The day after Thanksgiving is considered the first day of the holiday shopping season in the United States. It even has a name ― “Black Friday.” The name comes from the idea that this is the day when store owners begin to show a profit for the year.

In the past, before calculators and computers, workers recorded the profits and losses of American businesses in special books. They used red ink to record losses. They used black ink to record profits. They used the term “in the red” to mean losing money. “In the black” meant making a profit. So “Black Friday” was the day when the store owners moved from being “in the red” to “in the black.”

Many people consider “Black Friday” to be the busiest shopping day of the year. But that is probably false. Researchers say it may be the day when the largest number of people go to stores. But it is not necessarily the day when shoppers spend the largest amount of money. Some experts say Americans just want to get out of the house the day after Thanksgiving. And many stores reduce some of their prices on “Black Friday.” 

However, experts say that many people wait until much closer to Christmas, December 25, hoping to find even lower prices. They say the busiest day of the year in terms of the amount of shoppers and sales is usually the Saturday before Christmas.

A marketing services company carried out a public opinion study about shopping last month. It asked almost one thousand Americans about their gift buying plans. One-third said they plan to go to stores to shop on the day after Thanksgiving.

The study found that these shoppers are mainly young people, probably because older people do not want to deal with huge crowds. In fact, business leaders say many older Americans are doing their shopping at home -- on the computer. They say the day most people shop online is the Monday after “Black Friday.” They even have a name for it -- “Cyber Monday.” 

 

60. Which is the busiest shopping day of the year according to the text?

A. Black Friday

B. the day before Christmas

C. the Saturday before Christmas

D. Cyber Monday

61. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Businessmen prefer the term “in the red” to “in the black”.

B. “Black Friday” means store owners begin to earn money.

C. The largest amount of sales is made on “Black Friday”.

D. The largest number of people go to stores on “Black Friday”.

62. Why don’t people spend money on “Black Friday”?

A. They are not satisfied with the quality of the goods sold.

B. Some shops secretly increase their prices on that day.

C. Too many people in the store discourage their shopping desire.

D. They are waiting for a more competitive price.

63. From the passage we can conclude that ________.

A. Stores failed to earn much money from older people on “Black Friday”.

B. “Cyber Monday” has a larger amount of sales than “Black Friday”.

C. All young people prefer going to stores on “Black Friday”.

D. Older people like shopping on-line because of cheaper prices.

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：讀想用　高二英語（下） 題型：050

閱讀理解

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　　The cowboys who lived in the United States of America，before there were good roads or big modern cities，used to live on the huge spaces of grassland called ranges，because that was where the cows that they looked after could find plenty of grass and water．　1　

　　In the early days it was a hard job getting the cows to the markets where they were killed．It was no good killing them on the range because there were no lorries or railways to carry the meat．　2　

　　On the trail the leader was the trail boss，who told the men which jobs to do．He decided where they should camp at night．

　　Hundreds or maybe thousands of cattle were taken on the trail．　3　

　　Of course，the chuck wagon went too．“ Chuck was a cowboy name for food，and so the chuck wagon was where the cook did his work and carried his stores of food．The tail board of the wagon made a good shelf，as the back part of the wagon could open outwards so it served very well as a shelf．The cook was able to feed the cowboys，but the cattle had to find their own food on the trail．They ate as they moved along．

　　　4　 The cowboys worked very hard and had little time to play When they were resting on the trail they would play cards，tell stories，sing cowboy songs and mend their equipment．

　　　5　 The cattle will also arrive fresh and fat when they arrive at the place whereas they would have become tired and thin if they had been taken on the trail．

A．The cattle had to be driven along in a large herd to the towns where they were needed．The places with lots of people who needed meat were often hundreds or thousands of miles away from the ranges．The cattle were rounded up，and those to be sent away were kept together．

B．It was a long，slow job，and the herd covered only about fifteen or twenty miles each day．This meant that the journey to market took many weeks．All this time the cowboy worked in the saddle and slept on the hard ground．They began work the sun rose and they were on their horses for many hours day after day．

C．Because of the danger of the stampede（驚跑），the trail boss and his men did everything they could to keep the cattle quiet．During the day the herd was moved along at a slow，steady pace．At night when most of the men were asleep，a gang of cowboys would ride round and round the herd，singing and whistling softly．This was to let the cows know that everything was all right．

D．But when the time came to sell the cows，there were no buyers on the range-they had to be taken into market．

E．The herd was not made to move too quickly-if they rushed along they would get thin and not be worth much at the market．Some cowboys rode beside them，some in front and others at the back．Cows which moved too slowly were hurried along．Cows which tried to get away were made to go back to the herd．

F．When railways were built there were no need to take cattle on the trail．Instead they were put into railway cars and taken quickly to the markets．Today a fast cattle train will take only a few hours to do a journey which once took the cowboys and their herds many days or weeks．

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Bill Javis took over our village’s news-agency at a time of life when most of us only wanted to relax. He just thought he would like something but not too much to do, and the news-a??gency was ready-made. The business produced little enough for him, but Bill was a man who only wanted the simplicity and order and regularity of the job. He had been a long-serving sailor, and all his life had done everything by the clock.

