新标准大学英语四4单元

1、The credit card trap1 I have a confession. Several years ago, I was standing in a queue to collect some theatre tickets for my family, and my friend was doing the same for hers. I got mine, and paid for them by credit card, feeling contented by the convenience of this cash- free transaction. It was

2、then her turn to pay. The whole operation passed as smoothly as mine, but my delight soon turned to abject shame. My credit card was a fairly pathetic, status-free dark blue, whereas hers was a very exclusive gold one.Text 2 How did she do this? How could this be? I knew I earned more than her, my c

3、ar was newer, and my house was smarter. How did she get to appear more flash than me?3 Now, I had a job which was as steady as any job was in those days thats to say, not very, but you know, no complaints. I had a mortgage on my house, but then who didnt? I paid off all my credit debt at the end of

4、the month, so although technically, I was in debt to the credit card company, it was only for a matter of a few weeks. So I assumed I had a good credit rating.Text 4 Call me superficial, and Im not proud of myself, but there and then, I was suddenly jealous of my friend. I decided I no longer wanted

5、 a blue card. I wanted a gold one. A gold card was suddenly indispensable, it would make me feel good with myself, and desirable to others.5 So I applied for the most distinctive, shiny golden card the company offered.6 I was turned down.Text 7 When I had recovered from the shock, which took several

6、 seconds, I asked why. It appears that because I pay my credit card bill both on time and in full, Im not the kind of person that they want to have their gold credit card. They target people who are prone to impulse-buying, and potentially bad credit risks, tempted to spend more than they have, and

7、liable to fall behind with repayments. Then they can charge them more interest, and earn more money. Thats the way they do business.Text 8 So does this explain why the credit card companies are luring impoverished students with unrealistic interest rates, like my kids?9 Three weeks ago, No. 2 daught

8、er came home from university for the weekend. Shes in her second term of her first year. She has a student loan of 3,000, like most of her friends, and a small allowance from her poor mother (ha!) for transport, books, living expenses. She wears clothes from the local charity shops, and rarely goes

9、out. She hugged me (never usually does that) and then said, Mum, I need to talk to you.Text 10 What is it, darling? Tell me everything.11 Ive applied for a credit card, and I need someone to act as a guarantee for me. Is it OK if I put down your name? Thanks so much, Mum, must dash! Bye. Text 12 Aft

10、er Id hauled her back into the house, it transpired that her bank had written to her offering a credit card at a low interest for a trial three-month period, subject to suitability . and so on. Her bank! I trusted them! They know even better than I do how broke she is.13 Heres a serious question. Wh

11、y do they call them credit cards when it would be more accurate to call them debt cards?Text 14 Heres an even more serious story. Another friends daughter, Kelly, was studying modern languages at university, and spent a year overseas. At some point in the year, there was a change of procedure, and K

12、ellys bank failed to allow her to access her funds in her current account, because the request was from outside the UK. Naturally, there was a lengthy correspondence while she tried to sort this out, so the delay in being able to access her funds meant that she went into the red, and her debts began

13、 to rise more than 200 above the agreed limit on her overdraft of 1,500.Text 15 When Kelly got back home, the bank charged her 100 for going over the limit, and insisted she paid 30 a month to bring the balance back to below her limit. They omitted to tell her that she wasnt actually paying off the

14、debt, but only the exorbitant interest on the overspend of the overdraft.16 So Kelly had to turn to her credit card which she had used sensibly and sparingly until that point. Because she was a student, and because she didnt use it much, naturally her credit limit was low.Text 17 And not surprisingl

15、y, she couldnt pay off even the minimum payment on her credit card bill. So there were not only bankText charges owing, but also credit card debts and interest. And of course, she was recorded as being a bad credit risk.18 Things then went from bad to worse. A few months into her final year, the ban

