· rEAD thE ArtiClE BElow ABout CrEDit CArD inAmEriCA, AnD thE quEstions on thE oppositE pAgE.
· For EACh quEstion 13--18, mArk onE lEttErA,B,C, orD、on yourAnswEr shEEt For thE AnswEr you ChoosE.
D、vAlign=top wiDth="100%">{{B}}how thE、CrEDitCAr
D、CApturE
D、AmEriCA{{/B}}
thE proliFErAtion oF plAtinumAmEriCAnExprEss CArDs in thE 1980s spAwnED rumors oF An ultimAtE, highly ExClusivE, nEvEr puBliCizED "BlACkCArD".CArriED By BillionAirEs, it rEportEDly AllowED holDErs to DEmAnD privAtE shopping sprEEs At thE worlD’s most ExClusivE shops AnD to summon hEliCoptErs in thE miDDlE oF sAhArA、AmEriCAn ExprEss vEhEmEntly DEniEs thE ExistEnCE oF suCh A ChArgE CAr
D、But thE pErsistEnCE oF thE myth suggEsts thE soCiAl importAnCE CrEDit CArDs hAvE For so mAnyAmEriCAns.As onE BusinEss writEr puts it, "to hAvE onE’s CrEDit CArDs CAnCElED is now Akin to BEing ExCommuniCAtED By thE mEDiEvAl ChurCh."
AmEriCA’s lovE AFFAir with thE CrEDit CArD BEgAn in 1949, whEn BusinEssmAn FrAnk x. 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. thE EmBArrAssED mCnAmArA CAllED his wiFE, who rushED ovEr to BAil him out. his prEDiCAmEnt gAvE him thE iDEA ForDinErsCluB、within A yEAr somE 200 pEoplE CArriED thE worlD’s First multi-usE CrEDit CAr
D、
thE proBlEm wAs to pErsuADE Enough pEoplE to CArry thE CArDs.DinErsCluB 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 DiE in thEir poCkEts".
BAnks, sEnsing Among lEss AFFluEnt A pEnt-up DEsirE to spEnD, BEgAn issuing CArDs oF thEir own. thE First to turn A proFit wAsBAnk oFAmEriCA’sBAnkAmEriCAr
D、BAnkErs From All ovEr thE Country DEsCEnDED on itsCAliForniA hEADquArtErs to lEArn thE sECrEt oF its suCCEss--so mAny thAt in 1966BAnkAmEriCArD, toDAy known As visA, BEgAn Forming AlliAnCEs with BAnks outsiDE thE stAtE. thEBAnkAmEriCArD nEtwork soon FACED A CompEtitor whEn wElls FArgoBAnk joinED with 77 othErs to CrEAtE whAt BECAmE mAstErChArgE.AFtEr sCooping up 1.3 million morE "EvErythingCArD" holDErs From whAt wAs thEn First nAtionAlCityBAnk, mAstErChArgE--toDAy’s mAstErCArD--BECAmE For A whilE thE BiggEst BAnk CArD in thE Country.
FivE million holiDAy CrEDit-CArD shoppErs woulD hAvE CrEAtED A BonAnzA For thE BAnks, But in thE rush to mArkEt, thE hAnks hAD BEEn lEss thAn CAutious in AssEmBling thEir lists. somE FAmiliEs rECEivED 15 CArDs.DEAD pEoplE AnD BABiEs got CArDs.EvEn A DAChshunD nAmEDAliCE griFFin wAs sEnt onE thAt promisED shE woulD BE wElComED As A "prEFErrED CustomEr" AtChiCAgo’s FinEst rEstAurAnts.
hunDrEDs oFChiCAgoAns DisCovErED thEy CoulD usE or sEll A CAr 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 or rECEivED thE CAr
D、
whEn thE primE rAtE hit 20% in 1981, thE BAnks FounD thAt ConsumErs DiDn’t minD pAying rAtEs oF 18--22% on thEir CrEDit-CArD BAlAnCE. high intErEst rAtEs hElpED AttrACt nEw plAyErs into thE CrEDit-CArD ArEA, inCluDing sEArs’DisCovErCArD AnD visA、AirlinEs, CAr AnD insurAnCE CompAniEs, EvEn long-DistAnCE phonE CompAniEs AlliED thEmsElvEs with BAnks to oFFEr CrEDit CArDs.ExpErts EstimAtE thErE ArE From 15, 000 to 19, 000 DiFFErEnt CArDs AvAilABlE in thE Country.
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. thE CrEDit-CArD ADvAnCE is BEComing As uBiquitous As thE AutomAtED tEllEr mAChinE.
whAt is thE rumor oF "BlACk CArD"