Every day he opened his shop at 6:00 a. m. to catch the early trade; the papers arrived on his doorstep before that. Many of Bill’s customers were city workers, and the shop was convenient for the station. Business was tailing off by 10 o’clock, so at eleven sharp Bill closed for lunch. It was hard luck on anybody who wanted a paper or magazine in the after??noon, for most likely Bill would be down on the river bank, fishing, and his neatest competitor was five kilometers away. Sometimes in the afternoon-, the evening paper landed on the doorway, and at 4 o’ clock Bill reopened his shop. The evening rush lasted till seven, and it was worthwhile.

He lived in a flat above the ship, alone. Except in the very bad weather, you always knew where to find him in the af??ternoon, as I have said. Once, on a sunny afternoon, I walked home along the river bank from a shopping trip to the village. By my watch it was three minutes past four, so I was aston??ished to see Bill sitting there on his little chair with a line in the, water. He had no luck, I could, see, but he was making no effort to move. “What’s wrong, Bill?” I called out from the path.

For answer, he put a hand in his jacket and took out a big, golden object. For a moment I had no idea what it could be, and then it suddenly went off with a noise like a fire en??gine. Stopping the bell, Bill held the thing up and called back, "Ten to four, you see, and this is dead right. "

I had never known anyone carrying a brass alarm clock round with him before.

5. Bill Javis became a news-agent when ________.

A. he need the money.                         B. he decided to take things easy

C. he was quite an old man                 D. he gave up clock-repairing

6. Bill opened the shop so early in the day because ________.

A. he liked to do as much as possible before he went to work

B. the shop had to be open when the morning papers came

C. he was never sure of time

D. it was then that he did a lot of business

7. On that sunny afternoon, the writer was surprised when he saw Bill because ________.

A. he thought it was late for Bill to be still fishing

B. he thought Bill was ill, since he was not moving at all

C. Bill had not caught anything, and that seemed strange

D. Bill stayed in his flat

8. From the information given in the passage, who or what do you think was wrong?

A. The bell was; it must have gone off at the wrong time.

B. Bill was; he had dropped off to sleep.

C. The writer’s watch was fast.

D. Bill’s clock was wrong; it was old.

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Bill Javis took over our village’s news-agency at a time of life when most of us only wanted to relax. He just thought he would like something but not too much to do, and the news-a??gency was ready-made. The business produced little enough for him, but Bill was a man who only wanted the simplicity and order and regularity of the job. He had been a long-serving sailor, and all his life had done everything by the clock.

Every day he opened his shop at 6:00 a. m. to catch the early trade; the papers arrived on his doorstep before that. Many of Bill’s customers were city workers, and the shop was convenient for the station. Business was tailing off by 10 o’clock, so at eleven sharp Bill closed for lunch. It was hard luck on anybody who wanted a paper or magazine in the after??noon, for most likely Bill would be down on the river bank, fishing, and his nearest competitor was five kilometers away. Sometimes in the afternoon, the evening paper landed on the doorway, and at 4 o’clock Bill reopened his shop. The evening rush lasted till seven, and it was worthwhile.

He lived in a flat above the shop, alone. Except in the very bad weather, you always knew where to find him in the af??ternoon, as I have said. Once, on a sunny afternoon, I walked home along the river bank from a shopping trip to the village. By my watch it was three minutes past four, so I was aston??ished to see Bill sitting there on his little chair with a line in the water. He had no luck, I could see, but he was making no effort to move.

“What’s wrong, Bill?” I called out from the path.

For answer, he put a hand in his jacket and took out a big, golden object. For a moment I had no idea what it could be, and then it suddenly went off with a noise like a fire en??gine. Stopping the bell, Bill held the thing up and called back, “Ten to four, you see, and this is dead right.”

I had never known anyone carrying a brass alarm clock round with him before.

Bill Javis became a news-agent when _______.

A. he needed the money      

B. he was quite an old man

C. he decided to take up fishing  

D. he gave up clock-repairing

Bill opened the shop so early in the day because _______.

A. he liked to do as much as possible before he went to work

B. the shop had to be open when the morning papers came

C. he was never sure of time

D. it was then that he did a lot of business

From the information given in the passage, who or what do you think was wrong?