16、k notified her that it was going to reduce her overdraft from 1,500 to 1,000. They told her to apply for a student loan to cover the rest. But when the loan company did a credit check, they discovered the card debt.19 Guess what? She didnt get the loan.Text 20 This was a delightful kid who had great

17、 restraint with her spending and was economical about her lifestyle. She didnt go on spending sprees buying new shoes, and she didnt use her credit card as if (unlike me) it was a fashion item. She used it to buy food, to survive.21 And what happened? She had to drop out of university.Text 22 I wish

18、 there was a happy ending to Kellys story, although maybe there will be. For the moment, shes working in the local supermarket, and its probable that shell have another go at university when she has paid off her debts.23 So this is what the banks do. They set traps which appeal to our vanity and gre

19、ed and sometimes to our basic need for survival. And then when we fall into the trap they shout Got you! Didnt you realize it was a trap?Text 24 And here we are today, caught in the credit crunch, with world economies in free fall, all because the wicked bankers set us traps which we fell into, attr

20、acting us with endless publicity for loans of money which even they didnt have! It now appears they were borrowing on their own flashy gold credit cards too.25 So I have a solution to the credit card trap, and I want all of you to listen to me very carefully.Text 26 I want you to lay out all of your

21、 credit cards in a line, take a large pair of scissors and cut them into small pieces. Then put them in an envelope and send them to your bank, with a letter saying (more or less) I trusted you and you deceived me. Youve got the whole world into this ridiculous credit card trap, and if I now cut you

22、r cards in half, and take away your potential to tempt money away from honest people like me, maybe it will be your turn to learn what its like to run out of cash.Text 27 As for me, I dont want any more credit cards, no more status symbols, no more bad feelings about wishing I could show how superio

23、r I am to others. Im not going to yearn any more for what I cannot afford or cannot have.Text 信用卡陷阱信用卡陷阱1 有一件事我得坦白。几年前，我排队为家人取戏票时，我的朋友也在为她的家人取票。我拿到了票，用信用卡付了账，对这种非现金交易的便利感到很满意。然后就轮到她付款了，整个交易也进行得同样顺利，但我的高兴劲儿很快就变成了莫大的羞耻：我的信用卡太寒酸了，是不显示身份地位的深蓝色卡，而她的信用卡则是高级的金卡。Text 2 她是怎样弄到金卡的？怎么会这样呢？我知道我挣得比她多，我的车比她的车新，我的

24、家比她的家漂亮，她怎么看起来显得比我光鲜呢？3 我有一份跟那时候任何工作相比还算安定的工作虽然不是非常安定，不过我也没什么可抱怨的。我是通过按揭贷款买的房子，可那会儿谁买房不贷款呢？我每个月底都付清信用卡欠款。所以，虽然从技术上讲，我欠过信用卡公司的钱，但只是欠几个星期而已。所以我认为我的信用等级应该很高。Text 4 你可以说我肤浅，而我也并不感到自豪。但就在当时当地，我突然非常嫉妒那位朋友，我决定不要蓝色信用卡了，我要一张金卡。金卡突然变得不可或缺，它会让我自我感觉良好，会让别人觉得我更有魅力。5 于是，我去信用卡公司申请最特别、最耀眼的金卡。6 可是，我的申请被拒绝了。Text 7 过了

25、几秒钟，我才从这个打击中回过神来，我问自己为什么被拒绝。显然，因为我每次都按时全额付清信用卡欠款，所以我不是他们想要的那种金卡客户。他们的目标客户是那些随时有购物刷卡的冲动、有潜在信用风险、经不住诱惑超支消费、并且经常延期还款的人。这样他们才有机会收取更多的利息，挣更多的钱，这就是他们的经营之道。Text 8 这能够解释为什么信用卡公司会用超低利率诱惑像我们家孩子那样的穷大学生吗?9 三个星期前，我的二女儿回家过周末。她在读大一第二学期。和她的大多数朋友一样，她借了3,000 英镑的学生贷款，并从她可怜的妈妈（哈！）那里得到一小笔补贴，用于支付交通费、书费和生活费用。她穿的衣服是从当地的慈善商

