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. On that day, retailers slash(砍) 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.

This day should be a shopper’s dream. “It’s just the deals, the sales and everything you can get for a lesser price,” said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it’s a nightmare 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.

Last year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart 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. 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.By saying “This day should be a shopper’s dream”, the writer means ________ .

A．shoppers have longed for this day for a long time

B．the shops will be very crowded on that day

C．the shops will keep open until the daybreak of next day

D．shoppers can buy many items at low prices on that day

2.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.

3.From the passage we know that_________.

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.

4.We can find this passage in_________.

A．a science fiction

B．a travel brochure

C．an economic research report

D．a book on psychology

5.Why American people call it a black day?

A．Because they organize activities in honor of some great person.

B．Because there are too many people going out shopping for Christmas.

C．Too many people are celebrating Thanks giving.

D．The sky is black that day.

 

I’m sorry，the sales manager is not________.He is on the telephone at the moment.

A．reasonable         B．suitable           C．valuable         D．Available

 

In the UK, we like a good bargain. People flock to the sales in January, when stores slash their prices to get rid of all their winter stock. But surprisingly, the British hate haggling. In markets you might see the odd British person battling with a stall owner to bring down the price of a pair of trousers or some furniture. Generally, though, people from the UK are too reserved to haggle. If we think the price of something we want is too high, we’ll simply move on and try somewhere else.
The act of bargaining with someone is very theatrical, in my opinion. It’s a test to see who can stand their ground for the longest. But it is not in British people’s nature to “perform” in public, especially around strangers.
However, in the US, people are generally more willing to haggle. And if you wander into a market, you’re likely to hear a number of phrases that Americans reserve for such occasions.
First, “you drive a hard bargain” is commonly said by the customer to indicate they think the stall holder is working very hard, probably a little too hard, to get the price he wants.
Or you might hear the buyer telling a stall holder that “the kid’s gotta have braces”, which means they don’t have enough spare money lying around to afford the price being offered.
If the customer is really shocked at the price suggested by the seller, they also might say “you’re killing me” to indicate that they think the price is far too high.
In Britain, it’s difficult to imagine anyone saying anything along these lines. If I were forced to bargain, I’d probably say, very simply: “I’m going to make you an offer.” If that offer were refused, I think I’d just walk away.
【小题1】The underlined word “haggling” can be replaced by _______.

A．arguing

B．bargaining

C．performing

D．insisting

【小题2】Why don’t the British haggle generally?

A．They don’t think it is polite behavior.

B．They have sales every January.

C．They can always get a better price somewhere else.

D．They dislike openly expressing feelings or opinions.

【小题3】The underlined phrase “you drive a hard bargain” means_______.

A．the seller has a lot of deals on offer.

B．the buyer will make a final offer

C．the stall holder is too insistent

D．the buyer doesn’t have a lot of spare money

【小题4】What’s the author’s attitude toward bargaining?

A．Negative.

B．Careless.

C．Positive.

D．Critical.

【小题5】How does the passage mainly develop?

A．By providing examples.

B．By making comparision.

C．By analyzing causes and effects.

D．By following the order of importance.

短文改错

An old woman walked to a clothes shop. She asked the sales girl to let her to have a look at a new dress on display. The girl took no notice of her request and the old woman spoke to the girl again. Rising her voice a bit, she still received no answer. The old woman stared the girl and nodded to herself, “I'm very old to see well. I can't even tell a model of a real girl!” On hearing this, the rude sales girl shouted for the old woman. “What? Did you calling me a plastic model?” “Oh, dear me,” she said, “the model can say? Then, it must be a robot of a new type!”

1．________　　2．________　　3．________　　4．________

5．________　　6．________　　7．________　　8．________

9．________　　10．________

完型填空(共20小题;每小题1.5分, 满分30分)

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出可以填入空白处

的最佳选项，并在机读卡上将该选项涂黑。

 There is a small shop about 200 meters from where I live that sells groceries, meat and other basic necessities. About 10 yearsa ago, there was a beggar who would go into the shop every day and ask the owner for a   21  . The owner,  22   he would love to help, simply didn’t have any jobs availabe, so he kept   23   the man’s office.

  This situation continued   24   for a few months, until the owner   25   to give the homeless man a job which   26   sweeping outside the shop. Every single day form 5 a.m, the homeless man was there doing the very   27   he could for the   28  , making it the community’s favourite, even though it did earn him pennies.  29  , the owner saw how good a job the man was doing and gave him a job working   30   a cashier(收银员). He was watched closely to make sure that he didn’t   31   any of the money received from the sales. He was still homeless, after all. The homeless man did a/an   32   job as a cashier for over 2 years, and did such a good job that he was promoted to   33   the finances for the whole shop.

  To my   34  , this was the arrangements up until 2 years ago, when the owner   35  . In his will, he only had one   36  , to give the whole shop to the now stable, “homeless” man. Now, I could walk into that shop and see him working as hard as   37  , with his own business that is still   38   and active 10 years after getting his job as a sweeper.

  From this story, we can probably get the inspiration: work hard and give everything your best effort, even if it isn’t your   39   situation, it very well may turn out to   40   some day in the future.

A.coin            B. home             C.job               D.meal

A.although        B.unless            C.because               D.if

A.expecting        B.considering           C.accepting         D.refusing

A.again        B.often             C.weekly            D.daily

A.offered          B.agreed            C.planned               D.failed

A.meant           B.involved              C.included              D.trained

A.best             B.least             C.better            D.less

A.family          B.owner             C.interest              D.moment

A.Suddenly        B.Fortunately           C.Quietly               D. Eventually

A.for              B.with              C.as                D.like

A.lose            B.pocket            C.spend             D.save

A.honest           B.loyal             C.fantastic             D.kind

A.guard        B.raise             C.provide               D.manage

A.knowledge       B.mind              C.scare             D.joy

A.got tired           B.became old        C.passed away           D.gave up

A.thought          B.purpose               C.request               D.suggestion

A.ever            B.necessary         C.expected              D.required

A.big             B.new               C. shabby               D. popular

A.ideal            B.current               C.own               D.financial

A.become          B.be                C.happen            D.do