A. The bell was－it must have gone off at the wrong time.

B. Bill was－h(huán)e had dropped off to sleep.

C. The writer’s watch was－it was fast.

D. Bill’s clock was－it was old.

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

第三部分：閱讀理解（共15小題；每小題2分，滿分30分）

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題紙上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

Bill Javis took over our village’s news-agency at a time of life when most of us only wanted to relax. He just thought he would like something but not too much to do, and the news-a??gency was ready-made. The business produced little enough for him, but Bill was a man who only wanted the simplicity and order and regularity of the job. He had been a long-serving sailor, and all his life had done everything by the clock.

Every day he opened his shop at 6:00 a. m. to catch the early trade; the papers arrived on his doorstep before that. Many of Bill’s customers were city workers, and the shop was convenient for the station. Business was tailing off by 10 o’clock, so at eleven sharp Bill closed for lunch. It was hard luck on anybody who wanted a paper or magazine in the after??noon, for most likely Bill would be down on the river bank, fishing, and his nearest competitor was five kilometers away. Sometimes in the afternoon, the evening paper landed on the doorway, and at 4 o’clock Bill reopened his shop. The evening rush lasted till seven, and it was worthwhile.

He lived in a flat above the shop, alone. Except in the very bad weather, you always knew where to find him in the af??ternoon, as I have said. Once, on a sunny afternoon, I walked home along the river bank from a shopping trip to the village. By my watch it was three minutes past four, so I was aston??ished to see Bill sitting there on his little chair with a line in the water. He had no luck, I could see, but he was making no effort to move.

“What’s wrong, Bill?” I called out from the path.

For answer, he put a hand in his jacket and took out a big, golden object. For a moment I had no idea what it could be, and then it suddenly went off with a noise like a fire en??gine. Stopping the bell, Bill held the thing up and called back, “Ten to four, you see, and this is dead right.”

I had never known anyone carrying a brass alarm clock round with him before.

71. Bill Javis became a news-agent when _______.

A. he needed the money      

B. he was quite an old man

C. he decided to take up fishing  

D. he gave up clock-repairing

72. Bill opened the shop so early in the day because _______.

A. he liked to do as much as possible before he went to work

B. the shop had to be open when the morning papers came

C. he was never sure of time

D. it was then that he did a lot of business

73. From the information given in the passage, who or what do you think was wrong?

A. The bell was－it must have gone off at the wrong time.

B. Bill was－h(huán)e had dropped off to sleep.

C. The writer’s watch was－it was fast.

D. Bill’s clock was－it was old.

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科目：高中英語 來源：北京四中09-10學(xué)年高二下期末考試 題型：閱讀理解

 

Bill Javis took over our village’s news-agency at a time of life when most of us only wanted to relax. He just thought he would like something but not too much to do, and the news-a­gency was ready-made. The business produced little enough for him, but Bill was a man who only wanted the simplicity and order and regularity of the job. He had been a long-serving sailor, and all his life had done everything by the clock.

Every day he opened his shop at 6:00 a. m. to catch the early trade; the papers arrived on his doorstep before that. Many of Bill’s customers were city workers, and the shop was convenient for the station. Business was tailing off by 10 o’clock, so at eleven sharp Bill closed for lunch. It was hard luck on anybody who wanted a paper or magazine in the after­noon, for most likely Bill would be down on the river bank, fishing, and his nearest competitor was five kilometers away. Sometimes in the afternoon, the evening paper landed on the doorway, and at 4 o’clock Bill reopened his shop. The evening rush lasted till seven, and it was worthwhile.

He lived in a flat above the shop, alone. Except in the very bad weather, you always knew where to find him in the af­ternoon, as I have said. Once, on a sunny afternoon, I walked home along the river bank from a shopping trip to the village. By my watch it was three minutes past four, so I was aston­ished to see Bill sitting there on his little chair with a line in the water. He had no luck, I could see, but he was making no effort to move.

“What’s wrong, Bill?” I called out from the path.

For answer, he put a hand in his jacket and took out a big, golden object. For a moment I had no idea what it could be, and then it suddenly went off with a noise like a fire en­gine. Stopping the bell, Bill held the thing up and called back, “Ten to four, you see, and this is dead right.”

I had never known anyone carrying a brass alarm clock round with him before.

1.Bill Javis became a news-agent when _______.

A. he needed the money                            

B. he was quite an old man

C. he decided to take up fishing                 

D. he gave up clock-repairing

2.Bill opened the shop so early in the day because _______.

A. he liked to do as much as possible before he went to work

B. the shop had to be open when the morning papers came

C. he was never sure of time

D. it was then that he did a lot of business

3.From the information given in the passage, who or what do you think was wrong?

A. The bell was－it must have gone off at the wrong time.

B. Bill was－h(huán)e had dropped off to sleep.

C. The writer’s watch was－it was fast.

D. Bill’s clock was－it was old.

 

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