26、店买来的，并且她平时也很少出门。她拥抱了我( 她以前从不拥抱我)，然后说：“妈妈，我有事要跟您商量。”Text 10 “亲爱的，什么事啊？都说出来让我听听。”11 “我申请了一张信用卡，需要保证人，我可以填您的名字吗? 非常感谢，妈妈，我得赶快走啦，再见。”Text 12 我费了好大劲儿才把她从外面拽了回来。原来她的银行来信告诉她说：她可以申请一张试用期为三个月的、能够低息贷款的信用卡，只要满足要求如此云云。她的银行！我才不相信他们！他们甚至比我更清楚，我的女儿一贫如洗。13 这里存在一个严重的问题：准确地说这种卡应该叫债务卡，他们为什么要称其为信用卡呢？Text 14 还有一个更为严肃的故事

27、。我一个朋友的女儿凯丽在大学攻读现代语言，其中一年在国外留学。在留学那一年的某段时间，由于程序上的变动，凯丽的银行限制她在除英国之外的其他国家支取现金账户的资金。通过书信同银行交涉的时间相当长，而未能及时支取账户资金使她欠了银行的债，欠款额超过了透支额度（1,500英镑）200多英镑。Text 15 凯丽回国后，银行因为她超支扣了她100英镑，并坚持要她每月支付30英镑，以使她的支出能重新控制在透支额度之内。但银行没有告诉她，每月支付的30英镑并不是用来偿清欠款，而只是支付超额透支的巨额利息。16 因此凯丽不得不求助于信用卡。在此之前她在用信用卡时一直非常小心谨慎，并且也很少用信用卡。由于她是

28、学生，又很少用信用卡，她的信用额度自然就比较低。Text 17 毫不奇怪，她甚至无法偿还信用卡账单的最小还款额。所以她不仅欠银行手续费，而且还欠信用卡的账款及利息。当然，她因此被银行登记为信用风险高的人。Text 18 事情越来越糟。大学最后一年刚过几个月，银行就通知她：她的透支额度由1,500英镑减少到1,000英镑。他们让她申请学生贷款来填补缺口。可是，贷款公司检查她的银行信用时发现了她的信用卡欠款。19 猜猜结果如何？她没有申请到学生贷款。Text 20 凯丽是个讨人喜欢的孩子，消费节制有度，生活节俭。她并没有疯狂刷卡买鞋子，也没有把信用卡当成时髦玩意儿（不像我），她只是用信用卡买食物等

29、生活必需品。21 结果怎样呢？她不得不退学。Text 22 我希望凯丽的故事会有个好的结局，也许会有好结局的。现在，她在当地的一家超市工作，等她还清债务后可能会继续完成大学学业。23 这就是银行的所作所为。他们常常利用我们的虚荣和贪婪，有时也利用我们生存的基本需求给我们设下陷阱。等我们掉进陷阱时，他们就会大喊：“抓住你啦！你当初没想到这是个陷阱吧？”Text 24 这就是我们现在的处境。随着世界经济一落千丈，我们都处在信贷危机之中。所有这一切都是因为邪恶的银行家通过大量广告推销他们压根就不存在的贷款来吸引我们，给我们设圈套。现在真相大白了：他们也在用自己手中金光闪闪的金卡借钱！25 我有一个破

30、解信用卡圈套的办法，各位请仔细听。Text 26 我要你们把所有的信用卡排成一排，拿一把大剪子把它们剪成碎片，然后把碎片装进信封寄回给银行，并附上一封信，上面（或多或少地）写上：“我信任你，可你却欺骗了我。你让全世界的人都钻进了这个荒谬的信用卡圈套。我把你的卡剪成了两半，让你再也不能像骗我这样的老实人一样去骗其他人的钱了，也许该让你来体验一下身无分文的滋味了。”Text 27 至于我，我再也不想要信用卡了，也不要身份的象征了，也不用费心思去炫耀我比别人优越了。我再也不会奢望我买不起或我无法得到的东西了。Text Words & Phrasestransactionabjectfairlypat

