Today, more and more people are using credit¹ cards instead of cash to buy the things they need. Almost any one who has a steady income and a continuous² work record can apply for a credit card. With a credit card , you can eat dinner, take a trip, and even buy a car by charging the cost to your account. In this way, you can pay for purchases several months later without any extra charge. Or you may choose to make your payments³ over several months and pay only parts of the total amount each month.

如今，越来越多的人流行用信用卡而不是用现金购买他们所需要的东西。几乎所有收入来源稳定，有持续工作记录的人都可以申请信用卡。如果你拥有一张信用卡，只要刷卡，你就可以用餐、旅行甚至买汽车。你可以在几个月以后再支付货款，而不需缴纳任何额外的费用。或者，你可以选择在几个月期间内进行支付，每个月只付其中的一部分。

 

In fact, the concept⁴ of using a card for purchases was described in 1887 by Edward Bellamy in his utopian(乌托邦式的) novel Looking Backward. Bellamy used the term "credit card" first in this novel.

事实上，爱德华·贝拉密早在1887年便在他的乌托邦小说《回顾》中描述了持卡消费的理念。在他的小说中，爱德华·贝拉密曾第一次使用了"信用卡"这个词。

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