The Friday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It’s said that it’s the day that store ledgers(分类账)move into the black and companies become profitable（有利可图的，有益的）. On that day, retailers（零售商）slash prices to get consumers to buy.  It is also a time when many Americans start their Christmas shopping. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee tells us how the economy may affect consumers on that bargain day.
“It’s just the deals, the sales and everything you can get for a lesser（较少的，较小的）price,” said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it’s a nightmare（噩梦）for others. “I think it’s crazy. I’ve done all of my shopping throughout the week so I don’t have to go out on Friday,” she said. It’s called Black Friday, the start of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Every year it’s the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Stores open before sunrise and there are deep discounts everywhere you look.
While the lead up to Christmas is known as the season of giving, Black Friday can get ugly.
Last year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart（沃尔玛公司）worker in a New York suburb. This year, many stores are increasing security while they slash prices. “This is a huge time for the retail stores,” said Fred Joutz from George Washington University. “This is when they begin making their profits for the year.”
Economics professor Fred Joutz says how Americans spend the weekend after Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.
With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Joutz says Americans are saving more and spending less. “Credit is still strictly controlled whether through credit cards or through borrowing from banks,” he said. Some retailers are attracting consumers by opening on Thanksgiving Day, when shops are traditionally closed.  Other stores open their doors anywhere from midnight to four in the morning.
And shoppers will be lining up in front of the doors in order to be one of the first ones to walk through and get a big discount. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually the first items to go. Sandy Thomas says it’s an annual family tradition and well worth it. “I just save maybe half of what I would have spent on a regular, you know, shopping trip,” she said.
Economists say U.S. consumers will spend money this Black Friday, but they will spend it more carefully.     
【小题1】 The underlined word “slash” in the first paragraph probably means _________.

The Friday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It’s said that it’s the day that store ledgers(分类账)move into the black and companies become profitable（有利可图的，有益的）. On that day, retailers（零售商）slash prices to get consumers to buy.  It is also a time when many Americans start their Christmas shopping. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee tells us how the economy may affect consumers on that bargain day.

 “It’s just the deals, the sales and everything you can get for a lesser（较少的，较小的）price,” said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it’s a nightmare（噩梦）for others. “I think it’s crazy. I’ve done all of my shopping throughout the week so I don’t have to go out on Friday,” she said. It’s called Black Friday, the start of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Every year it’s the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Stores open before sunrise and there are deep discounts everywhere you look.

While the lead up to Christmas is known as the season of giving, Black Friday can get ugly.

Last year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart（沃尔玛公司）worker in a New York suburb. This year, many stores are increasing security while they slash prices. “This is a huge time for the retail stores,” said Fred Joutz from George Washington University. “This is when they begin making their profits for the year.”

Economics professor Fred Joutz says how Americans spend the weekend after Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.

With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Joutz says Americans are saving more and spending less. “Credit is still strictly controlled whether through credit cards or through borrowing from banks,” he said. Some retailers are attracting consumers by opening on Thanksgiving Day, when shops are traditionally closed.  Other stores open their doors anywhere from midnight to four in the morning.

And shoppers will be lining up in front of the doors in order to be one of the first ones to walk through and get a big discount. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually the first items to go. Sandy Thomas says it’s an annual family tradition and well worth it. “I just save maybe half of what I would have spent on a regular, you know, shopping trip,” she said.

Economists say U.S. consumers will spend money this Black Friday, but they will spend it more carefully.     

1. The underlined word “slash” in the first paragraph probably means _________.

 A. reduce         B. raise         C. increase        D. change

2.The sentence “This day should be a shopper’s dream.” should be placed between ________.

 A. paragraph two and paragraph three        B. paragraph one and paragraph two

 C. paragraph three and paragraph four      D. paragraph five and paragraph six

3.Why are many stores increasing security according to the passage?

 A. Because there are too many people saving more and spending less.

 B. Because it’s a time when they begin making their profits for the year.

 C. Because last year a crowd of bargain-hunters caused an accident.

 D. Because many stores open their doors from midnight to four a.m.

4.What can we learn from the passage?

 A. Christmas shopping is traditional time and this year it is no exception.

 B. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually least discounted.

 C. The economy only affects consumers on that bargain day.

 D. Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.

   The Friday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It’s said that it’s the day that store ledgers(分类账)move into the black and companies become profitable（有利可图的，有益的）. On that day, retailers（零售商）slash prices to get consumers to buy.  It is also a time when many Americans start their Christmas shopping. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee tells us how the economy may affect consumers on that bargain day.

 “It’s just the deals, the sales and everything you can get for a lesser（较少的，较小的）price,” said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it’s a nightmare（噩梦）for others. “I think it’s crazy. I’ve done all of my shopping throughout the week so I don’t have to go out on Friday,” she said. It’s called Black Friday, the start of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Every year it’s the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Stores open before sunrise and there are deep discounts everywhere you look.