31、heticexclusiveflashcomplaintriskpotentiallyproneshinydistinctivedesirableindispensablenaturallyoverseasbrokesuitabilitytranspirehugunrealisticcredit ratingsuperficialjealousimpoverishedlureliableomitoverdraftcorrespondenceWords & Phrasesexorbitantoverspendsensiblysparinglynotifydelightfulrestraintfl

32、ashypublicitybankerwickedcrunchgreedvanityeconomicalspreeprobableyearndeceiveWords & Phrasesin fullput downit transpired (that)into / out of the redomit to do sth.go from bad to worselay outtransaction n. C (fml) the action or process of buying or selling sth. 交易；买卖e.g. 1. The security of electronic

33、 commerce consists of network security and business transaction security. 电子商务安全包括网络安全和商务交易安全。2. We have finally concluded the transaction through negotiation. 经过谈判，我们终于达成了这笔交易。3. Buying a house is an important transaction for most people. 买房子对大多数人来讲都是件重要的事。Words & Phrasesabject a. (fml) complete: u

34、sed for emphasizing how bad, unpleasant, or severe a situation or condition is 完全的（用于强调非常糟糕、不愉快或严峻的形势或条件）e.g. 1. In a slum, people live in abject poverty. 在贫民区，人们生活在赤贫之中。2. This policy has turned out to be an abject failure. 这一政策最后以惨败而告终。3. His letter plunged her into abject misery. 他的信使她陷入极度痛苦之中。Wo

35、rds & Phrasesfairly ad. 1) to quite a high degree; to an acceptable extent 相当，很；还算e.g. 1. She seemed fairly philosophical about the loss. 她对所受损失似乎还算看得开。2. Shes fairly responsive to new ideas. 她相当愿意接受新观念。 3. I was fairly certain she had nothing to do with the affair. 我相当肯定她与此事无关。2) honestly; with jus

36、tice 公平地；公正地e.g. I think he was quite fairly treated by the police. 我认为警察对他非常公正。Words & Phrasespathetic a. 1) useless or not effective in an annoying way 差劲的；没用的；令人生厌的e.g. Money and fine clothes could not mend these defects or cover them up; they only made them the more glaring and the more pathetic

37、. 金钱和漂亮衣服都不能弥补这些缺点，也不能把它们掩饰起来；反而使这些缺点更刺眼、更讨厌。2) if someone or sth. looks or sounds pathetic, you feel sympathy for them 可怜的；令人同情的e.g. It was pathetic to watch her condition deteriorate day by day. 看着她的健康状况日益恶化，真是可怜。Words & Phrasesexclusive a. 1) very expensive, and therefore available only to people

38、 who have a lot of money 高档的；奢华的e.g. 1. The tennis club has an exclusive membership. 这家网球俱乐部的成员都是些有钱人。2. Bel Air is an exclusive suburb of Los Angeles. 贝莱尔是洛杉矶郊外一处高级住宅区。2) limited to a particular person, thing, or group and not shared with others 专用的；独有的e.g. This bathroom is for the Presidents exclu

39、sive use. 这浴室是总统专用的。Words & Phrases3) published or reported by only one newspaper, magazine, television station etc （报纸或杂志的）独家报道的，独家专文的e.g. 1. The reporter had an exclusive interview with the Nobel prize winner. 那位记者独家采访了那位诺贝尔奖得主。2. The story is exclusive to Washington Post. 华盛顿邮报独家报导了这个故事。Words & P

