人教专题04说明文专练二-2023年高考英语阅读理解名校好题100篇 （解析版）.docx

答案第1页，共20页
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专题04说明文专练二
1.（2023秋·湖南怀化·高三统考期末）The idea of Buy Now Pay Later, or BNPL, has attracted millions of shoppers with the promise of interest-free credit. An incredible 45 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK turned to BNPL last year, according to The Money Charity. Lenders say they offer a better deal than credit cards, because they do not charge interest but make money from affiliate deals (关联交易) with retailers (零售商). It may be a new way of borrowing money, but the old rules still apply: unless you repay the debt quickly, you are building up trouble for the future.
Now, BNPLs are growing in popularity and do have upsides — mostly convenient shopping with interest-easy financing and no strict approval requirements. However, they also make it effortless to overshop, overspend, and get in over your head with credit problems. 
Lenders pay the retailer on your behalf, and then you repay over 30 days or three months, spreading the cost to help with your cash flow. They say this is fairer and less expensive than credit cards. That may be true, but BNPL has dangers, too.
BNPL lenders may not charge any interest, but they still want you to pay back the money you have borrowed, so what if you can’t? Typically, you have 30 days to pay. If you don’t, your lender will contact you to chase late payments. If you still don’t pay, they call in the debt collectors.
Citizens Advice says that 14 million used a BNPL product last year, but six million did not understand what they were signing up for. Some 26% of BNPL customers regretted their choice, while 41% struggled with repayment. Younger people were particularly at risk. A quarter of those making BNPL repayments couldn’t afford food, rent or bills as a result.
Another worry is that BNPL lenders only perform ‘soft’ searches on a person’s credit report, so do not see the borrower’s true credit status. This means they cannot remove people with financial problems and may end up adding to their troubles. BN