While the lead up to Christmas is known as the season of giving, Black Friday can get ugly.

Last year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart（沃尔玛公司）worker in a New York suburb. This year, many stores are increasing security while they slash prices. “This is a huge time for the retail stores,” said Fred Joutz from George Washington University. “This is when they begin making their profits for the year.”

Economics professor Fred Joutz says how Americans spend the weekend after Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.

With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Joutz says Americans are saving more and spending less. “Credit is still strictly controlled whether through credit cards or through borrowing from banks,” he said. Some retailers are attracting consumers by opening on Thanksgiving Day, when shops are traditionally closed.  Other stores open their doors anywhere from midnight to four in the morning.

And shoppers will be lining up in front of the doors in order to be one of the first ones to walk through and get a big discount. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually the first items to go. Sandy Thomas says it’s an annual family tradition and well worth it. “I just save maybe half of what I would have spent on a regular, you know, shopping trip,” she said.

Economists say U.S. consumers will spend money this Black Friday, but they will spend it more carefully.     

63. The underlined word “slash” in the first paragraph probably means _________.

 A. reduce         B. raise         C. increase        D. change

64. The sentence “This day should be a shopper’s dream.” should be placed between ________.

 A. paragraph two and paragraph three        B. paragraph one and paragraph two

 C. paragraph three and paragraph four                D. paragraph five and paragraph six

65. Why are many stores increasing security according to the passage?

 A. Because there are too many people saving more and spending less.

 B. Because it’s a time when they begin making their profits for the year.

 C. Because last year a crowd of bargain-hunters caused an accident.

 D. Because many stores open their doors from midnight to four a.m.

66.What can we learn from the passage?

 A. Christmas shopping is traditional time and this year it is no exception.

 B. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually least discounted.

 C. The economy only affects consumers on that bargain day.

 D. Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.

To hitch-hike successfully in any country you must be able to do two things: attract attention and at the same time convince the driver at a glance that you do not intend to rob or murder him．To fulfill the first requirement you must have some mark to distinguish you at once from all other hikers．A serviceman, for instance, should wear his uniform, a student his scarf．In a foreign country an unmistakable indication of your own nationality will also arrest a driver’s attention．
When I hitch-hiked 9,500 miles across the United States and back recently I wore a well-tailored suit, a bowler hat and a trench coat, and carried a pencil-thin rolled black umbrella．My suitcase was decorated with British flags．Having plenty of luggage, moreover, I was not likely to be suspected of being a dangerous lunatic（精神病患者）．I then had to get across to the driver the idea that I was a real traveler, and needed to get somewhere cheaply．
But even with careful preparation, you must not assume（认为） that the task will be easy．You should be prepared to wait a little, for there are drivers who confess to（承认） a fierce prejudice against, （not to say hatred of）, hitch-hikers, and would no more pick up a hiker than march from Aldermaston to London．In America, my average wait was half-an-hour, and my longest two hours, but I have heard of people waiting all day; they probably took less pains to make themselves easy to notice．
Nor must you assume that all the drivers who stop for you are nice, normal people．On one occasion I found myself driving with two boys of about nineteen who turned out to be on the run from the police, and were hoping to use me as an alibi．There are also lesser（较小的） risks: you may find yourself in the car of a Fascist fanatic, a Mormon missionary（传教士）, or just a bad driver．You cannot tell, of course until you are in the car．But you soon learn the art of the quick excuse that gets you out again．
If the hitch-hiker in the U．S．will remember that he is seeking the willingness of drivers to give him a free ride, and is prepared to give in exchange entertainment and company, and not go to sleep, he will come across the remarkable, almost legendary, hospitality of American of the West．It will also help if he can drive—I think that I drove myself about 4,500 of those 9,500 miles I hitch-hiked in the States．
71．A hitch-hiking serviceman should wear his uniform      ．
A．so as not to look too unusual              B．to attract attention
C．to show he is on duty                    D．to put the driver at ease
72．In paragraph 3, we learn that the writer     ．
A．has sometimes failed to hitch a ride
B．has marched from Aldermaston to London
C．has always been successful in hitching a ride
D．has had to wait for long hours for a ridew
73．The main idea of Paragraph 4 is that      ．
A．it is dangerous to be in a car with strangers
B．hitch-hiking may turn out to be risky sometimes
C．a hitch-hiker must also learn the art of quick excuse
D．hitch-hikers might come across bad drivers
74．In the last paragraph, the writer mainly wants to tell us that a hitchhiker should     ．
A．not talk to the driver too much
B．fall asleep to make it a peaceful ride
C．try to make himself pleasant and entertaining
D．seek the willingness of drivers
75．A suitable title for the passage would be     ．
A．“The Art of Hitch-hiking”      B．“An Englishman’s View of the U．S．”
C．“An English Hitch-hiker”        D．“The joys and Dangers of hitch-hiking