
A third of people admitted they did not think- they would ever be debt-free, 54% of whom said they would always need to borrow money in order to fund the lifestyle they wanted．
One in five of these people also claimed they were not worried about the possibility of their debts being passed on to their next of kin if they died before they were repaid．
Just over half who owed money said they did not feel in control of their debt, with 8% admitting they had needed to ask for help with repayments from a friend or family member．Eight out of 10 people also told the research for discount website MyVoucherCodes．co．uk that they thought it was too easy to borrow money through their bank or on credit cards．
Farhad Farhadi, MyVoucherCodes．co．uk’s personal finance expert, said: "The majority of British adults owe money m some way, shape or form, but to see that almost a third think they’ll never be free c ^ from debt is quite alarming．
"When borrowing money from any source, how you are going to repay it should always be in the back of your mind．
"A lot of people don’t-really think about ’die consequences of borrowing money and it can be easy to get complacent, but keeping it all under control should be a priority from the off．Only borrow what you really think you can afford to pay back．"
【小题1】The best title for this passage is_________．

A．I’ll die in debt, say one in three	B．Desperate British
C．The beginning of the end	D．Borrowing money from any source

【小题2】Which of the following is NOT true?    

A．Most British adults are in debt in some v/ay．

B．It is hard for the British to borrow money through their bank．

C．Lots of people do not take repaying money seriously．

D．This passage is a warning for the British．

【小题3】What does the underlined phrase mean?  

A．end with	B．from the start
C．ever since	D．fore ever

【小题4】What does Farhad mean by saying "the majority of British adults owe money in some way, shape or form"? 

A．It is natural to owe money m Britain so there in no need to worry．

B．It is natural to owe money in Britain as long as you are in control．

C．It does not matter to owe money in Britain if you are rich enough．

D．It seems that the British enjoy owing money in some way．

Cyberspace,data superhighway,multimedia,for those who have seen the future,and the linking of computers,televisions and telephones will change our lives for ever.Yet for all the talks of a forthcoming technological utopia,little attention has been given to the implications of these developments for the poor.As for all the new high technology,the West concerns itself with the “how”,while the question of “for whom” is put aside once again.

Economists are only now realizing the full extent to which the communication revolution has affected the world economy.Information technology allows the extension of trade across geographical and industrial boundaries,and transnational corporations take full advantage of it.Terms of trade and exchange,interest rates and money movements are more important than the production of goods.The electronic economy made by information technology allows the haves to increase their control on global markets — with a destructive impact on the have­nots.
For them the result is unstable.Developing countries which rely on the production of a small range of goods for export are made to feel like small parts in the international economic machine.As “futures” are traded on computer screens,developing countries simply have less and less control of their destinies.
So what are the options of regaining control？One alternative for developing countries is to buy in the latest computers and telecommunications.Yet this leads to long-term dependency and perhaps permanent constraints on developing countries’ economies.
Communication technology is generally exported from the US,Europe or Japan；the patents,skills and ability remain in the hands of a few industrialized countries.It is also expensive,therefore imported products and services must be bought on credit usually provided by the very countries whose companies stand to gain.
【小题1】From the passage we know that the development of high technology is in the interests of________.

A．the rich countries	B．scientific development
C．the local elites	D．the world economy

【小题2】It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A．international trade should be expanded

B．the interests of the poor countries have not been given enough consideration

C．the exports of the poor countries should be increased

D．communication technology in developing countries should be modernized

【小题3】Why does the author say that the electronic economy may have a destructive impact on developing countries?

A．Because it enables the developed countries to control the international market.

B．Because it destroys the economic balance of the poor countries.

C．Because it violates the national boundaries of the poor countries.

D．Because it inhibits the industrial growth of developing countries.

【小题4】The development of modern communication technology in developing countries may________.

A．hinder their industrial production

B．cause them to lose control of their trade

C．force them to reduce their share of exports

D．cost them their economic independence

【小题5】The author’s attitude towards the communication revolution is________.

