单选题
America's love affair with the credit card began in
1949. When businessman Frank McNamara finished a meal in a New York restaurant
and then discovered he had no cash. In those days, gasoline and store charge
cards were common, but cash was standard for almost everything else. McNamara
called his wife, who rushed over to bail him out. His embarrassment gave him the
idea for Diners Club. Within a year some 200 people carried the
world's first multi-use card. For an annual fee of $5, these card holders could
charge meals at 27 restaurants in and around New York City. By the end of 1951
more than a million dollars had been charged on the growing number of cards, and
the company was soon turning a profit. The problem was to
persuade enough people to carry the cards. Diners Club turned to promotions. It
gave away a round-the-world trip on a popular television show. The winners
charged their expenses and made it "from New York to New York without a dime in
their pocket". By 1955 the convenience of charging was catching on in a big
way. The first to turn a profit was Bank of America's Bank
Americard. Bankers from all over the country descended on its California
headquarters to learn the secret of its success—so many that in 1966 Bank
Americard began forming alliances with banks outside the state.
Five million holiday credit card shoppers would have created a bonanza for
banks, but in the dash to market, the banks had been less than cautious in
assembling their lists. Some families received 15 cards. Dead people and babies
got cards. Hundreds of Chicagoans discovered they could use or sell a card they
"found" and by law, the person whose name appeared on it was liable for the
charges—even if he or she had never requested of received the card.
The disaster sparked a movement to regulate the industry. Public Law
91-508, signed by President Nixon in October 1970, prohibited issuers from
sending cards to people who hadn't requested them at all but eliminated
card-holder liability for charges on a card reported lost or stolen. Later, the
Fair Credit Billing Act set standard procedures for resolving billing
disputes. Of course, Credit cards have not only replaced cash
for many purposes, but also in effect have created cash by making it instantly
available virtually everywhere. Experts estimate there are from 15,000 to 19,000
different cards available in his country. So the revolution
that began in 1949 with an embarrassed businessman who was out of cash now seems
complete. What Alfred Bloomingdale, then president of Diners Club, predicted
more than 30 years ago seems to have come true: an America where "there will be
only two classes of people—those with credit and those who can't get
them."
单选题
When did American begin to love credit card?
A. In 1949.
B. In 1955.
C. In 1970.
D. In 1951.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。文章第一句就指出美国从1949年开始盛行使用信用卡。所以应选A。
单选题
Which bank first made a profit from the credit card?
A. Diners Club.
B. Bank of America's Bank Americard.
C. Alfred Bloomingdale.
D. President Nixon.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。文章第四段第一句“The first to turn a profit was Bank of America's Bank Americard.”告诉我们这家银行是最先开始盈利的。所以应选B。
单选题
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Before 1949, Americans didn't use any card.
B. There are from 15,000 to 19,000 different cards available in his
country.
C. The revolution of credit card that began in 1949 with an embarrassed
businessman.
D. The first to turn a profit was Bank of America's Bank
Americard.