40、hrasesflash a. (infml) if someone is flash, they own expensive things in order to show how much money they have 奢华的，炫耀的，显摆的（通常表示不喜欢这样的人）e.g. 1. He has a big flash car at his disposal. 他有一辆阔气的大车子供他使用。2. Chris didnt want to seem flash in front of his mates. 克里斯不想在他的同伴面前显得是在摆阔。See also: flashy.Words &

41、Phrasescomplaint n. 1) C a written or spoken statement in which someone says they are not satisfied with sth. 诉苦的话；怨言；牢骚e.g. 1. She lodged a complaint against the waiter about his poor service with the restaurant manager. 她向餐厅经理投诉这名服务员的恶劣服务。2. I have no complaints about the quality of his work, but

42、I dont enjoy his company. 我并不是抱怨他的工作质量，而是不喜欢和他一起工作。Words & Phrases2) U the act of complaining 投诉；意见e.g. 1. What are the grounds for complaint? 你提的意见有什么证据？2. We accept your justified complaint for improper packing and agree to replace the damaged pieces. 我们接受你方关于包装不善的正当投诉，并同意调换损坏的货物。3. He who makes c

43、onstant complaint gets little compassion. 谚经常诉苦， 少人同情。Word family: complain v.Words & Phrasescredit rating n. C financial information about someone that a bank or shop uses for deciding whether to lend them money or to give them credit 信用评价；信用等级e.g. 1. If your credit rating is poor the lender may re

44、fuse you credit. 如果你的信用等级不佳，贷方就可能拒绝你的贷款申请。2. It is very important to set up the individual credit rating system. 建立个人信用体系非常重要。Words & Phrasessuperficial a. 1) shallow, lacking substance （思想）浅薄的，缺乏深度的e.g. 1. Her speech was superficial and full of generalities. 她的发言既肤浅又空泛。2. These are superficial poli

45、cy changes that help no one. 这些政策上的变化太肤浅，帮助不了任何人。2) affecting or involving only the surface or outside part of sth. 表面的，表皮的e.g. Sunburn is an inflammation of the superficial layers of the skin. 晒伤是皮肤表皮的一种炎症。Words & Phrasesjealous a. ( of) unhappy because someone has sth. that you would like or can d

46、o sth. that you would like to do 妒忌的；妒羡的e.g. 1. They are inherently jealous and suspicious. 他们与生俱来地善妒和多疑。2. Being on guard against those who are jealous of your success. 要提防那些嫉妒你成功的人。Word family: jealousy n.Words & Phrasesindispensable a. difficult or impossible to exist without or to do sth. withou

47、t 不可缺少的；必不可少的e.g. 1. Fertile soil is indispensable for agriculture. 肥沃土壤对农业而言是不可或缺的。2. Many people find coffee in the morning indispensable. 好多人觉得早晨喝一杯咖啡是不可缺少的。Word family: indispensability n.Words & PhrasesChoose the best answer. In the Chinese household, grandparents and other relatives play _ rol

48、es in raising children. (CET4-2002-01)A) incapableB) indispensableC) insensibleD) infiniteWords & PhrasesBdesirable a. sth. that is desirable has qualities that make you want it 令人向往的；吸引人的e.g. 1. The house has a desirable location with a view of the lake. 那所房子的地点让人神往，有一片湖景。2. Nothing could be more d

49、esirable than for them both to get jobs in this city. 要是他俩都能在这座城市找到工作，那就再好不过了。Word family: desire v. desirability n. Words & Phrasesdistinctive a. characteristic of one person or thing, and so serving to distinguish it from others 与众不同的；特殊的；特别的；有特色的e.g. 1. The packaging should be modern and distinct

50、ive. 其包装应该是现代的、独特的。2. Saturn is known for its distinctive rings. 土星以其与众不同的光环而出名。Word family: distinctively ad.Cf. Distinct handwriting is clear writing; distinctive handwriting is writing you dont confuse with someone elses.Words & PhrasesCf. distinct a. clearly different or belonging to a different