A．positive	B．critical
C．indifferent	D．tolerant

Are you a compulsive spender, or do you hold on to your money as long as possible? Are you a bargain hunter? Would you rather use charge accounts than pay cash? Your answers to these questions will reflect your personality. According to psychologists, our individual money habits not only show our beliefs and values, but can also stem from past problems.
Experts in psychology believe that for many people, money is an important symbol of strength and influence. Husbands who complain about their wives’ spending habits may be afraid that they are losing power in their marriage. Wives, on the other hand, may waste huge amounts of money because they are angry at their husbands. In addition, many people consider money a symbol of love. They spend it on their family and friends to express love, or they buy themselves expensive presents because they need love.
People can be addicted to different things — for example, alcohol, drugs, certain foods, or even television. They are compulsive in their addictions, i.e. they must satisfy these needs to feel comfortable. In the same way, according to psychologists, compulsive spenders must spend money. For people who buy on credit, furthermore, charge accounts are even more exciting than money: in other words, they feel that with credit, they can do anything. Their pleasures in spending enormous amounts are actually greater than those they get from the things they buy.
There is even a special psychology of bargain hunting. To save money, of course, most people look for sales, low prices, and discounts. Compulsive bargain hunters, however, often buy things that they don’t need just because they are cheap. They want to believe that they are helping their budgets, but they are really playing an exciting game: when they can buy something for less than other people, they feel that they are winning. Most people, experts claim, have two reasons for their behavior: a good reason for the things that they do and the real reason.
It is not only scientists, of course, who understand the psychology of spending habits, but also business people. Stores, companies, and advertisers use psychology to increase business: they consider people’s needs for love, power, or influence, their basic values, their beliefs and opinions, etc. in their advertising and sales methods.
Psychologists often use a method called “behavior therapy(疗法)” to help individuals solve their personality problems. In the same way, they can help people who feel that they have problems with money: they give them “assignments”. If a person buys something in every store that he enters, for instance, a therapist might teach him self-discipline in this way: on the first day of his therapy, he must go into a store, stay five minutes, and then leave. On the second day, he should stay for ten minutes and try something on. On the third day, he stays for fifteen minutes, asks the salesclerk a question, but does not buy anything. Soon he will learn that nothing bad will happen to him if he doesn’t buy anything, and he can solve the problem of his compulsive buying.  
【小题1】If you use charge accounts, ____.

A．you pay in cash	B．you pay with credit card
C．you pay less than you should	D．you pay more than you should

【小题2】Compulsive bargain hunters buy things for all the following reasons except that ____.

A．the things they buy are cheap

B．they believe they can balance their budgets

C．they get psychological satisfaction

D．they really need the things they buy

【小题3】Behavior therapy in this case aims at____.

A．helping businessmen to increase their business

B．helping compulsive spenders to buy less

C．finding out how people will react if they are allowed to buy

D．finding out what people will do in front of a bargain

【小题4】The underlined word “those” in Paragraph 3 refers to ____.

A．different things	B．their addictions
C．charge accounts	D．their pleasures

【小题5】From the passage we can conclude that ____.

A．how you spend money reveals if you are psychologically healthy

B．money is a necessity and will bring you happiness if you have much

C．compulsive buying problems can be solved by taking some medicine

D．all businessmen understand well the psychology of customers

阅读下面短文，根据以下提示：1）汉语提示，2）首字母提示，3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上。所填单词要求意义准确，拼写正确。

People can be addicted to different things, for example, alcohol, drug, certain

foods, or e     television. People who have such an addiction are being                    1.          

forced, because they have a very  (强大的) psychological need that they feel                 2.            

they must be s    . According to psychologists, many people are forced                    3.         

spenders. They feel that they must spend money. This    (力量), like most                  4.           

others, is impossible to explain in a r     way. For forced spenders who                   5.          

buy on credit, charge accounts are more e        than money                           6.          

In other       , forced spenders feel that with credit, they can do anything.                 7.          

Their pleasure in    (花费) large amounts is actually greater than the                      8.          

pleasure that they get   the things they buy. They often spend money                       9.          

(with credit) in an unplanned    , and the things they buy are not         10.         

always useful to them.