51、 type 明显不同的，截然不同的，不同种类的Fill in the blanks with distinctive, distinctively or distinct. 1. Fund-raising is a _ American thing, since U.S. schools rely heavily on donations. (CET4-2009-12) 筹募资金的活动是美国的独特事物，因为美国的学校主要依赖于捐款运营。2. Silk is _ from rayon in every respect. 真丝在各个方面都跟人造丝截然不同。3. He has a _ appeara

52、nce, you can recognize him easily. 他的外貌有显著的特征，你能轻易地认出他。Words & Phrasesdistinctivelydistinctdistinctiveshiny a. sth. that is shiny has a bright surface that reflects light （表面）发亮的，闪光的e.g. 1. What shiny shoes youre wearing! 你穿的鞋子可真亮啊！2. The castle looked shiny and beautiful under the fireworks. 在焰火中城堡

53、显得既闪耀又美丽。Word family: shine v. Words & Phrasesprone a. ( to) likely to do sth. or be affected by sth., especially sth. bad 有倾向的；可能受影响的e.g. 1. Some people are prone to hasty conclusions. 有些人往往作出轻率的结论。2. People are more prone to make mistakes when they are tired. 人们疲劳时更容易出差错。3. He is prone to lose his

54、 temper when people disagree with him. 人家一不同意他的意见，他就发脾气。 Words & Phrasespotentially ad. possibly true in the future, but not true now 可能地；潜在地e.g. 1. Potentially higher wages may worsen inflationary pressure. 高薪水有可能会加剧通货膨胀的压力。2. Navajo remained potentially valuable as code even after the war. 战后，纳瓦霍语

55、在加密方面仍有潜在价值。3. Are they potentially harmful to the consumer of the plant? 它们对该植物的食用者是否有潜在的危害？ Words & Phrasesrisk n. C a person or company considered according to how safe it is to lend them money or give them insurance or credit 贷款对象；保险对象e.g. 1. Drivers under 21 are regarded as poor risks by insura

56、nce companies. 不满21岁的驾驶者被保险公司认为是高风险的保险对象。2. Lenders look at your score to quickly decide if you are a good or bad risk to lend credit to. 贷方根据你的分数来判断为你提供贷款的风险是高或低。Words & Phrasesliable a. ( to do sth.) likely to do sth. bad or unpleasant 易出问题的e.g. 1. Your statement is liable to cause misunderstandin

57、g. 你的话容易引起误会。2. In a depression banks are liable to fail. 在经济萧条期间，银行很可能倒闭。Choose the best answer. It is said that the math teacher seems _ towards bright students. (CET4-2000-06)A) partialB) beneficialC) preferableD) liableWords & PhrasesAlure vt. & n. 1) vt. persuade someone to do sth. by making it

58、 look very attractive 引诱；诱惑e.g. U.S. biologists hope to lure wayward whales back to Pacific Ocean. 美国生物学家希望诱导迷路鲸群回到太平洋。2) n. C sth. that attracts someone to a situation that they may wish they had avoided 诱惑；诱惑物e.g. He left home because of the lures of the life in the city. 由于受到城市生活的诱惑，他离开了家。Words &

59、 Phrasesimpoverished a. an impoverished person or place is very poor 贫困的；赤贫的e.g. 1. The impoverished family subsisted on charity. 那个贫穷的家庭靠救济金过日子。 2. Money and food were sent to the impoverished drought victims. 人们给干旱中贫困的灾民送去了救济金和粮食。Word family: impoverish vt. Words & Phrasesunrealistic a. based on h

60、opes or wishes, and not on what is likely or possible 不现实的；不可能的e.g. 1. We never cherish any unrealistic fancies about those desperate criminals. 我们对那些亡命的罪犯从来不抱任何不切实际的幻想。2. They think the Barbie Doll portrays women in an unrealistic and unhealthy way. 他们认为芭比娃娃以既不真实、又不健康的方式来诠释女性。Antonym: realisticWord